Extreme weather conditions are regularly a part of the environmental concerns facing today's globalized globe, from scorching heat waves in Japan to disastrous floods in Pakistan. The majority of the world's nations experience harsh weather patterns. The situation in India is likewise not that different. We can see how the weather is shifting, from Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Tripura in the northeast, through hot waves and simultaneous droughts in Central India. The climate is a direct cause of these all-natural calamities. The greatest hazards to human life and property include landslides, avalanches, cyclones, droughts, floods, and landslides. Hailstorms and persistent dust storms during the summer are other common reasons for property and crop damage.
The World Health Organization (WHO) views climate change as the greatest threat to global health in the twenty-first century. Even if efforts are successful in slowing the rate of temperature increase, specific effects will persist for generations. Examples of this include rising sea levels and ocean temperatures, which make the waters more acidic. Due to climate change, deserts are getting bigger, and heat waves and wildfires are happening more frequently. Increased heat in the Arctic has had an impact on sea ice loss, glacier retreat, and Arctic ice melting. As temperatures rise, extreme weather patterns including storms, droughts, and other climatic conditions get worse. The Arctic, coral reefs, and mountains are experiencing fast environmental change, which is forcing many species to relocate or go extinct.
Significant Weather Change Causes
Studies show that today's weather changes more quickly than it did in earlier geologic times. Climate change is to blame for these weather shifts. Both the impacts of global warming on the planet's weather patterns and current climate change are present. The increase in the average global temperature that has recently occurred is more pronounced and is mostly the result of human activity. The two main greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned are carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). Smaller effects are caused by forestry loss, industrial activity, and agriculture. By absorbing the heat that the Earth radiates and holding it near to the surface, greenhouse gases warm the air. The impact of greenhouse gas emissions is amplified because they cause the Earth to absorb more solar energy than it can return to space.
Globally, there is a close connection between vegetation patterns and climate. Some of the effects of global warming can be hidden as CO2 is absorbed by vegetation. In contrast, the disappearance of flora leads to desertification, which, by releasing CO2, accelerates global warming. For instance, by diminishing vegetation cover, deforestation tends to increase local albedo (reflectivity) and result in surface cooling. Albedo measures how much light a surface reflects rather than absorbs. Dark surfaces frequently have a low albedo, while light surfaces typically have a high albedo. Ice covered with snow has a high albedo, reflecting 90% of solar radiation.
These customs and other occurrences are causing a change in India's typical weather pattern. Some of these modifications are covered below.
Changing Patterns of Rainfall
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced that rainfall was 6% over average from June 1 to September 30, 2022, on the last day of the monsoon season. As a result, there was 6.49 percent more rainfall this season. Among the states with very low precipitation were Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Haryana, Delhi, and Punjab. Numerous districts in Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab recorded little rainfall. The data substantially changed during the last week of September due to heavy rainfall in states other than Jharkhand and Bihar. Up until July 17, 2022, the states and union territories reported 1,098 fatalities associated with hydro-meteorological disasters, including landslides, flash floods, and cloudbursts.
India is almost completely prone to flooding. Extreme precipitation events, such as flash floods and heavy downpours, have become more common in Central India during the past few decades at the same time as average global temperatures have risen.
The annual precipitation totals have been rapidly decreasing as a result of a diminished monsoon circulation brought on by the rapid warming of the Indian Ocean and a smaller land-sea temperature differential. This suggests that more intense rainfall events have been happening across central India recently, alternating with lengthier dry spells.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, the water cycle will be more vigorous in the next years, with both drought and increased annual average rainfall possible. A 20% rise in monsoon is predicted for the majority of states. With a 2°C rise in the world average temperature, the Indian monsoon will become extremely unpredictable. At 4°C, the likelihood of an abnormally wet monsoon occurring once every 100 years will increase to once every ten years by 2100. Along the coastal zone, in central and northeast India, there will be an increase in temperature and precipitation extremes. It is predicted that dry years would be hotter and wet years will be more humid as a result of climate change.
Droughts with very hot temperatures
India's summers are already hotter than they used to be, with certain regions regularly reaching temperatures around 47°C. Over 4,620 deaths in India in the past four years have been ascribed to heat waves, according to data made public by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. The powerful storm that hit northern India in May 2018 was brought on by global warming, according to the India Meteorological Department, and its frequency may increase. This is caused by an increase in soil dryness and wind speed, both of which intensify dust storm severity.
