Effects of global

warming on South
Asia
Page issues

Projected effects
Several effects of global warming,
including steady sea level rise, increased
cyclonic activity, and changes in ambient
temperature and precipitation patterns,
have affected or are projected to affect the
subcontinent.
As per the IPCC, depending upon the
scenario visualised, the projected global
average surface warming will result in
temperature increases worldwide at the
end of the 21st Century relative to the end
of the 20th Century ranges from 0.6 to
4 °C.[1]

Regarding local temperature rises, the

IPCC figure projected for the mean annual
increase in temperature by the end of the
century in South Asia is 3.3 °C with the
min-max range as 2.7 – 4.7 °C. The mean
value for Tibet would be higher with mean
increase of 3.8 °C and min-max figures of
2.6 and 6.1 °C respectively which implies
harsher warming conditions for the
Himalayan watersheds.[2]

Rise in sea level

The corresponding sea level rise at the

end of the 21st Century relative to the end
of the 20th Century ranges from 0.18 to
0.59 m (excluding any rapid dynamical
changes in ice flows in the future) [1]. More
recent analysis of a number of semi
empirical models predict a sea level rise of
about 1 metre by the year 2100. [3]
Ongoing sea level rises have already
submerged several low-lying islands in the
Sundarbans, displacing thousands of
people.[4] Temperature rises on the
Tibetan Plateau, which are causing
Himalayan glaciers to retreat. It has been
predicted that the historical city of Thatta
and Badin, in Sindh, Pakistan would have
been swallowed by the sea by 2025, as the
sea is already encroaching 80 acres of
land here, every day. [5]

Observed changes in the

natural and human
environment
Environmental
Increased landslides and flooding are
projected to have an impact upon states
such as Assam.[6] Ecological disasters,
such as a 1998 coral bleaching event that
killed off more than 70% of corals in the
reef ecosystems off Lakshadweep and the
Andamans, and was brought on by
elevated ocean temperatures tied to global
warming, are also projected to become
increasingly common.[7][8][9]

The first among the countries to be

affected by severe climate change is
Bangladesh. Its sea level, temperature and
evaporation are increasing, and the
changes in precipitation and cross
boundary river flows are already beginning
to cause drainage congestion. There is a
reduction in fresh water availability,
disturbance of morphologic processes
and a higher intensity of flooding and
other such disasters. Bangladesh only
contributes 0.1% of the world’s emissions
yet it has 2.4% of the world’s population. In
contrast, the United States makes up
about 5 percent of the world's population,
yet they produce approximately 25 percent
of the pollution that causes global
warming.[10]

Economic
India has the world's highest social cost of
carbon.[11] The Indira Gandhi Institute of
Development Research has reported that,
if the predictions relating to global
warming made by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change come to fruition,
climate-related factors could cause India's
GDP to decline by up to 9%; contributing to
this would be shifting growing seasons for
major crops such as rice, production of
which could fall by 40%. Around seven
million people are projected to be
displaced due to, among other factors,
submersion of parts of Mumbai and
Chennai, if global temperatures were to
rise by a mere 2 °C (3.6 °F).[12]
Villagers in India's North Eastern state of
Meghalaya are also concerned that rising
sea levels will submerge neighbouring low-
lying Bangladesh, resulting in an influx of
refugees into Meghalaya—which has few
resources to handle such a situation.

If severe climate changes occur,

Bangladesh will lose land along the coast
line.[13] This will be highly damaging to
Bangladeshis especially because nearly
two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed
in the agriculture sector, with rice as the
single most important product. The
economy has grown 5–6% over the past
few years despite inefficient state-owned
enterprises, delays in exploiting natural
gas resources insufficient power supplies,
and slow implementation of economic
reforms. However, Bangladesh remains a
poor, overpopulated, and inefficiently
governed nation.[14] If no further steps are
taken to improve the current conditions
global warming will affect the economy
severely worsening the present issues
further.. The climate change would
increase expenditure towards health care,
cool drinks, alcoholic beverages, air
conditioners, ice cream, cosmetics, agro
chemicals etc.[15]

Social
Climate Change in India and Pakistan will
have a disproportionate impact on the
more than 400 million that make up India's
poor. This is because so many depend on
natural resources for their food, shelter
and income. More than 56% of people in
India work in agriculture, while in Pakistan
43℅ of its population work in agriculture
while many others earn their living in
coastal areas.[16]

Thick haze and smoke along the Ganges River in

northern India.

