Simplifying Science is Asar’s strategic science communication initiative focused on making climate research accessible, relevant, and actionable for people across India. The programme works at the intersection of climate science, public communication, and regional media, translating complex scientific studies into clear, multilingual narratives that can reach communities most affected by climate impacts.
This coverage report documents the first Simplifying Science campaign, built around the study “Anatomy of Moist Heatwaves in India During the Summer Monsoon Season”, published in Climate Dynamics by researchers from the University of Reading, University of Leeds, the UK Met Office, and IITM Pune. The research highlighted the growing danger of humid heatwaves in India and demonstrated that such events could potentially be forecast up to four weeks in advance.
Working closely with the study’s authors, Asar translated the findings into accessible stories and disseminated them across regional and national media ecosystems in six Indian languages. Over a 14-day period, the campaign generated 43 media placements across print, digital, and broadcast platforms, with an estimated reach of 53–59 million people.