Due to the prolonged heat wave, this year's March in India was the warmest in 122 years. The month was also unusually dry, with 71% less rain falling in India than normal. By the end of April 2022, the hot, dry weather that lingered the entire month had impacted 70% of India. May also failed to provide any solace. There was 18% less rainfall than average up until September 21. Rainfall in Punjab was 21% lower than the national average.
The rise in ground surface temperature would be more pronounced in northern India. By 2070, the Gangetic Plain may experience summers lasting up to 8 months if the world temperature rises by more than 2°C. Increased mortality and death rates could be caused by more frequent and extreme heat waves. The impacts of drought are exacerbated by warmer weather, a lack of water, and other causes.
Effects of Climate Change
A bad monsoon season has a significant negative influence on India's economy and GDP. The monsoon, which produces almost 75% of the country's yearly rainfall, is crucial to India's $3 trillion economy, which is dependent on agriculture.
Rice, legumes, and vegetables will likely see an increase in price as a result of the uncertain monsoon's likely reduction in the output of summer crops. Trade, industry, and government representatives all agree on this.
Across the country, the potential for intense rain and flash floods is significantly increasing. It poses a number of concerns, such as floods, which endanger human life, destroys buildings and infrastructure, and also cause the loss of crops and livestock. Landslides put people's lives in danger, obstruct transportation and communication, and damage buildings and infrastructure.
Heavy rains in India shortly before harvest have ruined crucial summer crops like rice, soybeans, cotton, pulses, and vegetables; this could cause food inflation in Asia's third-largest economy.
On the other hand, the heatwave also seriously affected India's agriculture. Unfavorable monsoon conditions result in a drop in demand for tractors, FMCG goods, and rural homes. Additionally, it pushes the government to spend money on food imports and enact policies like waiving farm loan payments.
India's early precipitation was 71% below average. Punjab, the state that produces the majority of India's crops, saw harvest losses of up to 30% in certain places. India has witnessed its worst electricity shortfall as a result of the rise in demand brought on by the hot wave. High temperatures keep people indoors and force early school dismissals. Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh have all reduced the amount of power allotted to the sector as a result of an increase in the quantity of energy consumed for cooling.
Due to India's rising power consumption, coal, the country's main source of electricity generation, is now more in demand. Government-owned enterprise Coal India raised its output by 27%. Indian Railways had to cancel hundreds of passenger trains in order to prioritise moving coal to coal power plants and avoid outages. In addition, the administration requested that electrical suppliers purchase 19 million tonnes of coal by the end of June.
Solutions
"The climate crisis is the most straightforward and complex problem we have ever encountered.
The simplest as we know what needs to be done.
The release of greenhouse gases must halt.
the most challenging because our economy still completely depends on burning fossil fuels,
and destroying ecosystems as a result to foster unending economic growth.
The cornerstone of all climate change remedies is the decrease of greenhouse gas emissions, which must be brought as close to zero as practicable. The first step is to stop using coal, oil, and eventually natural gas. Transportation is the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. There are many efficient ways to greatly minimize the demand for transportation fuel, including taking public transit or moving to a mode of transportation that only uses human energy, like walking or cycling. Through improved agricultural methods, paper recycling, and forest management, which balances the amount of wood extracted with the number of new trees sprouting, a significant fraction of emissions may be simply reduced. Because both play essential roles in regulating our climate, increasing trees' innate ability to absorb carbon dioxide can aid in the fight against global warming.
Conclusion
The weather has an effect on almost every aspect of our life, including the places we go on vacation, the food we eat, the transportation we use, and the clothes we wear. It has a huge impact on our future, our health, and our ability to survive. Changing weather patterns are undoubtedly one of the biggest problems facing humanity today, and climate change is also one of its main causes, but it is never too late to take action. We can lessen or perhaps stop the phenomena of frequent extreme weather if we cooperate on an individual, communal, and organizational level.
Finally, I'd want to add that rather than merely focusing on developing awareness campaigns, our group should now be concentrating on turning these efforts into actual activities.
