Climate change and India

 

Human-induced climate change is now considered one of the most prominent challenges of our time, with a warming planet being a present-day reality, rather than a potential future threat.

The problem has been thrust into public consciousness ever since scientific consensus emerged that "warming of the climate system is unequivocal" and that "most of the observed increase in global average temperature since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations."

Anyone who has experienced the increasing intensity of sizzling summer temperatures in India over the past two decades would find it hard to have any doubts as to whether our planet is warming.

 

It has become routine to report about the scorching heat gripping many parts of India during summer months, with the mercury shooting up to as high as 48 degrees Celsius (118.4 degrees Fahrenheit) and causing thousands of deaths of vulnerable people. In the last four years, India has seen as many as over 4,620 deaths caused by heat waves, according to data published by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

 

The increased frequency and severity of these heat waves are blamed on the altering global weather patterns as a result of climate change due to human emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, among others.

"India's climate is warming up at a very fast rate. It is warming at a much faster rate than thought previously.  Up to 1.5 billion people could see their hometowns in the densely populated agricultural regions of the Ganges and Indus river basins become impossible to live in, according to the report.

 

Scientists and environmentalists say global warming is also endangering India's rivers like the Ganges, which holds deep religious and cultural significance for millions of Indians. They note that rising temperatures are causing Himalayan glaciers, which provide water to some of these rivers, to recede. This is affecting the amount of water flowing into them annually.

 

The harmful and profound environmental effects of climate change are not limited to the occurrence of severe heat waves and threats to river water systems. Other phenomena observed worldwide in recent years include: reductions in snow and sea ice extent, rising sea levels, changes in ocean acidity, extended droughts, stronger tropical storms as well as increased frequency of heavy and extreme rainfall events.

Already one of the most disaster-prone nations in the world, India is considered to be extremely vulnerable to these effects. Its dense coastal populations could be hit hard by rising sea levels, while changing weather patterns may negatively impact agricultural and food security. They could also lead to acute water shortages and deadly disease outbreaks.

 

India's growing economy and energy demands

 

The potential adverse implications of unabated GHG emissions have placed New Delhi in a tough spot, forcing it to look for ways to come up with measures to cut the nation's high carbon footprint while not jeopardizing its economic growth prospects.

In per capita terms, India's emissions are only one-third of the global average and far lower than those of richer Western countries like the US or Asian peers such as China. But in absolute terms, the South Asian nation is one of the major emitters of greenhouse gases, currently accounting for over 4.5 percent of global GHG concentrations, behind only China, the United States and the 28-nation European Union bloc.

India's energy sector is a significant contributing factor. Asia's third-biggest economy relies on coal for around 60 percent of its total electricity generation and fossil fuel remains a vital element in the nation's long-term energy strategy.

 

India's efforts to boost economic growth and development by rapidly industrializing and transforming itself into a manufacturing hub are set to drastically increase the demand for energy in a country that is home to about a sixth of the world's population.

People in India today use much less energy per capita than Europeans, Americans and also Chinese. Moreover, millions of Indians subsist on roughly $2.00 (Rs.145.100) a day and, according to the International Energy Agency, some 18 percent of the nation's 1.3 billion-strong population did not have access to electricity in 2016.

Increasing prosperity may offer these people the chance to get their households connected to the grid and lay their hands on things like refrigerators and washing machines - gadgets people in developed countries take for granted. This, in turn, will increase demand for and consumption of electricity.

 

To diversify its energy mix and reduce its reliance on coal, the Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been actively promoting renewable power sources and aims to pump tens of billions of dollars in new investments to expand generation capacity over the coming decade.

Ambitious targets have been set: The goal is to source 40 percent of India's electricity from renewable and other low-carbon sources by 2030. It also wants to reach 175 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity by 2022 - of which 100 GW will be from solar energy. Furthermore, India joined hands with France to launch an alliance of 121 countries to dramatically boost the use of solar power.

This push has helped India emerge as a key player in the global renewables market, which has driven down the cost of clean energy.

 

India has aggressive goals even for the automotive market, with plans to allow the sale of only electric and hybrid vehicles starting from 2030. The challenge to realize this objective, though, will be to build the infrastructure needed to support battery-driven cars.

Another consistent Indian demand has been green technology transfers from developed countries. India sees itself as one of the most vocal proponents of "climate justice" - the notion that historical responsibilities as well as present-day capabilities matter greatly in shaping the climate governance regime.

