A

Dissertation Report
On
Climate Change issues and Sustainable Development practices that can be done for the
state

Submitted in partial fulfilment for the internship,

Vardhan Consulting Engineers

by

Himadri Bhuyan
MBA 2nd Semester
Department Of Business Administration,
North Eastern Regional Institute of Management
Guwahati, Assam, India-781022
DECLARATION

I hereby by declare that this report is original based on my own work and that this report or
any part there of has not been submitted by me for any other degree or course requirement.
All references have been duly acknowledged.

Signature
(Himadri Bhuyan)
Department of Business Administration
NERIM GROUP OF INSTITUTION
Guwahati (Assam)

CONTENTS

Serial number Chapter Description

1 Executive summary

2 Introduction and Theoretical 2.1 Introduction

base of topic 2.2 What is Climate
Change?
2.3 What's special about
climate change today?
2.4 Causes of climate change
2.5 Impact of Climate
Change
2.6 Measures to reduce
climate change
2.7 What is sustainable
development?
2.8 Sustainable
Development practices that
can be done for the state.
3 Literature Review
4 Data analysis and
interpretation
5 Findings, Recommendation 5.1 Findings
and Conclusion 5.2 Recommendation
5.3 Conclusion
6 Bibliography
 Chapter-1
Executive summary

Recent scientific evidence shows that major and widespread climate changes have
occurred with startling speed. For example, roughly half the north Atlantic warming since the
last ice age was achieved in only a decade, and it was accompanied by significant climatic
changes across most of the globe. Similar events, including local warmings as large as
16°C, occurred repeatedly during the slide into and climb out of the last ice age. Human
civilizations arose after those extreme, global ice-age climate jumps. Severe droughts and
other regional climate events during the current warm period have shown similar tendencies
of abrupt onset and great persistence, often with adverse effects on societies.[1]

Abrupt climate changes were especially common when the climate system was being forced
to change most rapidly. Thus, greenhouse warming and other human alterations of the earth
system may increase the possibility of large, abrupt, and unwelcome regional or global
climatic events. The abrupt changes of the past are not fully explained yet, and climate
models typically underestimate the size, speed, and extent of those changes. Hence, future
abrupt changes cannot be predicted with confidence, and climate surprises are to be
expected.
It is important not to be fatalistic about the threats posed by abrupt climate change. Societies
have faced both gradual and abrupt climate changes for millennia and have learned to adapt
through various mechanisms, such as moving indoors, developing irrigation for crops, and
migrating away from inhospitable regions. Nevertheless, because climate change will likely
continue in the coming decades, denying the likelihood or downplaying the relevance of past
abrupt events could be costly. Societies can take steps to face the potential for abrupt
climate change. The committee believes that increased knowledge is the best way to
improve the effectiveness of response, and thus that research into the causes, patterns, and
likelihood of abrupt climate change can help reduce vulnerabilities and increase our adaptive
capabilities. The committee’s research recommendations fall into two broad categories: (1)
implementation of targeted research to expand instrumental and paleoclimatic observations
and (2) implementation of modeling and associated analysis of abrupt climate change and its
potential ecological, economic, and social impacts.[2]
 Chapter-2

Introduction and Theoretical base of topic

2.1 Introduction :

Climate change is a phenomena due to which emission of green house gases increases the
radiative heat energy inside our atmosphere and causes global warming.
Climate change is caused by both naturally and the action of human beings.
Naturally, as the declination angle of the earth is shifted gradually towards the sun, the more
amount of direct and indirect radiations come into contact with the earth surface and increase
the earth's surface temperature.[3]

Climate change is a real and serious issue.The world has the perfect temperature to keep all
living things alive. This temperature depends on a balance. The sun’s heat goes to the earth to
make it warm. The sun’s heat bounces back to space to make the cool effect. When this
balance is lost, the climate changes.So, the climate change is an effective and long-term
change in weather rate occurring for a particular area. The weather rate includes temperature,
rainfall, and wind condition.[4]

Climate change is one of the most dangerous phenomena in the life of the planet. It affects
negatively on the lives of more than six billion people living above the earth. It has become
an important environmental issue in recent times because of its direct impact on air, water,
agriculture and then human health.