Pollution
Thick haze and smoke, originating from
burning biomass in northeastern India[17]
and air pollution from large industrial cities
in northern India,[18] often concentrate
inside the Ganges Basin. Prevailing
westerlies carry aerosols along the
southern margins of the steep-faced
Tibetan Plateau to eastern India and the
Bay of Bengal. Dust and black carbon,
which are blown towards higher altitudes
by winds at the southern faces of the
Himalayas, can absorb shortwave
radiation and heat the air over the Tibetan
Plateau. The net atmospheric heating due
to aerosol absorption causes the air to
warm and convect upwards, increasing the
concentration of moisture in the mid-
troposphere and providing positive
feedback that stimulates further heating of
aerosols.[18] Pollution of mercury in India
is shocking. The environment is being
packed with approximately 70 tonnes of
mercury per year by existing mercury-cell
plants. One gram of mercury is sufficient
to pollute a lake of surface area of around
20 acres that would harm the fish which as
a result would be dangerous to
consume.[19]
Awareness
Indian and Pakistani media can contribute
to increased awareness of climate change
and related issues. A qualitative analysis
of some mainstream Indian newspapers
(particularly opinion and editorial pieces)
during the release of the IPCC 4th
Assessment Report and during the Nobel
Peace Prize win by Al Gore and the IPCC
found that Indian media strongly pursue
the frame of scientific certainty in their
coverage of climate change. This is in
contrast to the scepticism displayed by
American newspapers at the time.
Alongside, Indian media highlight frames
of energy challenge, social progress,
public accountability and looming disaster.
This sort of coverage finds parallels in
European media narratives as well and
helps build a transnational, globalised
discourse on climate change.[20] Another
study has found that the media in India are
divided along the lines of a north-south,
risk-responsibility discourse.[21] However,
much more research is required to analyse
Indian media's role in shaping public
perceptions on climate change.

Tribal people in India's remote northeast

plan to [22] honour former U.S. Vice
President Al Gore with an award for
promoting awareness on climate change
that they say will have a devastating
impact on their homeland.

Meghalaya- meaning 'Abode of the Clouds'

in Hindi—is home to the towns of
Cherrapunji and Mawsynram, which are
credited with being the wettest places in
the world due to their high rainfall. But
scientists state that global climate change
is causing these areas to experience an
increasingly sparse and erratic rainfall
pattern and a lengthened dry season,[23]
affecting the livelihoods of thousands of
villagers who cultivate paddy and maize.
Some areas are also facing water
shortages.

People are becoming aware of ills of

global warming. Taking initiative on their
own people from Sangamner, Maharashtra
(near Shirdi) have started a campaign of
planting trees known as Dandakaranya-
The Green Movement. It was started by
visionary & ace freedom fighter the late
Shri Bhausaheb Thorat in the year 2005.
To date, they have sowed more than 12
million seeds & planted half a million
plants.
According to data from 2009 India is the
world's third biggest emitter of CO2 after
China and the United States – pushing
Russia into fourth place.[24]

See also
Environment of India
Climate change in China
Asian brown cloud
Indian Network on Climate Change
Assessment (INCCA)

