Combating climate change & its horrific impact

The simultaneous heatwaves prevailing in many countries across North America and Europe have broken records. Earlier in the year, the World Meteorological Organisation had confirmed that the past eight years had been the warmest ever; from mountain peaks to ocean depths, climate change had continued its advance. The trends indicate that the global temperatures are likely to continue to surge, leading to a growing concern of an unprecedented increase in extreme weather events attributed to climate change.

Closer home, we are witnessing, in particular in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh, unprecedented rainfall, resulting in utter devastation and loss of lives. In Kullu district alone, numerous bridges, roads and parts of the Mandi-Manali highway have been swept away by flashfloods and landslides, with the Beas in spate. In Kullu, hundreds of homes and cars have been washed away, rendering thousands of people homeless. The economic losses suffered by the state are estimated to be over Rs 8,000 crore. It is one stark example of climate change and its grave consequences.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report of 2023, humankind has been responsible for virtually all instances of global heating over the past 200 years. As a global phenomenon, the impact of climate change is all too visible in the form of extreme weather events and natural disasters such as heatwaves, floods, landslides and droughts, which are occurring with greater frequency and intensity.

With the warming of the planet, the glaciers in the Himalayas are melting rapidly, leading to the formation of glacial lakes which when breached can sweep away villages after villages downstream. A recent study indicates that the number of glacial lakes is increasing rapidly in India, China and Nepal. They pose a huge threat to Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Sikkim, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

This trend is also associated with a rise in the sea level, which poses a grave existential danger to small island nations, such as the Maldives, and the coastal areas of India and Bangladesh.

Climate change is responsible for the increase in cases of diarrhoea and mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue, as well as heatstroke and cardiovascular diseases. By undermining access to essential needs such as water, sanitation and food, climate change threatens health and nutrition, education and the very survival of children.

The IPCC report has expressed grave concern about the world now being 1.15°C warmer than it was before the Industrial Revolution, and most countries not doing enough to address climate change. The urgency required to tackle the crisis seems missing. Unfortunately, it is the developing countries of Africa and South Asia which are suffering disproportionately from the effects of climate change caused by the West and China.

India, in particular, remains vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Heavy rains, cloudbursts, floods and drought conditions in various parts of the country have led to crop failure, economic losses and human suffering.

So, how should climate change be addressed? First, all countries must recognise that climate change is a real and present danger and it is the result of greenhouse gas emissions leading to a rise in the atmospheric temperature. Having included it as a priority agenda item of G20, India as its president has a historic opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping the global agenda on climate change. It can do so by advancing innovative strategies and fast-tracking measures for the reduction of carbon emissions and by calling for an enhancement in national preparedness for climate change.

Three main strategies need to be pursued: reducing greenhouse emissions, strengthening community and health system resilience, and compensating developing countries for loss and damages.

India’s focus at the policy level is to reduce greenhouse emissions by transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy, such as solar, wind and hydropower, and by ushering in green technology. India has made remarkable progress in this direction and the target for getting 50 per cent of energy from non-fossil sources by 2030 is likely to be achieved by 2027. India is the only G20 country which has delivered on the promise made at COP21 in Paris.

This is being achieved by giving a fillip to solar energy through the India-co-founded International Solar Alliance, and by taking steps towards making green hydrogen a renewable energy source, building charging infrastructure for electric cars, and manufacturing ethanol from agricultural waste as a biofuel.

Citizens and groups can and must contribute by adopting healthy lifestyle practices, planting more trees — thereby enhancing the green cover which functions as a ‘carbon sink’ — and protecting the environment by saving energy and saying no to plastic.

Priority must also be accorded to strengthening national capacities and community resilience to cope with the impact of climate change. The government must not only strengthen national health programmes but also take urgent steps to conduct environmental impact assessment, build check dams and explore ways to channelise water flow, protect riverbeds from encroachment and fortify them through barriers and by growing soil-holding plants and trees on riverbanks.

India, as the G20 president, has the responsibility and opportunity to demonstrate its leadership by pursuing issues such as protecting poor countries from the adverse impact of climate change by ensuring technology transfer and adequate financing for climate action and strengthening primary healthcare in various countries.