On Monday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the second part of its sixth assessment report, warning that if carbon emissions are not controlled quickly, global warming and humidity will lead to unbearable conditions, And this situation will affect countries like India far more. For the first time, the IPCC committee has reviewed individual provinces, but unfortunately this report did not garner as much discussion as it needed. Right now the eyes of all countries are on the war between Russia and Ukraine, while war is a major factor in pollution. All the ammunition or weapons etc. used in the battlefield, they generate a lot of pollution and aerosols (the presence of fine solid and liquid particles in the form of gas). Supersonic and warplanes are also counted among the major polluters. Not only this, capital invested on climate issues is also diverted to war, leaving environmental issues untouched.
So, it would be fair to say that we are missing the opportunity to fight unitedly against the issues which harm the environment. Right now, instead of getting involved with each other, we should show solidarity and fight on common issues. This is also necessary because we have ruined the environment more than the limit. The frequency of cyclonic storms, monsoons etc. has increased in recent years and extreme weather events are also decreasing continuously. The sea temperature is rising so fast that very unfavorable conditions are being created for the coastal areas.
Important things have been said about urbanization in the new report of IPCC. It has been reported that cities and urban centers are continuously contributing to the increase in global temperature. Unplanned urbanization has a negative impact on the environment. The data also confirms that cities are not only adapting their temperatures to global warming, but are also influencing global warming. According to the report, unplanned urbanization has not only worked to increase the heat, but also to increase the aerosol. Weather and climate are constantly being affected by them. High-rise buildings have come up in cities, in which the materials used ‘re-radiate’ (radiate again after absorbing radiation). As a result, the night minimum temperature has increased. This increase is also happening due to those devices, which are being used day and night in cities in the name of convenience or because of vehicles running on the roads all the time.
A recent study suggests that rising temperatures due to urbanization are increasing the frequency of weather phenomena such as thunderstorms and lightning. It also has an effect on rain. We have also seen that not only has the frequency of heavy rains increased these days, but there has also been an increase in extreme weather events. The IPCC report shows that the rainfall rate of medium-grade rain has decreased, while the rate of heavy rain has increased. Rising global warming has negatively affected the monsoon.
This report is not showing a very good picture about India. The report said that even if emissions are reduced as promised, the ‘wet-bulb’ temperature (a measurement of heat and humidity together) in many areas of northern and coastal India by the end of this century is 31 degrees. Celsius will be higher. However, on the policy front, our government has done a very good job. We have made a good action plan to improve the climate and we are moving forward on that seriously. In terms of renewable energy, we have now moved towards the goal of 2030, the path of which has been shown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We should now work towards greater dependence on renewable energy (be it solar or wind power) and discouraging the use of coal more and more. Not only this, we also have to show a lot more seriousness towards Electric Vehicles (EV). Emphasis has to be given on green belts and expansion of forest area in cities is also very important. Yes, stubble burning or plastic waste is also a big threat to our climate, which needs to be geared up against.
But the problem is that all these policies are not as strong on paper as they are on the ground. Clearly, a lot of work needs to be done at the public level. The system will have to be active in this direction and the common people will have to be continuously made aware.
It is also necessary to find out measures for unplanned urbanization at the earliest. It is not at all that we should abstain from urbanization, but we must find a middle way. The good news is that the search for alternative routes has increased in recent years and electric vehicles are now appearing on the streets of cities. We have to understand that there is a limit to the expansion of every city. We are suffering in the form of air pollution as a result of putting more load on some cities. Studies show that every city knows the extent to which it can absorb pollution, but we ignore it. Therefore, there is a need to draw a blueprint for urbanization and its expansion according to the changing lifestyle. We have to create criteria for this. We also want development and also freedom from pollution. Decentralization of cities is a better solution for this.
(These are the author’s own views)