References
1. IPCC, 2007: Summary for Policymakers.
In: Change 2007: The Physical Science
Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to
the Fourth Assessment Report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change . [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning,
Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M.Tignor
and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New
York, NY, USA. (Hereafter abbreviated to
IPCC AR4 – WG1 – SPM) Table SPM-3,
page 13.
2. Christensen, J.H., B. Hewitson, A.
Busuioc, A. Chen, X. Gao, I. Held, R. Jones,
R.K. Kolli, W.-T. Kwon, R. Laprise, V. Magaña
Rueda, L. Mearns, C.G. Menéndez, J.
Räisänen, A. Rinke, A. Sarr and P. Whetton,
2007: Regional Climate Projections. In:
Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science
Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to
the Fourth Assessment Report of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning,
Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M. Tignor
and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New
York, NY, USA. (Hereafter abbreviated to
IPCC AR4 – WG1 – chapter11) Table 11.1,
page 855.
3. Rahmstorf, Perrette, Vermeer. "Testing
the robustness of semi-empirical sea level
projections" . Climate Dynamics.
4. Harrabin, Roger (1 February 2007). "How
climate change hits India's poor" . BBC
News. Retrieved 2007-03-10.
5. Khan, Sami (2012-01-25). "Effects of
Climate Change on Thatta and Badin" .
Envirocivil.com. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
6. Dasgupta, Saibal (3 February 2007).
"Warmer Tibet can see Brahmaputra flood
Assam" . Times of India. Times Internet
Limited. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
7. Aggarwal D, Lal M. "Vulnerability of the
Indian coastline to sea level rise" (PDF).
SURVAS (Flood Hazard Research Centre).
Middlesex University. Archived from the
original (PDF) on 2007-07-01. Retrieved
2007-04-05.
8. Normile D (May 2000). "Some coral
bouncing back from El Niño" . Science. 288
(5468): 941–942.
doi:10.1126/science.288.5468.941a .
PMID 10841705 . Retrieved 2007-04-05.
9. "Early Warning Signs: Coral Reef
Bleaching" . Union of Concerned Scientists.
2005. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
10. "Bangladesh." MERIC. 18 Oct 2008. 18
Oct. 2008. <"Archived copy" . Archived from
the original on 2009-05-01. Retrieved
2008-11-03. cty5380.stm>.
11. "New study finds incredibly high carbon
pollution costs – especially for the US and
India" . The Guardian. 1 October 2018.
12. Sethi, Nitin (3 February 2007). "Global
warming: Mumbai to face the heat" . Times
of India. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
13. Ahmed, Ahsan; Koudstall, Rob; Werners,
Saskia (2006-10-08). " 'Key Risks.'
Considering Adaptation to Climate Change
Towards a Sustainable Development of
Bangladesh" . Retrieved 2008-10-18.
14. "Climate change: The big emitters" .
BBC News. 4 July 2005. Retrieved
18 October 2008.
15. Ramesha Chandrappa, Sushil Gupta,
Umesh Chandra Kulshrestha, Climate
Change: Principles and Asian Context,
Springer-Verlag, 2011
16. UNDP. "India and Climate Change
Impacts" .
17. Badarinath KV, Chand TR, Prasad VK
(2006). "Agriculture crop residue burning in
the Indo-Gangetic Plains—A study using
IRS-P6 AWiFS satellite data" (PDF). Current
Science. 91 (8): 1085–1089. Retrieved
2007-04-16.
18. Lau, WKM (February 20, 2005).
"Aerosols may cause anomalies in the
Indian monsoon" . The Climate and
Radiation Branch at NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center. NASA. Archived from the
original (php) on October 1, 2006. Retrieved
2007-04-17.
19. Jana, Jaydev (2003). "Mercury
Pollution" . Economic and Political Weekly.
38 (33): 3434–3512.
20. Mittal, Radhika (2012). "Climate Change
Coverage in Indian Print Media: A Discourse
Analysis" . The International Journal of
Climate Change: Impacts and Responses. 3
(2): 219–230.
21. Billett, Simon (2010). "Dividing climate
change: global warming in the Indian mass
media". Climatic Change. 99 (1–2): 1–16.
doi:10.1007/s10584-009-9605-3 .
22. Das, Biswajyoti (2007-08-29). "India
tribe to honour Gore on global warming" .
Reuters. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
23. Kharmujai RR (3 March 2007). "Wet
Desert Of India Drying Out" . Retrieved
2007-12-01.
24. World carbon dioxide emissions data by
country: China speeds ahead of the rest
Guardian 31 January 2011

Further reading
Toman, MA; Chakravorty, U; Gupta, S (2003),
India and Global Climate Change: Perspectives
on Economics and Policy from a Developing
 Country, Resources for the Future Press,
ISBN 1-8918-5361-9.

External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Atlas of India.

Climate Change India

Fighting Global Warming in India
Global Warming and its effects in South
Asian Countries
General effects overview
"Country Guide: India" . BBC Weather.
"India—Weather and Climate" . High
Commission of India, London.
 Maps, imagery, and statistics
"India Meteorological Department" .
Government of India.
"Weather Resource System for India" .
National Informatics Centre. Archived
from the original on 2007-04-29.
Forecasts
"India: Current Weather Conditions" .
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA). Archived from
the original on 2007-04-25.

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