The UN climate panel report suggests that global temperatures have already risen by about 1.1 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial times.
The United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Monday released a report which comes as a warning for India as it may have to face extreme climate conditions in the coming days. The UN climate panel said in its report that Global warming is actually going out of control.
The alarming report says that increasing heat waves, droughts, severe rainfalls leading to floods, cyclonic activity, and other extreme events are all in store for India and the subcontinent over the coming decades, if not centuries. The IPCC report noted that carbon dioxide has been and will continue to be the dominant cause of global warming under all greenhouse gas emission scenarios.
The UN climate panel report suggests that global temperatures have already risen by about 1.1 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial times. It goes on to warn that the 1.5-degree-Celsius threshold is likely to be breached around 2030, a decade earlier than projected in 2018.
And even worse, scientists fear if the temperatures rise beyond 2 degrees Celsius, it would result in catastrophic and irreversible changes. They say that this change would make it difficult for human beings and other species to survive on Earth. Sea levels are also rising faster, the report warns.
India is the third-largest carbon emitter in the world, after China and the US. So, what does the report say about India, read the details here.
1. Global warming caused by human activities
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The UN climate panel report is a grim reminder that there is now 'unequivocal' evidence that global warming is being caused by human activities. One of the authors of the report, Dr Friederike Otto added that some changes such as rising sea levels and melting glaciers, can now no longer be reversed.
India is the third-largest carbon emitter in the world, after China and the US. So, what does the report say about India, read the details.
(Image Source: Reuters)
2. Climate change will lead to intense heatwaves and humidity
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The UN report warns India that due to climate change, heatwaves and humidity levels will be more intense and frequent in the 21st century. Heat extremes have increased while cold extremes have decreased, and these trends will continue over the coming decades.
(Image Source: Reuters)
3. Aerosols and particulate matter influencing rainfall
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Changes in monsoon precipitation are also expected, with both annual and summer monsoon precipitation projected to increase. The presence of aerosols and particulate matter due to human activity have influenced rainfall events in the Indian subcontinent.
(Image Source: Reuters)
4. Decrease in South and Southeast Asian monsoon precipitation
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An increase in aerosols and particulate matter due to human activity is the main cause of an apparent decrease in South and Southeast Asian monsoon precipitation since the mid-20th century. In the long run, South and Southeast Asian monsoon and East Asian summer monsoon precipitation will increase.
(Image Source: Reuters)
5. Affect on rainfall patterns in India
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India is and will continue to experience intensifying of the water cycle which will affect rainfall patterns as well as increased monsoon precipitation. The South West Monsoon has declined over the past few decades because of the increase of aerosols, but once this reduces, we will experience heavy monsoon rainfall.
(Image Source: ANI)
6. Indian Ocean sea temperature is heating at higher rate
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In the Indian Ocean, the sea temperature is heating at a higher rate than in other areas and therefore may influence other regions. The global mean sea level in the Indian Ocean is rising at 3.7 mm annually. Extreme sea-level events, that previously occurred once every 100 years, will now be seen nearly every year.
(Image Source: Reuters)
7. Cloudbursts becoming frequent in India
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Recently, cloudbursts have become quite common in India. Recently, at least seven people were killed, 17 injured and over 35 missing after a cloudburst hit a remote village of Jammu and Kashmir on July 28. Cloudbursts have been reported from several places in J&K, the Union Territory of Ladakh, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh.
A 2017 study of cloudbursts in the Indian Himalayas noted that most of the events occurred in the months of July and August. During the cloudburst, the relative humidity and cloud cover was at the maximum level with low temperature and slow winds. These are short-duration, intense rainfall events with unexpected precipitation exceeding 100mm/h over a geographical region of approximately 20-30 square km.
(Image Source: Twitter)
8. Rising sea levels and melting glaciers cannot be reversed
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The UN climate panel report is a grim reminder that there is now 'unequivocal' evidence that global warming is being caused by human activities. One of the authors of the report, Dr Friederike Otto added that some changes such as rising sea levels and melting glaciers, can now no longer be reversed.
(Image Source: Reuters)
