“Climate change” is one of the major issues that humanity is currently facing. The concept of “climate change” refers to a condition in which the climatic pattern of the Earth changes over some time due to “geographical, chemical, biological and geological” factors. The change in climate causes the pattern of weather to change which makes it very difficult for countries like India, an agricultural-based country to grow crops. “Climate Change” also causes many deadly disasters like “flood, tsunami and earthquake” frequently. The essay helps to understand the cause and effect of “climate change” in India and the ways that the Government handles the situation. 

Causes of Climate change in India

India is one of the leading countries when it comes to the contribution of “climate change” by any country. The activities that the population of the country performs significantly contribute to the cause of “climate change” in the country. Some of the activities are discussed below.

  • “Deforestation”: For developing infrastructure in India, large lands are required. For this purpose large hectares of “forests” are being cleared for construction purposes. In the year 2018 there has been a reduction in forest which is approximately 37.54% of geographical area. States of “Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka” are hampered the most. As a result of which the Indian climate has been hampered as frequent floods have increased thus hampering the livelihood of the people who depend on forests. 
  • “Transportation”: One of the main causes of “climate change” in India is the excessive use of vehicles. The contribution of pollution is more than 260 tonnes of CO2 thus making about more than 15% of the carbon emission by any country. This causes the temperature level in the country to rise by 1o \every year. As a result of which the “sea level” is also rising by 0.17m every year. 

Effects of Climate change in India

India faces the consequences due to “climate change” which hampers the population of the country. Some of the effects are stated below.

    • One of the major impacts of “climate change” in India is felt by the agricultural sector of the country. The main source of water for growing crops in the country is rain. Almost 70% of the population of the country depends on this sector to maintain their daily life. “Climate change” changes the patterns of the weather which makes it very difficult for the farmers to grow crops that are suitable for a particular weather. 
  • “Climate change” has impacted the temperature of the country. India’s temperature rise by 0.7 degree Celsius since 2018. Due to which it led to massive loss in the work productivity that ravaged livelihoods.      Due to massive changes in the climate of the country, the temperature of the country rises by  1o  every year. As a result of this, the sea level of the country rises by 0.17m thus threatening the food availability for more than 40 million people. 
  • “Climate change” has caused the glaciers of the country to melt at a rapid rate. As a result of which the level of the sea is rising. Thus, occurrences of natural disasters like floods, tsunamis and cyclones are happening frequently. It led to a rise in global sea level by 17.8 millimetres. As a result of which the country has incurred more than $50 million loss which hampers the economy. 
  • “Climate Change” causes the people of the country to suffer from many diseases. The impact is mostly seen among the poor people of the country. As a result of which nearly every year more than 1 million poor die in the country.  It affected 45% of people through heat and 40% through infections related to vector borne disease.

Steps were taken by the Ministry of Environment to tackle climate change in India

To reduce the effects of “climate change” in India, the “Ministry of Environment” has taken some steps. The steps are:

  • India has launched the “Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission”. The mission aims to generate “solar energy” by more than 20,000MW in 2030. The mission aims to install solar panels in more than 20 million sq. metres and help the rural areas to have access to more than 20 million solar panels. For this, the government has allocated more than $1 billion.
  • India has launched the “National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency”. The mission tends to reduce the use of fossil fuel by 2030 and the activities of the business would be done with the help of renewable energy sources. The mission tends to implement resources that would generate the energy of more than 19,000MW. The mission thus tends to reduce “carbon emission” by more than 98 million tonnes by 2030. For this, the government has allocated more than $31 million. 
  • India has launched the “National Water Mission”. The mission tends to conserve more than 100 billion tonnes by 2040. The mission helps to increase the use of water efficiently by 20%. For this more than $32 million has been allocated. 
  • India’s INDC has contributed a path towards a low-carbon and climate resilient future.

Conclusion

The essay helps in understanding the concept of “climate change”. The essay tends to explain how “climate change” is caused in India and the effects of “climate change” that the country faces. The essay tends to explain that the causes of “climate change” in the country include “deforestation” which tends to clear more than 10% of the forest area of the country. The excessive use of vehicles by the population of the country also contributes to “climate change”. The effects are mostly seen in the increment of disasters and hampering the agricultural sector. The government has implemented several missions to reduce the impact of “climate change”.