Climate change is the most significant challenge to achieving sustainable development, and it
threatens to drag millions of people into grinding poverty. Sustainable development can be
defined as an organising principal to meet up the demands of present generation without
diminishing the capability of the future generations to meet thier own goals.
Climate change and sustainable development have been addressed in largely separate circles
in both research and policy. Nevertheless, there are strong linkages between the two in both
realms.Since the feasibility of stabilising greenhouse gas concentrations is dependent on
general socio-economic development paths, climate policy responses should be fully placed
in the larger context of technological and socio-economic policy development rather than be
viewed as an add-on to those broader policies.[5]

2.2 What is climate change?

Climate change is a phenomena due to which emission of green house gases increases the
radiative heat energy inside our atmosphere and causes global warming.

Climate change is a significant, long-term shift in weather patterns that can refer to one place
or the planet as a whole.
While 'weather' is what we experience when we step outside at any given moment – including
the temperature, precipitation, and humidity we feel on a daily basis – 'climate' refers to these
patterns over three decades or more. This is why some places described as having a tropical
climate can experience days without rain, while others described as arid can have occasional
showers.A change in a region's climate can result from a variety of factors, like physical
alterations in the landscape, changes in the atmosphere, or shifts in the intensity of sunlight.
These, in turn, can affect energy in the system, altering air and water currents, precipitation,
ground moisture, and the prevalence of various species.[6]

2.3 What's special about climate change today?

Today, as a consequence of humans emitting heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, global
climate changes have become so extreme and widespread that the impact is collectively
referred to as a climate crisis.
Not only has this caused an unprecedented increase in the planet's average temperature, it has
already led to extreme polar and glacial ice melt, rising sea levels, widespread reductions in
biodiversity, and changes in extreme weather events like fires, flooding, storms and heat
waves.
The overwhelming consensus on the primary cause of this particular period of warming is a
large-scale addition of greenhouse gases. Most of these are the direct result of human activity
over the past two centuries, namely the combustion of fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal in
transport and industry. Compared with the average global temperature a century or two ago,
our current temperature is already warmer by a touch over 1 degree Celsius. What will
happen in the future depends largely on our greenhouse gas emissions going forward.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) currently recommends limiting
global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius, while the Paris Agreement aims to keep global
temperatures below 2°C. Or else, we might reach a point of no return.[7]

2.4 Causes of Climate Change.

There are lots of factors that contribute to Earth’s climate. However, scientists agree that
Earth has been getting warmer in the past 50 to 100 years due to human activities.

Certain gases in Earth’s atmosphere block heat from escaping. This is called the greenhouse
effect. These gases keep Earth warm like the glass in a greenhouse keeps plants warm.

Human activities — such as burning fuel to power factories, cars and buses — are changing
the natural greenhouse. These changes cause the atmosphere to trap more heat than it used to,
leading to a warmer Earth.

Earth's temperature depends on the balance between energy entering and leaving the planet’s
system. When incoming energy from the sun is absorbed by the Earth system, Earth warms.
When the sun’s energy is reflected back into space, Earth avoids warming. When absorbed
energy is released back into space, Earth cools. Many factors, both natural and human, can
cause changes in Earth’s energy balance, including:

● Variations in the sun's energy reaching Earth

● Changes in the reflectivity of Earth’s atmosphere and surface
● Changes in the greenhouse effect, which affects the amount of heat retained by
Earth’s atmosphere
These factors have caused Earth’s climate to change many times.[8]

Scientists have pieced together a record of Earth’s climate, dating back hundreds of
thousands of years (and, in some cases, millions or hundreds of millions of years), by
analyzing a number of indirect measures of climate such as ice cores, tree rings, glacier
lengths, pollen remains, and ocean sediments, and by studying changes in Earth’s orbit
around the sun.

This record shows that the climate system varies naturally over a wide range of time scales.
In general, climate changes prior to the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s can be explained
by natural causes, such as changes in solar energy, volcanic eruptions, and natural changes in
greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations.

