Glaciers are melting! Is it a threat to Indian coastal cities?

The world is changing really fast, and so is the climate. We can easily spot the changes in the environment as February has recorded the highest-ever temperature in National Capital Delhi.  

Winters go very quickly from north India. Turkey and Syria faced a very intense earthquake that killed nearly 47000 people in both countries. New Zealand witnessed a disastrous flood. 

The USA, Europe, and South Asia are facing deadly heat waves because of increasing air and water temperatures. This increased temperature is directly responsible for melting glaciers and rising sea water levels.  

Rising water level across the globe is a direct threat to coastal cities, and islands surrounded by oceans. According to the UNEP report between 2006 to 2016, the rate of rising sea levels was 2.5 times faster than in the 20th century.  

Another report by the world meteorological organisation says sea levels rose 4.5mm a year on average between 2013 to 2022, which indicates danger and distress for the world.  

If we talk about Indian coastal cities, all the reports are saying Indian and Chinese coastal cities would be the worst affected because 1/4 of the population of these countries live on the coast of the ocean. 

A new study warns that 50 major Indian coastal cities should immediately start adopting measures to prevent rising sea levels. The study says that by 2030, a dangerous picture will start to show in some Indian cities in states like Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, and West Bengal.  

Another research report by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says 12 coastal cities including Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, and Visakhapatnam, among others, would be nearly three feet underwater by the end of the century.  

IPCC has been providing climate assessments every 5-7 years since 1988. They pick data from the NASA satellite and focus on changes in temperature and ice cover, greenhouse gas, and sea level across the planet. Their sea level projections are based on data gathered by satellites and instruments on the ground as well computer projections.  

The IPCC report also says the rise in global sea level is much faster in Asian regions in comparison to western countries than the global average rate. The IPCC report clearly mentioned continued sea-level rise throughout the 21st century, contributing to more frequent and severe coastal flooding in low-lying areas.  

The researcher involved in climate and environmental studies says, "Governments need to work on a larger scale and on Policy Level so they could delay the process". Still, after taking major steps, the researcher isn't promising to stop the sea level from rising.  

They're saying, even after taking major steps, if we stop global warming at 1.5-degree, the sea level will be committed to rising for centuries because of deep-ocean warming and ice sheet melting. According to the IPCC researchers, the earth is currently more than 1 degree Celsius warmer than in the past century.

If I talk about steps taken by the government of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised at the Glasgow Climate Change Summit to reach net-zero carbon emission by 2070. PM Modi outlined a five-point plan or ‘Panchamrit’ to fight the devastating effects of global warming and climate change. According to these promises, India will reach 500 GW of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030. India promises that 50 percent of its energy requirements will come from renewable energy by 2030 and it will achieve the target of net zero emissions by 2070. 

The author is a Political Analyst.

(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own and do not reflect those of DNA.)