CURRENTLY, large parts of India are experiencing high temperatures, with mercury hovering around 40 degrees Celsius in many areas. Heat wave conditions have persisted in the national capital, New Delhi, with some weather stations recording maximum temperatures at least five degrees Celsius above normal. Ditto for West Bengal, Bihar, Sikkim, Odisha and Jharkhand. The hot weather has led to several deaths due to sunstroke in Maharashtra.
Rising temperatures have serious consequences for the planet, including more frequent and intense heat waves, wildfires, droughts, and extreme weather events such as hurricanes and floods. These events have significant economic, social, and environmental costs and can lead to displacement, food and water scarcity, and loss of life.
The ongoing heatwave began in March itself. The month was the second warmest since weather record keeping began. However, winter was no different, more so the latter part of the season. The weather in Srinagar during the last two weeks of February was also like March with many people complaining that they couldn’t sleep through the night due to unbearable warmth. In Kashmir, winter warmth leads to the early melting of snow at high altitudes. The onset of early warmth potentially disrupts our agriculture as it will elsewhere in the country and the world.
The erratic weather pattern has forced the world to take notice. According to the European Union’s climate monitoring agency’s report, the temperatures in March were higher than average in most parts of the world, including North Africa, southwestern Russia, Asia, North America, South America, Australia, and coastal Antarctica.
The report highlighted the urgent need for action to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. There are dire projections for health, the global food system, and economic productivity if no pre-emptive action is taken. The European Union has already set ambitious targets to become carbon neutral by 2050, and other countries and organizations have also committed to reducing their emissions. However, more needs to be done to meet these targets and limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
It is clear that urgent action is needed to address the ongoing climate crisis and prevent further damage to the planet. This requires a collective effort from individuals, governments, and organizations around the world to take bold and decisive action to reduce emissions and transition to a more sustainable future. However, the prospects on this score don’t look promising. We need more concrete global scale action over an extended period for the weather to change for the better.
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