Climate Change: The states of Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Bihar are the most susceptible states to experience severe climate activities including floods, droughts and cyclones in India according to a first-of-its-type Climate Vulnerability Index launched on Tuesday by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). Overall, 27 Indian states and Union territories are prone to severe weather activities which frequently disrupt the neighborhood financial system and displace weaker communities.
463 districts to undergo heavy climate changes
The report ‘Mapping India’s Climate Vulnerability – A District-degree Assessment’, which has been supported through the India Climate Collaborative and Edelgive Foundation, has analysed 640 districts in India and found that 463 of those are at risk of excessive floods, droughts and cyclones.
Dhemaji and Nagaon in Assam, Khammam in Telangana, Gajapati in Odisha, Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh, Sangli in Maharashtra and Chennai in Tamil Nadu are amongst India’s maximum weather prone districts, unearths the study.
More 80% Indians stays in prone areas
More than 80 % of Indians stay in districts prone to weather risks, that is, 17 of 20 people in the country are at weather risks, out of which each 5 Indians stay in regions that are extraordinarily vulnerable, unearths the report. It similarly says that extra than forty five in keeping with cent of those districts have undergone “unsustainable panorama and infrastructure changes”.
Further, 183 hotspot districts are particularly prone to multiple intense weather event. The CEEW examine additionally determined that extra than 60 consistent with cent of Indian districts have medium to low adaptive ability in dealing with excessive climate events.
Echoing the findings of the modern day IPCC Physical Science file, the CEEW record factors out that maximum districts in India were made especially inclined due to “panorama disruptions” which include the
disappearance of wooded area cover, over-construction, degradation of wetlands and different herbal ecosystems.
Statement by Abhinash Mohanty
“The anthropogenic activity in changing the land use and therefore degradation of natural eco-systems which means that an already vulnerable district becomes even more vulnerable to impacts of natural disasters. For instance, Puri in Odisha has always been prone to cyclones. But it has over the years experienced 49.78 per cent loss of wetlands and 39 per cent loss in mangroves which would act as a natural barrier, making it more vulnerable,” says CEEW Programme Lead and author of the study, Abinash Mohanty.
Northeast to be at the highest risk
The research has additionally highlighted that states in India’s northeast are extra at risk of floods, even as those withinside the south and imperative are maximum at risk of excessive droughts. Further, fifty nine and forty one in line with cent of the overall districts withinside the jap and western states, respectively, are quite at risk of excessive cyclones.
The CEEW examine additionally indicated that most effective 63% of Indian districts have a District Disaster Management Plan (DDMP). While those plans want to be up to date each year, handiest 32 in step with cent of them had up to date plans till 2019. Highly inclined states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Karnataka and Gujarat have stepped forward their respective DDMPs and climate-proofed essential infrastructures in current years.
Creating the infrastructure to fight excessive climate occasions is what has placed the states of West Bengal and Kerala at the lowest of the vulnerability pile of a few of the surveyed states. Along with Tripura, West Bengal is the third least prone and Kerala the least prone, notwithstanding being coastal states and liable to annual cyclones and flooding. “The difference in ranking between the states is really marginal – as they are all vulnerable. But these states have fared better because they have really stepped up their climate action plans. Kerala, for instance, dealt with the 2018 floods remarkably well,” says Mohanty.
1.2 Degree increase in temperature
He adds, however, that because maximum districts in India are pretty at risk of severe climate events, a district-sensible weather motion plan is required. And for India with a view to put into effect this, weather finance will become critical. With the technique of the COP26 summit, the Indian government’s stand has constantly been that evolved nations – which are in large part accountable for the 1.2 degree rise in temperature from pre-industrial stages because of the emissions they have got caused – have to undergo the price of catastrophe mitigation and repayment in weather prone nations like India.
Statement by CEO of CEEW
“Combating the rising frequency and scale of extreme climate events is fiscally draining for developing countries such as India. At COP-26, developed countries must regain trust by delivering the USD 100 billion promised since 2009 and commit to stepping up climate finance over the coming decade. Further, India must collaborate with other countries to create a Global Resilience Reserve Fund, which could act as insurance against climate shocks. This would ease the fiscal pressure on the most climate vulnerable countries, especially from the Global South. Finally, developing a Climate Risk Atlas for India would help policymakers to better identify and assess risks arising from extreme climate events,” says Dr Arunabha Ghosh, CEO, CEEW.
Infrastructure investments to take place
Investments in infrastructure which includes housing, transport, and industries could be threatened with the aid of using those events, specifically alongside the coasts, says the report, including that mounting weather-associated coverage losses should cause the subsequent monetary crisis.
“The frequency and intensity of extreme climate events in India have increased by almost 200 per cent since 2005. Our policymakers, industry leaders and citizens must use the district-level analysis to make effective risk-informed decisions. Climate-proofing of physical and ecosystem infrastructures should also now become a national imperative. India must create a new Climate Risk Commission to coordinate the environmental de-risking mission. Finally, with loss and damage rising exponentially due to the climate crisis, India must demand climate finance for adaptation-based climate actions at COP-26. Enhanced climate finance can also support India-led global agencies like the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) to further mainstream climate actions,” adds Mohanty.
