Volatile weather events are a compelling reminder of India’s inability to deal with its many impacts
Post Date – 12:30 AM, Tuesday – July 23rd 11th
Unusually volatile weather has sent warning signs of a deepening climate crisis. Days of torrential rains have left northern India in trouble, with flooded rivers, landslides in mountainous areas, and severe waterlogging in plains. At least 15 people were killed in rain-related incidents in the states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, while severe flooding in New Delhi once again exposed the lack of a proper drainage plan in the capital. Extreme weather events are becoming commonplace, something scientists have long predicted. Last week, the average global temperature topped 17C, making it the hottest day on record for Earth. Scientists warn that many more such record-breaking events will occur in the coming days and weeks. This year is widely expected to be the hottest on record. All of this is a consequence of climate change. It wasn’t just the heat that was getting unbearable. Rainstorms, floods, forest fires, etc. occurred simultaneously in many places. And, the volatility is happening faster than previous most pessimistic estimates. Governments need to have better planning and follow-up to minimize loss of life. India’s erratic weather events are a compelling reminder that the country is not well equipped to deal with the many impacts they cause, such as urban flooding and flash floods. Every time there is a flood, poor urban infrastructure is exposed.
Despite some positive efforts in this regard in some countries, the overall direction and focus of the country’s development plans remains unregulated construction, even on floodplains. This demonstrates a complete disregard for the natural topography and hydrology, as well as low-quality affordable housing. Extreme weather events are not unique to India, they are happening all over the world and are largely human-caused tragedies. Current international efforts to contain the climate crisis are not enough. Given the serious impacts of climate change, these goals need to be recast and redefined. Scientists have long warned of catastrophic effects if global warming goes unchecked. Under the Paris Climate Agreement, global temperatures should not rise 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Efforts by the international community to comply with this threshold have not been successful. The effects of higher average global temperatures are already being felt in the form of extreme weather events, including heat, wildfires and floods. For its part, India needs to ditch coal and invest in renewable energy to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The country’s heat wave trend is alarming. In 2015, only nine states experienced heat waves. In 2020, this number has increased to 23 days. The number of heat wave days increased from 7 to 33 during the period.
