Current Affairs 2021: Climate Change and India

By Dr C. Jayanthi

Climate Change is the cause of concern around the world. India has taken various steps to tackle the effects of climate change. Read here for India's efforts to tackle climate change.

When we witness the calamities caused by climate change in India and the rest of the world, the Sanskrit word Pralaya comes to mind. It signifies destruction and dissolution. It happens at the end of an immense period of time called kalpa. The earth witnesses intense heat, and incessant rains, finally ending in chaos and dissolution of our world. We could be pardoned for thinking that the hardships including floods, forest fires and droughts that we witness due to climate change could somehow reflect this.

Unless steps are taken to mitigate this problem, floods, droughts and heatwaves will be the order of the day in India. The emissions of greenhouse gases have to be controlled. In this country, the problem of course is that the cheapest fossil fuel, coal is used for the country’s energy purposes in various sectors including agriculture and industry. The other problem is that 50 per cent of India’s population is dependent on agriculture and livestock, signifying that it is a poor country. Removing dependence on coal will create problems for half the population in the country.  

What are Greenhouse gas emissions? 

These are emissions from human activities that strengthen the greenhouse (made of glass and used to grow plants by trapping heat) effect, causing climate change. These emissions trap heat. Most of the emission is carbon dioxide. It is emitted from burning fossil fuels: coal in the main, and oil. Natural gas is a relatively cleaner fuel. At present, the top 5 emitters are China that leads the pack, the United States, European Union, India and Russia in that order.

Electricity generation and transport are major culprits, the largest single source in the world being coal-fired power stations with 20 per cent of greenhouse gases. Deforestation and other changes in land use also emit carbon dioxide and methane. The largest source of methane emissions is agriculture, closely followed by industry using fossils fuels. The largest agricultural methane source is livestock. Similarly, fluorinated gases from refrigeration play a major role in total human emissions.

For India, what is alarming is that the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, in a recent report on the “Assessment of climate change over the Indian region” records that India’s average temperature has risen by around 0.7 degrees Celsius during 1901–2018.

The report forecasts that unless drastic measures are taken, between 2070 and 2099 average temperature in India will rise by about 4.4 degrees Celsius. This will be reflected by rising sea temperatures. “Sea surface temperature (SST) of the tropical Indian Ocean has risen by 1 degree Celsius on an average during 1951-2015, markedly higher than the global average SST warming of 0.7 degrees Celsius, over the same period,” the report says, while adding that this trend will continue throughout this century. Scientists say that India’s average temperature will rise by a little over 2 degrees Celsius, if appropriate measures are not taken in the next two decades to curtail emissions.

All this has resulted in less rains during the rainy season from June to September which is the monsoon season as we have been witnessing. The rains will be more uneven with intense wet spells alternating with intense dry spells. The report suggests that, “There has been a shift in the recent period toward more frequent dry spells--27% higher during 1981–2011 relative to 1951–1980--and more intense wet spells during the summer monsoon season.” This shows that if the human race has to survive, it has to act very fast.

Globally, for nearly three decades, the United Nations has been bringing together almost every country on earth for global climate summits – called COPs – which stands for ‘Conference of the Parties’. In that period of time, climate change has gone from being a fringe issue to a global priority. It is necessary to point out at the Climate change conference in Paris in 2015 attended by most countries and many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) globally, a major agreement was arrived at, called the Paris Agreement which is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at (Conference of Parties) COP 21 in Paris, on December 12, 2015 and entered into force on  November 4,  2016. Its goal is to limit global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

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To achieve this long-term temperature goal, countries aim to reach global reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible to achieve a climate-neutral world by mid-century. Climate change is widespread, rapid, and intensifying, and some trends are now irreversible, at least, during the present time frame, according to the latest inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, released recently. Based on this, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has sounded “Code Red for Humanity”. Human beings have to act or perish.
The UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties this year at Glasgow, UK, was the 26th annual summit – giving the name COP26 to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). With the UK as president, COP26 took place in Glasgow, Scotland between October 31-November 13, this year.  The aim was to bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

COP26 adopted a Glasgow Climate Pact that requests countries “revisit and strengthen” their climate pledges by the end of 2022, calls for a phasedown of coal and sets up processes towards delivering a global goal on adaptation to climate change thereby cleaner fuels, higher levels of climate finance and finance for loss and damage. At present, the top 5 emitters are China, the leading emitter, the United States, European Union, India and Russia in that order. 

Nearly 200 nations adopted the pact. The Glasgow text puts the IPCC’s findings at centre stage by recognising the impacts of climate change will be much lower at 1.5 degrees Celsius as compared to 2 degrees Celsius and “resolves to pursue efforts” to stay under the lower limit. This should reduce rise in global temperatures and thereby global warming.
The pact then reiterates the IPCC special report finding that limiting global warming to 1.5 Celsius requires “rapid, deep and sustained” emissions cuts, with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions falling to 45 per cent below 2010 levels by 2030 and to net-zero around mid-century. 

Coming to India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spelt out India’s five-fold strategy to play its part in helping the world get closer to 1.5 degrees Celsius, while addressing the gathering on the first day of the global climate meet in Glasgow. First, India’s non-fossil energy capacity will reach 500 Gigawatt (GW) by 2030. The Indian government has said India has already 150 GW of energy in this category and is well on its way to achieving the target. Second, India will meet 50 per cent of its energy requirements till 2030 with renewable energy. Third, India will reduce its projected carbon emission by one billion tonnes by 2030. Fourth, India will reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by 45 per cent by 2030 and India will achieve net zero by 2070. All these goals stated by the Prime Minister shows that India is seriously committed to meeting the challenges of climate change regardless of the fact that it faces many domestic issues including poverty and infrastructure disadvantages.

[Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are that of the author.]

About the Author: 

   Dr C. Jayanthi is an academician. She started her career as a writer and has 20 years of rich         journalistic experience in senior editorial roles at leading media houses including The Times of       India, The Pioneer, Gulf News, The Financial Express, and Deccan Chronicle.