Why we should fight climate change
If the extended summer in New Delhi has been bothering you and if you are wondering why the intensity and frequency of cyclones like Phailin and Hudhud striking the Indian coast has gone up or what’s causing extreme rainfall events such as Kedarnath, the latest report of the United Nations’ climate science body, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), can provide you with some answers. In unequivocal terms, this report has clearly stated three points — global climate change is undoubtedly taking place; this change is due to man-made greenhouse gas emissions; and that it is resulting in extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, cyclones and heatwaves.
The number of cold days and nights has decreased and the number of warm days and nights has increased on the global scale. It is likely that the frequency of heatwaves has increased in many parts of Europe, Asia and Australia. It is very likely that human activity has contributed to global changes in frequency and intensity of daily temperature extremes since the mid-20th century.
The probability of occurrence of heatwaves in some locations has more than doubled. Under the business-as-usual scenario, the report predicts, it is very likely that heatwaves will occur more often and last longer, and that extreme rainfall events will become more intense and frequent in many regions. The oceans will continue to warm and acidify, and global mean sea levels are set to rise, posing a threat to peopleliving in coastal areas.
The reasons behind rising greenhouse gas emissions are not far to seek. Such emissions are mainly driven by population increase, economic growth, consumptive lifestyles, high energy use and changing land-use patterns. Food security will be one of the most critical fallouts of climate change. Wheat, rice, and maize production in tropical and temperate regions would beadversely hit if local temperature rise is of two degrees or more above late-20th century levels. Lower yields, combined with increased food demand, can undermine food security.
Climate change is projected to reduce renewable surface water and groundwater resources in dry subtropical regions. In addition, changes in global marine species biodiversity in sensitive regions may affect fisheries productivity.
IPCC has provided robust scientific evidence of climate change. The report is a result of combined effort of many scientists and years of careful analysis of data.
This should silence climate-deniers propped up by fossil industry lobbies. It is now for politicians and policy makers to act. It is their job to devise policies and action plans to limit climate change and its impacts. The goal should be to reduce emissions and initiate low carbon growth.
Reducing emissions is a contentious issue between developed and developing countries, and has been holding up progress in climate talks all these years. Developing countries don’t want to reduce emissions because doing so would hit their economic growth, while rich countries are resisting emission reduction as it would hit consumptive lifestyles of their people. So, who will bell the climate change cat?