United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCC) defines climate change “as a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods.”
Thus the UNFCC makes distinction between climate change attributable to human activities altering the atmospheric composition and that attributable to natural causes.
It’s high time that we became wary of the threats posed by the climate change. The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) came up with its powerful assessment in its latest report which depicts a much gloomy picture of Asia which, according to the report, is going to face the brunt of the climate change.
In its report, IPCC has assessed the impacts of climate change on human health, settlements and natural resources and has warned saying, “The worst is yet to come… if no measures are taken to curb the ill-effects of global warming.” The report also anticipates that there would be an increase in extreme weather events (like last year’s Flash Floods in Uttarakhand and Cyclone Phailin in Odisha) if necessary steps are not taken to control the temperature. This dire situation will not only be restricted to India, but could be witnessed in other parts of the earth in the coming years. In Asia, the most affected parts will be the South-east Asian belt i.e. ~ Maldives, China, India and Pakistan. The consequent damage will majorly and particularly pose acute troubles to the coastal communities and the people in low-lying poor countries like Bangladesh, which are least able to protect themselves.
In fact, “Nobody on this planet is going to be untouched by the impact of climate change,” said the IPCC chairman R.K. Pachauri while releasing the report.
Almost two weeks after the release of this IPCC’s report, a UN panel came out with an alarming report which says that the emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases (GHGs) have increased substantially despite reduction measures adopted by different countries.
IPCC, in its report, had said that the emissions grew more quickly between 2000 and 2010 than in each of the three previous decades.
Developing countries like India may lose up to 1.7 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) if the annual mean temperature rises by 1 degree Celsius. This may hit the economy badly and its worst sufferers will be the poor.
A UN report has even predicted war over fresh water resources in the Himalayan River Basin (South Asia and China) by the middle of the 21st century.
According to the US Secretary of State John Kerry the UN report on greenhouse-gas emissions should serve as a “wakeup call” for entrepreneurs, especially in the energy sector. “We’ve already had wakeup call after wakeup call about climate science. This report is a wakeup call about global economic opportunity we can seize today.”
The UN report also emphasised that the world has tools to fight climate change and the time has come when countries must take the measures more effectively. Highlighting that existing efforts were not enough to bring down emissions, the panel urged nations to take measures to lower global GHGs emissions by 40-70% from the 2010 level by mid-century if the world wanted to limit the increase in global mean temperature to a manageable 2 degrees.
A month ago, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology predicted that chances of developing an El Niño weather pattern were higher this year. This can parch some parts of Asia and bring rain to South America. Updates from two global weather agencies also suggest that there is a rising fear of developing El Niño which may weaken monsoons in India this year. Met officials in India are treating these reports with caution.
El Niño, a Spanish word meaning “little boy”, is a natural phenomenon which raises temperature in parts of Pacific Ocean, i.e., the abnormal warming of the Pacific Ocean in the region around the equator. It is usually associated with below average rainfall in India during Monsoon (June-September). It occurs because of shifting of moist winds away from their more typical pattern.
India was influenced by the El Nino effect in 2009 and the impact was seen in reduced output of summer sown crops like sugarcane which led to increase in food prices. It can be noticed here that South-Asia by virtue of it being situated in the coastal belt is most vulnerable to any changes and alterations in the weather conditions.
There is a need to slash down the carbon emission and consumption of fossil fuels as well. According to IPCC, the emission must be cut down to “near zero by the end of this century” or it may be required to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The report called ~ Mitigation of Climate Change ~ carries a number of recommendations to keep a check on the level of carbon emission. Sector-wise recommendations given in this report may also help the entrepreneurs in cutting down GHGs emissions.
Efforts to make substantial use of renewable energy may have “co-benefits” as cutting down fossil fuel consumption would save money, besides lowering emissions.
The IPCC has been issuing warnings about the consequences of a warming planet since 1990. This year as well, it has said that ice caps are melting, droughts and floods are getting worse, coral reefs are dying. And that without a swift decisive action to limit GHG emissions from fossil fuel and other sources, the world would almost surely face an incremental increase in temperatures, rising levels of sea, loss of species and dwindling agricultural yields. These global institutions continue to make assessments and recommendations in black and white to limit GHGs, to control carbon footprints, to reduce methane emission from landfills, agricultural operations, and oil gas production and distribution. Frankly speaking, all these reports and analyses remain a thankless and useless business, if they are not paid attention to or recommendations are not duly followed. What good is it, if there isn’t any change in climate (in a positive sense)!
While exploiting energy sources and taking undue advantage of our resources, nations bargain for a murky future, which is foreseen and foretold very clearly through all these periodic reports published regularly by scientists studying climactic changes continuously.
Yet, there seems to be no action. Perhaps, the responsibility to make the world a better and safer place lies on each one of us. After all, it is our world and nothing causes a permanent damage to environment than our concerted actions.
Source: Indian Republic
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