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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?
- 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.
- The World Bank predicts India will face over 40% of global job losses due to heat-induced productivity decline by 2030.
- 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?
- Accelerate strategies to reduce carbon intensity in GDP by 2030 due to increasing climate challenges.
- Allocate sufficient funds for both mitigation and adaptation to climate impacts.
- 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.
