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NEWS ALERTS | Book Review: Coping with Climate Change
Book Review: Coping with Climate Change

Book Review: Coping with Climate Change

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published Published on Jun 24, 2015   modified Modified on Jun 24, 2015
 
If environmental degradation disturbs you and you are averse to reading technical manuals and copious volumes on the subject, there is some good news for you.   

A recently published book from Gene Campaign entitled Coping with Climate Change is doing the rounds among environmentalists, civil society activists, public servants and researchers. Edited by Dr. Suman Sahai, the book has been written in a coffee book style to make easy serious topics like climate change and global warming for understanding by readers from diverse backgrounds.

Apart from introduction, the book comprises seven chapters namely: 1. Coping with Climate Change: Mitigation & Adaptation in Agriculture; 2. Impact of Climate Change on Forests and Biodiversity; 3. Impact of Climate Change on Water; 4. Impact of Climate Change on Mountain Ecosystems; 5. Impact of Climate Change on Coastal Areas; 6. Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture; and 7. Climate Change Negotiations. The financial support has been received from Heinrich Böll Stiftung for publishing this book.

In the editor’s note, Dr. Suman Sahai, founder of Gene Campaign, mentions that the main objective behind the publication of the book has been to make people aware of the negative impacts of climate change on key sectors like natural resources, biodiversity, ecosystems, agriculture and food production. Despite the fact that food security and undernutrition are grave issues before the country, India’s policy focus has been more on energy instead of agriculture, notes Sahai. The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), which was launched by the UPA Government in 2008, has failed to prioritize agriculture.  

Although an honest effort has been made to present serious topics and issues lucidly for even a layperson to go through and understand, there are certain flaws that could be observed in the present book.

Table Sahai

Source: Coping with Climate Change
 
The data represented and quoted in the book could have been updated to recent years. For example, in the chapter 'Impact of Climate Change on Forests and Biodiversity', there is a table titled 'Share of Forestry and Logging in GDP (at 2004-05 prices)' (page no. 118). In that particular table, instead of the percentage share of forestry and logging in GDP, one gets only the figures of real GDP originating from this sector (at constant 2004-05 prices) till 2007-08 (without the mention whether the figure is in Rs. crore or Rs. lakh).

The index or content list provided at the beginning of the book shows that the first chapter 'Coping with Climate Change: Mitigation & Adaptation in Agriculture' starts from page 9. However, the first chapter actually begins from page no. 37. In fact, the introduction of the book is spread over 28 pages and not just confined to one page, as one gets the impression from the index/ content list.

The chapter ‘Climate Change Negotiations’ is too short as compared to other chapters of the book.

One hopes that the next edition of the book will try to rectify some of these mistakes, and update the data presented.

The key facts mentioned in the book ‘Coping with Climate Change’ are as follows:

1. At the national level, increase of 0.4 degree C has been observed in surface air temperatures over the past century. A warming trend has been observed along the west coast, in Central India, the interior peninsula and North-eastern India. However, cooling trends have been observed in North-West India and parts of South India.

2. A trend of increasing monsoon seasonal rainfall has been found along the west coast, northern Andhra Pradesh, and North-Western India (+10% to +12% of the normal over last 100 years) while a trend of decreasing monsoon seasonal rainfall has been observed over eastern Madhya Pradesh, North-Eastern India, some parts of Gujarat and Kerala (-6% to -8% of the normal over the last 100 years).  

3. The Indian government predicts that by the end of the century, average surface temperatures in India will be 3-6 degree C higher.

4. For India, sea level rise has been estimated between 1.06-1.75 mm per year. A 45 cm rise in sea level would submerge 75% of the area of Sunderbans in India. Also, vulnerable to inundation will be the delta regions of Krishna, Mahanadi, Godavari and Cauvery. Indian coastline is densely population, and the communities on the coast are particularly vulnerable to sea-level rise. One meter rise could displace 7 million people across the country.

5. By 2050, one billion people are likely to face water shortages, with Indian cities being the worst hit.

6. Since 2007, India has produced nearly 1.7 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases every year. Much of these are CO2 emissions from burning coal, which is used to generate electricity.

7. The US accounts for 4% of the global population, but emits nearly 25% of the world’s emission. India, which houses 17% of world’s population, is responsible for 4.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

8. India is ranked among the top 10 emitters due to size of its economy and population. However, it has per capita CO2 emission of just 1.7 tonnes compared to world average of 4.9 tonnes.  

9. The World Bank considers India to be one of the 12 countries most vulnerable to floods, droughts, and agricultural changes caused by climate change.

10. It is projected that by 2050, most of the forest biomes in India will be highly vulnerable to the projected change in climate and 70% of the vegetation in India is likely to find itself less than optimally adapted to its existing location, making it more vulnerable to the adverse climatic conditions as well as to the increased biotic stresses.

11. Nearly 700 million rural people in India directly depend on climate sensitive sectors for their subsistence and livelihoods. Climate change will alter the distribution and quality of India's natural resources and adversely affect the livelihood of its people.

12. Models based on different climate scenarios suggest that milk production will decrease by 1.6 million tonnes by 2020 and by more than 15 million tonnes by 2050. North India is likely to face greater climate related reduction in milk production for both cows and buffaloes as compared to other areas.

13. In India, rice production is slated to fall by almost a tonne per hectare if the temperature goes up to 20 degree C. By 2050, about half of India’s prime wheat production area could get heat-stressed, with the cultivation of window getting shorter, affecting yield. India’s annual wheat output could plunge by 6 million tonnes with every 1 degree C rise in temperature.


References

Coping with Climate Change (2014), edited by Suman Sahai, Heinrich Böll Stiftung (please click here to access)

National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) (please click here to access)

India's National Action Plan on Climate Change -Harshal T Pandve, Indian Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, April, 2009, 13(1): 17–19 (please click here to access) 



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