Climate Change induced Temperature Rise – IMD’s 2023 report is a wake-up call

Source: The post climate change going to impact India has been created, based on the article “Rising temperature-IMD’s 2023 report is a wake-up call” published in Business standard on 3rd January 2024.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS paper3- environment- climate change

News: The article discusses how 2023 was India’s second-warmest year, causing various weather issues and affecting the economy, agriculture, and employment due to climate change.

How did the year 2023 bring a grim retrospect from the India Meteorological Department (IMD)?

Temperature Rise: 2023 was marked as the second warmest year since 1901, with the average temperature 0.65°C above the long-term mean.

Extreme Rainfall: December 2023 saw rainfall 60% above normal, making it an exceptionally wet month, except in the north and Northeast regions.

Tropical Storms: The Indian Ocean experienced six tropical storms, significantly higher than usual, with three escalating to severe cyclonic storms, indicating a rise in extreme weather events.

El Nino Contribution: The unusual weather patterns and increased global temperatures were partly attributed to El Nino, underscoring the broader impact of climate change.

How is climate change going to impact India?

1. The Reserve Bank of India’s 2022-23 Report on Currency and Finance projects a potential 2% loss in GDP and a decline in living standards for half the population by 2050. It particularly emphasizes the loss in productivity in major sectors such as agriculture and construction due to increasing heat stress.
2. The World Bank predicts India will face over 40% of global job losses due to heat-induced productivity decline by 2030.
3. It is bad for poorest populations, as evident by skyrocketing prices of essentials like vegetables (tomatoes, onions, potatoes, chilly, and cumin) due to erratic weather impacting production.

What should be done?

1. Accelerate strategies to reduce carbon intensity in GDP by 2030 due to increasing climate challenges.
2. Allocate sufficient funds for both mitigation and adaptation to climate impacts.
3. Prioritize renewable energy sources over thermal power to meet 2030 targets and reduce coal dependency.

Question for practice:

Discuss the impact of climate change on India and suggest measures to overcome this issue.