Recent climate changes, however, cannot be explained by natural causes alone. Research
indicates that natural causes do not explain most observed warming, especially warming
since the mid-20th century. Rather, it is extremely likely that human activities have been the
dominant cause of that warming[9]

2.5 Impact of climate change

Climate change is already having a significant impact on ecosystems, economies and
communities.
Rising average temperatures do not simply mean balmier winters. Some regions will
experience more extreme heat while others may cool slightly. Flooding, drought and intense
summer heat could result. Violent storms and other extreme weather events could also result
from the increased energy stored in our warming atmosphere.One of the most serious impacts
of climate change is how it will affect water resources around the world. Water is intimately
tied to other resource and social issues such as food supply, health, industry, transportation
and ecosystem integrity.
The impacts of climate change are already being observed across Canada’s diverse
geographic regions. Canada’s forests are expected to be among the most vulnerable in the
world to climate change. These forests support countless species and ecosystems and are
among the many examples of at-risk habitat. The global meltdown of ice sheets and alpine
glaciers represents another, taking an immense toll on Arctic ecosystems.

Climate change also threatens the health of our children and grandchildren through increased
disease, freshwater shortages, worsened smog and more. These impacts also pose
incalculable economic risks that far outweigh the economic risks of taking action today.[10]

The world’s leading scientists report that to prevent dangerous levels of global warming
governments should act to limit global warming to less than 2ºC by taking concerted action to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The sooner we act to reduce greenhouse gases, the less severe impacts will be. Now is the
time to implement solutions.

Changing climate affects our ecosystems in a variety of ways. For instance, warming may
force species to migrate to higher latitudes or higher elevations where temperatures are more
conducive to their survival. Similarly, as sea level rises, saltwater intrusion into a freshwater
system may force some key species to relocate or die, thus removing predators or prey that
are critical in the existing food chain.

Climate change not only affects ecosystems and species directly, it also interacts with other
human stressors such as development. Although some stressors cause only minor impacts
when acting alone, their cumulative impact may lead to dramatic ecological changes.[1] For
instance, climate change may exacerbate the stress that land development places on fragile
coastal areas. Additionally, recently logged forested areas may become vulnerable to erosion
if climate change leads to increases in heavy rain storms.[11]

2.6 Measures to reduce climate change issues.

Climate change mitigation is the act of decreasing the factors that contribute to climate
change. One of the most significant contributors to climate change is the rise in greenhouse
gases. Limiting greenhouse gas emissions is a common mitigation strategy.
Other mitigation strategies include:
● Improving the energy efficiency of buildings to reduce emissions from
heating/cooling
● Planting forests and tree to remove excess carbon dioxide from our atmosphere
● Reducing fuel emissions associated with motor vehicles
● Climate change mitigation strategies can also produce health co-benefits for our
communities. For example, improving public transportation will lower greenhouse
gas emissions, but it can also greatly benefit public health by decreasing air pollution,
reducing motor vehicle accidents, and improving physical activity

Even if mitigation strategies are successful at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, our climate
will continue to change. Therefore, our communities must also adapt to climate change now
in order to reduce coming public health impacts. The climate is already changing, therefore
adaptation strategies are crucial for keeping climate change related diseases, injuries,
disabilities, and deaths to a minimum.
In today’s social-distanced world, Earth Day 2020 is going digital. Despite the novel
coronavirus, it’s still possible to join the fight against climate change—even if you have to
start at home.[12]

The challenges can’t be understated. Since 2015, the United States has left the Paris accord
and reports from around the world show that countries are not moving fast enough to hit
those targets. The situation may seem bleak, but there’s still hope. More than ever before,
individual actions—including mobilizing for political transformation—can make a
difference.

Curbed searched communities across the country and around the world, consulted experts and
advocates, and pulled from our voluminous coverage on sustainable cities to create a go-to
guide for climate action. Our goal is to provide practical, implementable advice on an
individual level, as well as to illustrate the power of collective commitments. Think of it as
your must-do action plan for this year, and every other year.
We can't stop climate change, but we can prevent it getting much worse.Here's some ideas to
get you started:

