India’s Climate Imperative

The rise in number of climate related calamities such as heatwaves that scorched Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and New Delhi this year; torrential downpours in south India have again shifted the focus towards Climate Change from pandemic.

Temperatures over the Indian Ocean have risen by over 1°C since the 1950s, increasing extreme weather events.
India is the fourth worst-hit in climate migration.
Heat waves in India have claimed an estimated 17,000 lives since the 1970s.
Labour losses from rising heat, by one estimate, could reach ₹1.6 lakh crore annually if global warming exceeds 2°C, with India among the hardest hit.

Promote agricultural practices which are not water-intensive and to support afforestation which will help control global warming.
Financial transfers can be targeted to help farmers plant trees and buy equipment — for example, for drip irrigation that reduces heavy water usage.
Insurance schemes can help mitigate some of the risks of extreme heat faced by industrial, construction and agricultural workers to insurers.
Climate-resilient agriculture calls for diversification — for example, the cultivation of multiple crops on the same farm.
Southern States need stronger guidelines to avoid construction in locations with drainages. It is vital to map flood-risk zones to manage vulnerable regions.
Communities can build round-shaped houses, considering optimum aerodynamic orientation to reduce the strength of the winds.
Management of dams can exacerbate glacier lake outbursts and floods. Nearly 295 dams in India are more than 100 years old and need repairs.
India’s share in disaster management should be raised to 2.5% of GDP.

Leading emitters, including India, must move away from fossil fuels. But India has made slow progress in choosing 2070 as its target for net zero emissions.
A big part of climate action lies in protecting and expanding forest coverage.
Enforce Glasgow declaration on forest protection which India has signed.

Source The Hindu

For more updates, Click Here

Believers IAS Academy