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Notice (8): Undefined variable: urlPrefix [APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp, line 8]latest-news-updates/local-view-of-global-problem-4509.html"/> LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Local view of global problem | Im4change.org
Resource centre on India's rural distress
 
 

Local view of global problem

In the run up to the next global jamboree on climate change, in the tourism-cum-summitry town of Cancun, Mexico, the government has come out with an Indian view of global warming, based on indigenous research. The upshot of the effort is a much more worrisome portrayal of the challenge of climate change. The Indian studies forecast that mean temperature will rise in India by around 2ºC by 2030, rather than the 2050s as earlier projected by the UN panel on climate change. This is precisely the level at which the Copenhagen declaration of last December binds countries to cap further increase in temperatures. Since no one country can by itself take measures that would save it from global warming, the Indian study adds to the global urgency for dealing with the challenge of climate change. It remains to be seen how seriously these new warnings will be regarded at Cancun, and indeed in India itself. While the international community must come forward with a meaningful strategy, there are things India can do on its own. To begin with, contain its emission of environment-injurious greenhouse gases and promote preparedness for adaptation to a changing environmental regime. The latter, perhaps, is more important than the former. This is evident from the sector-specific analysis presented in the official impact assessment report. It indicates that the agriculture sector will be the worst hit — with annual rainfall expected to increase, but with fewer rainy days. This will mean more floods and droughts. This clearly implies more trouble for India’s farmers, who will be up against more erratic weather. Equally dreadful are the prospects of more frequent cloudbursts and floods which wreck misery and cause havoc.

The report has some bright spots of hope. It says the yields of irrigated rice and some plantation crops, notably coconut, are likely to increase. However, these gains are likely to be more than offset by the projected reduction in the productivity of several winter crops, including wheat and scarce pulses and oilseeds. Besides, the heightened vagaries of weather and recurring natural disasters will also take a heavy toll on crop yields, apart from lives and property. On the human health front, the report is unambiguous in stating that some of the dreaded vector-borne diseases, notably malaria, will become more prevalent and will spread to new areas like the Himalayan region.

The task ahead, therefore, seems daunting. However, it is reassuring that India already has a National Action Plan on Climate Change and public and political awareness of the challenge at hand is relatively high. Significantly, several of the eight “national missions” that have been launched as part of the national action plan concern directly or indirectly with the sectors identified as vulnerable in this report. These are the missions on sustainable agriculture, water, green India and strategic knowledge. While these missions would, obviously, need further strengthening in the light of the latest report, the health concerns may require special attention. Getting climate change back onto the policy radar both nationally and globally is, therefore, a good thing and this report serves that purpose well.