● Add solar panels to your house. With the plunging price of solar power, and an
increasingly diverse group of companies such as Tesla and Forward Labs offering
new products, the toughest decision may not be whether to install, but which style and
color panels to place on your roof. The Energy Department has a good resource guide
 for homeowners, while Google’s Project Sunroof helps calculate the potential benefits
of home installation.
● Clean or replace HVAC filters every three months. A dirty filter on your air
conditioner or heater will make the system work harder and waste energy.
● Upcycle your furniture. From shopping cart couches to chairs from old skis, upcycled
furniture can be innovative and environmentally smart. Consider using recycled
materials—like pallets—or repurposing the furniture you already have instead of
buying new.
● Recycle your clothes. The average American throws away about 80 pounds of
clothing a year. Not only is fast fashion wasteful, but the environmental cost of
manufacturing and distributing new clothes is devastating. A handful of retailers offer
recycling programs, while companies like Patagonia will actually purchase, refurbish,
and resell your gently worn garments.
● Design your workspace around natural light. Now that many people are working from
home full-time due to the pandemic, reconsider your workspace: Do you need to have
a light on all day? Is there an alternative spot that might get better natural light?
Turning a few lights off helps you reduce electricity usage and extend the life of your
lightbulbs.
● Obsess over every drop of water. Water management not only helps cities become
more resilient in the faces of storms, droughts, and natural disasters, but also saves
energy. Rain barrels and rain gardens help capture and purify water, putting less stress
on municipal systems and replenishing underground aquifers.
● Plant a tree. Shade, serenity, sustainability—trees add so much to the urban landscape
and ask so little. Many cities, such as Philadelphia, give away free trees, have planting
services, or require tree planting permits, so check your local rules before you start
digging.
● Get charged up with renewables
The global push for cleaner, healthier energy is on. With costs dropping every day, renewable
energy is the best choice for the environment and the economy.[13]
● Consume less, waste less, enjoy life more Focusing on life’s simple pleasures —
spending time in nature, being with loved ones, making a difference to others —
provides more purpose, belonging and happiness than buying and consuming. Plus,
when we consume less, we produce fewer emissions and are gentler on the earth.
Sharing, making, fixing, upcycling, repurposing and composting are all good places to
start.Fire up your commitment to the people and places you love by acting every day
on the understanding that we are one with nature.
2.7 what is sustainable development
Sustainable development is an organising principal to meet up the demands of present
generation without diminishing the capability of the future generations to meet thier own
goals.
The methods and practices of sustainable development briefly explains as follows:[14]
Sustainable Lifestyles
Cleaner Economic Development
Reduce emission intensity of gross domestic product (GDP)
Increase the share of non fossil fuel based electricity
Enhancing carbon sinks
Adaptation
Mobilizing Finance
Technology transfer and capacity building.
Sustainable development recognizes that growth must be both inclusive and environmentally
sound to reduce poverty and build shared prosperity for today’s population and to continue to
meet the needs of future generations. It is efficient with resources and carefully planned to
deliver both immediate and long-term benefits for people, the planet, and prosperity. The
three pillars of sustainable development–economic growth, environmental stewardship, and
social inclusion carry across all sectors of development, from cities facing rapid urbanization
to agriculture, infrastructure, energy development and use, water availability, and
transportation. Due to implementation of carbon credits, most of the annex countries are
limited in terms of green house gas emissions, which drastically reduces the pollution level.
Shifting towards renewable energy like solar, wind, bio fuel enhences air quality index.

3. Explain Global Warming.

=> Global warming is process where the earth's surface temperature and all the layers with
closer proximity to earth's surface increases artificially due to which all six green house gases
like, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons
(HFCs), perfluorocar- bons (PFCs), and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen triflouride
(NF3) get released in our environment and destroys the air quality index in our ambient.
Global warming causes some serious damage to our mother earth like
Rise in sea level
Increase in temperature globally
Melting of glaciers etc
4. Explain the carbon Footprints and establish a connection of the common man’s role in
CC.
=> A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases—primarily carbon dioxide—
released into the atmosphere by a particular human activity. A carbon footprint can be a
broad measure or be applied to the actions of an individual, a family, an event, an
organization, or even an entire nation. It is usually measured as tons of CO2 emitted per year,
a number that can be supplemented by tons of CO2-equivalent gases, including methane,
nitrous oxide, and other greenhouse gases.The carbon footprint is a very powerful tool to
understand the impact of personal behaviour on global warming. Most people are shocked
when they see the amount of CO2 their activities create! If you personally want to contribute
to stop global warming, the calculation and constant monitoring of your personal carbon
footprint is essential.
2.8 Sustainable Development practices that can be done for the states