 

India’s strategies on climate change 

 

1. Renewable Energy – Powering India’s future

PM Modi announced that “India is committed to achieving 175GW by 2022. India further commits to increase its renewable energy capacity to 450GW.” Achieving 450 GW of renewable energy capacity would be more than five times the country’s current renewable capacity at around 81 GW. And, it is more than India’s total installed electricity capacity of 360 GW from all sources (including coal-fired power plants). That is a huge increase in renewable energy capacity! India is almost halfway toward to meeting its target of 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022

2. Sustainable Mobility

PM Modi stressed that e-mobility solutions are being fast-tracked by India. He also added that India is expanding its bio-fuel mixing program to reduce the share of crude oil used in India.Increasing the fleet of electric vehicles and its charging infrastructure in India will be key to improve air quality in cities, enhance energy security by reduced dependence on imported crude, and is also a key solution to fight climate change.

India has one of the lowest motorization rates in the world. The transport sector in India, is one of the fastest growing sectors in India, despite the recent downturn. This demand for mobility solutions is projected to increase even further

3. Water Preservation

Talking about the water preservation, PM Modi announced, “water conservation, rainwater harvesting, and rejuvenation of water bodies is critical to India. We have launched a Jal Shakti Abhiyan (water mission) to achieve these measures.”

India is a water scarce nation. According to estimates, in June 2019 around 44% of India’s areas were under various degrees of drought conditions. Parts of several states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Karnataka in India have struggled with serious drought conditions. Thermal power projects in parts of Maharashtra were shut down because of unavailability of water. Large metro cities such Bangalore and Chennai are facing massive strain to meet their water needs.

A combination of rapid urbanization, insufficient infrastructure, and climate change is intensifying the stress on India’s water resources. To ensure complementarity in domestic action on water, the government also established a new Jal Shakti ministry to work on all water related issues ranging from supplying clean drinking water, inter-state and international shared water resources and disputes, to river cleaning projects.

Along the lines of ISA, Prime Minister Modi announced establishing the International Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), PM Modi invited all countries present to join the Coalition. Like ISA, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure is an international organization in the making with over 30 countries. The coalition will work towards a common goal of establishing infrastructure which is resilient to pressures of climate change and environmental disasters. India has pledged INR 4.8 billion (Around USD 70 million) to the CDRI.

5. Low-Carbon Pathways

 India and Sweden along with other partners will be launching the “Industry Transition Group.” The group will develop low-carbon pathways with the aim of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 in hard-to-abate industries such as steel and cement.

M Modi also spotlighted India’s cooking energy program which provided clean cooking gas connections to 150 million households. The objective of the program is to reduce and eliminate exposure of women and children to indoor air pollution due to solid fuel burnt for cooking.  About 480,000 premature deaths annually due to direct exposure of the households, and another 270,000 due to “indirect” exposure outdoors. Stopping the use of solid fuels is also an important step to mitigate local air pollution.He also spotlighted India’s commitment to phase out single-use plastic completely by 2022 and hoped that this will serve as an example for other countries to follow.   

 Interview with Shyama Rajagopal, Journalist-The Hindu

 

• India and climate change.

 

India is among the top 10 most affected countries in the Global Climate Risk Index 2021, and it was not surprising to know that India appeared to be in the top 10 most affected countries in the global climate risk index of 2021. And India ranked as the seventh worst-hit country in 2019.

India is blessed by many ecologies -- glaciers, high mountains, long coastlines as well as massive semi-arid regions which are the hotspots for climate change. Global warming is leading to an increase in the frequency of cyclones, the melting of glaciers at much faster rates, and heatwaves.

A majority of the Indian population is dependent on agriculture, which is being severely affected by the impacts of climate change. This year, India saw many of its cities drowning due to variability of the monsoon system.

• Can the depletion of glaciers in the Himalayas be caused due to climate change? 

 

Absolutely, disasters like this have been made more likely due to human-induced climate change, as global warming has increased the number of glacial lakes. The Himalayas are fragile and weak, like a child.The disaster had once again brought into focus the vulnerability of the Himalayan regions to climate change. 

 

• Effect of lockdown on climate change.

 

There have been a lot of good changes that had happened due to the pandemic. Skies had turned blue, Dolphins returning to the coasts, Ozone layer formation were faster and India’s carbon dioxide emissions fell by 30 percent in April compared with the same month in 2019.Pollution  fell dramatically.

 

• Effect of climate change on tourism

 

The climate change phenomenon is expected to continue throughout the 21century and beyond with serious ramifications including, sea-level rise, increased occurrence and intensity of adverse weather events such as storms, ocean warming, droughts, and glacier melting. The regional manifestation of climate will be highly sensitive to tourists and tourist destinations alike, hence requiring adaptation from all tourism stakeholders. The effects of climate change are already becoming evident at various destinations across the world. Global climate change has also begun influencing decision-making in the tourism sector.