Impact of Climate Change on India, Himalayas, and Coastal States
Q: ‘Climate change’ is a global problem. How India will be affected by climate change? How Himalayan and coastal states of India will be affected by climate change?
Answer: Climate change is an effect of global warming due green house gas emission. Different studies point towards projections of 2 – 4°C rise in global temperature which can cause devastating impacts. India being a tropical country may face severity of climate change.
There are various studies and reports about possible impacts on climate change e.g. IPCC, UNFCCC and other. In light of above need to see impact of climate change on India.
How India will be affected
- Rising temperature may create severe heat wave during summer. Already in last 3 yeas, during summer, there were more than 2000 deaths in Andhra and Telangana alone from heat waves.
- Climate change will make monsoon highly wet and extremely unpredictable. Reports say that the extreme wet monsoon which occurs once in 100 will be there every 10 years.
- It can increase the frequency of drought and floods. The distribution of rainfall will become extremely uneven with increased frequency of cloud bursts. More rain in short duration will bring havoc.
- Climate change is also going to affect crop productivity. It can decrease the productivity directly. Further, there may be rise in insects and pests leading to food crop losses.
- Vector born diseases are likely to increase along with waterborn diseases as claimed by TERI study report.
Effect on Himalayan states
- Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change claims that Himalayan glaciers are melting fastest in the would and if the temperature rises to the higher side of expectations then Himalayan glaciers are melting fastest in the would and if the temperature rises to the higher side of expectations then Himalayas may be devoid of glaciers in 50-100 years. Rare species like Snow Leopard may become extinct.
- Eastern Himalayan states will become victim of extreme monsoon and floods.
- The livelihood of millions of people living in river bed of Ganga, Indus and Brahmputra will be affected.
- Himalayan ecosystem is very fragile and climate change can bring drastic change. The glacier fed rivers like Indus and Ganga will become dependent only on monsoon rain. This can change the scenario altogether in agriculture, forest, biodiversity and human life.
How climate change will affect coastal states
- Mumbai and Kolkata are cities having dense human habitation at coasts. Mumbai regularly faces the inundation and submergence. The 26 July 2005 like floods of Mumbai will occur with increased frequency.
- Storm surge and sea level rise would lead to saltwater intrusion in coastal areas impacting agriculture, freshwater bodies and even groundwater.
- Some cities will totally submerge.
- The rising temperature will increase sea surface temperature and affect acidity thereby corals will be destroyed affecting fishing and coastal life and economy.
To prevent climate change world should come together and take proactive steps.
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