Context:

The below article focuses on –

• All types of disastrous impacts of climate change or global warming on all forms of life on planet Earth.
• What environmental calamities are currently happening and what are very likely to happen in the future if ‘climate change’ is not tackled in right earnest with all urgency?

Concerns:

• We are aware that nothing is being taken seriously by the world political leaders and particularly rich nations (esp. US President Donald Trump), even though it is their rampant overconsumption, pollution and food wastage over more than 150 years (since the advent of the Industrial Revolution) that has greatly contributed to climate change.
• The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently reported that energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2018 rose by 1.7% to 33.1 billion tonnes from the previous year—the fastest since 2013.

We had earlier covered (in our previous DNAs’) about the latest UN report ‘Global Environment Outlook 6 (GEO 6)’

• According to GEO 6, the current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under Paris Agreement (2015) are just a ‘third’ of carbon emissions mitigation required to keep the average global temperature rise below 2 degree Celsius over pre-industrial levels.
• It means even if NDCs are fulfilled, the temperature will still shoot up to 2.7-3 degrees and may even go beyond 3 degrees with the US withdrawing from the agreement.
• The report emphasises adverse health impacts for all people in the world (1,000 crore by 2050) due to environmental degradation of atmosphere, land, oceans and biodiversity, which would be of irreversible nature.

Status of India

• India may fail to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) despite its many national action plans to achieve them.
• About 60 crore people in India depend on perennial rivers, which are in jeopardy due to glaciers receding and the ground water resources too being adversely affected.
• If the world fails to keep the temperature rise under 2 degrees Celsius, rivers of the world (such as Yellow, Ganges, Yangtze, Yamuna and Mekong) would shrink. There would be more uncontrollable droughts, floods, intense landslides and avalanches.
• India is likely to see the greatest extremes because of its vulnerability and crores of Indians would have to move.
• The vast areas of Indo-Gangetic plains will become non-liveable by the middle and the end of this century.
• A rise beyond 1.5 degrees would mean heat waves, heavy rainfall, water shortage, reduced farm output, coral bleaching and sea levels rising.
• Coastal nations and agricultural economies like India, already facing climate extremes, would bear the greatest burnt.

Linkage between climate change and social tensions

• Another aspect of severely adverse impacts of climate change – it will lead to conflicts among civilian population the world over.
• World Meteorological Organisation in its recent annual report has particularly focused on this issue of linkage between climate change and social tensions creating imbalances and instability in many parts of the world in the future.
• This is because climate change adversely affects agriculture, fishing, etc, and thus livelihood; coastal areas get submerged due to rise in sea levels and water scarcity is created.
• All this induces migration to other parts of the region or urban areas, leading to riots over limited resources.
• Rebel activities and Maoist movements may gain momentum because of climate-related impact on livelihood pushing up migration of civilians to cities, adding to strife.

Conclusion:

• To conclude, rich nations must sufficiently enhance their existing NDCs. They have the financial power to do so.
• India and China should combine efforts and play strong leadership role by bringing all nations on a common platform at COP 26 in 2020, which would a critical moment for our planet.
• This is the only way to save humanity.