THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

 THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

 Global warming is creating an imbalance in climate regulating systems and this has widespread impacts. But will it affect you and me?

 The direct impact of climate change on agriculture and food supply includes

1. shortage in grain production resulting in less availability of food items, especially to the economically poor people,

2. changes in agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides,

3. shift in planting dates of agricultural crops,

4. preference of crop genotypes due to adaptation to changing climate,

5. soil erosion,

6. lower fertility level and

7. the incidence of pests, weeds, and diseases in food crops will be more pronounced.

 

 India contributes to about 5.6 million child deaths due to hunger every year, more than half the world's total

Half of the children in India are underweight, one of the highest rates in the world and nearly double

the rate of Sub-Saharan Africa. In the short term, increased melting of glaciers can cause floods and in the long term,

glaciers will disappear, causing rivers to dry up and drought to occur. The Chorabari glacier has retreated at the rate of 9 meters a year in recent yearsThe Dokriana has lost 20% of its volume over the past 3 decades.

The famous Gangotri glacier has also been in retreat- at an astonishing rate of 17 meters a year between 1971 and 2004.

Added to these glacial melts, increased snow cover melting could also be expected to change

water flows in the rivers originating in the Himalayan region.

According to the IPCC, rainfall patterns are likely to be modified with some regions

becoming arider and others experiencing more rainfalls. Globally the frequency of heavy

precipitation has increased, drought events have intensified, have been more frequent, and taken

place in wider areas, especially in tropics and subtropics.

Many parts of India are flood-prone, and extreme precipitation events, such as flash floods and

torrential rains have become increasingly common in central India as well as many urban centers

over the past few decades.

 In 2009 one of the worst flash floods in decades in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka

affected an estimated total of 2 million people. Thousands were marooned without food and

drinking water.

On 26th and 27th July 2005, Mumbai city received 994 mm of rainfall over a period of 24 hours.

The previous record high rainfall in a 24-hour period for the city was 575 mm, in 1974.

October 2005 was recorded as the wettest month in Bangalore over a 50-year period.

Assam saw its worst flooding in 50 years in July 2003.

Central Water Commission has compiled the damage figures due to floods from 1953 to 2004 on

the basis of which yearly average loss to life is reported to be equal to 1590 with damage to

public utility Rs. 806.78 crore. Apart from the above, there have been damages to standing crops,

dwelling units, livestock, etc. There have been intangible losses as well.

Water availability in any region or country is reflected by the ‘Water Stress Index’ (Falkenmark

and Widstrand 1992), which is based on a minimum per capita water requirement.

An area is said to be water stressed if the annual per capita availability of water is below 1700

cubic meters. Water scarcity is a scenario when the annual per capita availability reduces to

below 1000 cubic meters and absolute scarcity is when it goes below 500 cubic meters.

 Floods and droughts put India’s food security at risk. Human life is at stake. When

water resources are affected, people may not have clean water to drink. This can result in an

increase in water-borne diseases like cholera and diarrhea. It can also cause an increase in water-related insect-borne diseases like malaria.

Not only is the economic activity of the region affected, but crores of rupees are also spent on relief measures.

The reduction in per capita water availability in India is leading to an increase in water conflicts

between states, between rural and urban areas, and even between neighbors.

Examples:

· Cauvery river water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu

· Krishna - Godavari water dispute

· Ravi – Beas water dispute

· rioting and protests by farmers in Mandya district of Karnataka against water being

supplied to Bangalore or by farmers in the Sabarmati basin against water supplied to

growing urban areas.

 

 The potential impacts of one meter sea-level rise include inundation of 5,763 km2 in

India. A sea-level rise of just 400 mm in the Bay of Bengal would put 11 % of Bangladesh's

coastal land underwater, creating 7 to 10 million climate refugees

 

 Between 1940 and 1990, the world’s population more than doubled from 2.3 billion to

5.3 billion people. Between 2005 and 2050, the world population is further expected to increase by

2.7 billion people. More number of people, but the same amount of natural resources.

 

We are clearing more forests to make space for increased agriculture. This is required to

feed the growing population.

 

 Not only is the area under agriculture increasing, but the way we do agriculture is also

changing. Increased use of fertilizers and pesticides ensures better yield in the present, but harms

our soil and water resources and increases the amount of nitrous oxide released in the air. These

will have adverse impacts in the future.

 

The population is increasing and so is the purchasing power of people. A use-and-throw

culture now pervades our lifestyles. Municipal solid waste generation is increasing in every place.

If burnt, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere along with a range of toxic gases. If left to

decompose in a landfill, methane is generated due to anaerobic decomposition. Methane is 21

times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

 The passenger vehicle industry in India is growing steadily. We blame the industry for the climate problem today, but little do we realize that we drive

industrial production. It is our demand for goods and services that industries are trying to meet.

Electricity generation is increasing year by year, yet it cannot satisfy the growing

demands from domestic consumers, the industrial sector, and the farmers who require electricity

for irrigation apart from various other activities. We are the root cause of this growing demand

since our demands drive industrial and agricultural production.

Little do we realize that a flick of a switch in our homes also contributes to increasing

greenhouse gas emissions. Most of the electricity in India is generated in thermal power plants,

which burn coal. The process of electricity generation releases carbon dioxide into the

atmosphere.

The number of units one household consumes in a month can be found in the electricity

bills. That is approximately the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that one household is

responsible for, in a month. This does not include the electricity used to produce and bring our

food to our table or the electricity required to produce and transport the various things we buy.

When demand reduces, production from thermal power plants reduces hence greenhouse gas

emissions reduction.

 With increased population, growing urbanization, and changing lifestyles, we are seeing

a sharp increase in the use of all kinds of fossil fuels.

 

 There are so many simple changes we can make in our day-to-day life to help the Earth.

Reducing the use of electricity and cooking fuels, using more energy-efficient transportation,

reducing waste generation and managing the wastes better, nurturing trees that absorb carbon

dioxide, etc. are different ways in which we can make a difference.

 The water that we use is pumped to our homes from underground aquifers or from surface water

sources. The wastewater that is generated is pumped to a treatment plant and purified before it is

let back into streams and rivers. Increased use of water, implies increased use of electricity.

The paper industry is high water and air pollution industry. One of the raw materials for the

industry is wood, which involves the cutting of trees that absorb carbon dioxide when alive. Paper

is transported across long distances and this activity produces greenhouse gas emissions. If

not recycled and thrown along with mixed wastes, paper decomposes to release methane, which is

21 times more harmful than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. The responsible use of paper is

essential in a low-carbon lifestyle.

 

Simple changes in our lifestyle can make a significant difference.