Various sustainable development practices that can be done for the states includes:
● Using the 3-R approach of reduce, recycle and reuse. The Indian government has
urged people to use resources again and again instead of wasting them to prevent their
misuse.
● Promoting environment education and awareness so that people develop an attitude
for transforming their lifestyle for sustainable living.
● Using appropriate technology which is eco-friendly and culturally sustainable. India
has adopted indigenous technologies that are cost effective as well as sustainable.
● create institutions and promote activities that address climate change.
● Provision of Quality Education For All
● These bodies have realized that the level of child school dropout is at an all-time high.
This gap must be closed to ensure sustainable future development even as
international communities work to ensure quality and equity in the education sector.
● In a nutshell, this goal seeks to ensure equitable and inclusive quality education and
promotion of long-life learning opportunities.
● Provision of Clean Water and Sanitation
● Water and sanitation are on top of the chart regarding sustainable development. They
are critical to the survival of humans and the planet. This goal aims to address aspects
relating to sanitation, hygiene, drinking water and the quality and sustainability of
water resources
● State Action Plans on Climate Change:The State Action Plans on Climate Change
(SAPCC) aim to create institutional capacities and implement sectoral activities to
address climate change. These plans are focused on adaptation with mitigation as co-
benefit in sectors such as water, agriculture, tourism, forestry, transport, habitat and
energy. So far, 28 states and 5 union territories (UTs) have submitted their SAPCCs to
the MoEF&CC. Out of these, the SAPCCs of 32 states and UTs have been endorsed
by the National Steering Committee on Climate Change (NSCCC) at the MoEF&CC.[
15]
 Chapter 3
Literature Review

The public understanding of many issues is heavily dependent on the representation of the
said issues in the mediascape of a nation. This is precisely the reason why mass media has a
major influence on public perception on climate change. In a pluralistic system, the public
has many options of media consumption. This choice is influenced by literacy, social
background, profession, and any number such influences. Under the above circumstances, the
media has a large responsibility in the modern society as watchdog of civil society and
provider of information. Individuals select their own media outlet and form their own
opinion. This, in turn, forms a constituent of public opinion. Furthermore, individuals who
believe in themselves to be better informed regarding the risks they perceive, behave
differently than those who know little about the risks (e.g. Fischhoff, 19957).Very little
research has taken place in India with respect to climate change perceptions. Recently one
pioneering study was conducted by Leiserowitz and Thaker(2012)8 entitled- “Climate
Change in the Indian Mind”. This pan - Indian study was carried out by the Yale Project on
Climate Change Communication and Globe-Scan,
in Incorporated November-December 2011 with 138 urban and rural communities in 21 out
of the 35 states and union territories in India, covering 98 per cent of the Indian population. A
total of 4031 adult respondents, aged 18 years or above were selected and interviewed in
person by adopting probability sampling methods from four types of strata - first-tier cities
included New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and like; second - tier cities included Lucknow,
Jaipur, Kochi and like; third- tier cities comprised of Jorhat, Tirupur, Udhampur and like;
whereas, fourth-tier strata included respondents from rural areas across India. [16]
 Chapter 4
Data analysis and interpretation

In this chapter it is discussed in detail about the analysis of the secondary data collected from
the various resources such as: research papers, journals, articles, to know the current
condition and the major findings of the present study is generated by the analysis of the data,
which is done with the help of the statistical tools.In the federal context of India, programmes
and schemes are basically implemented at the level of States and Union Territories. Tracking
of progress on different SDGs, therefore, is important for appropriate policy actions and
building up a competitive spirit among the States and UTs. NITI Aayog has come up with a
single measurable index to track the progress of all the States and UTs across 13 out of 17
SDGs (excluding Goal 12, 13, 14 and 17 on account of unavailability of comparable data
across States/UTs). This SDG index provides an aggregate assessment of India’s progress.
This index helps in informed policy formulations as it captures status of both national and
state-level social, economic, and environmental parameters across a set of 62 select
indicators. The score varies from 0 to 100. States with scores equal to/greater than 65 are
considered as Front-Runners (in Green); as Performers (in Yellow) in the range of 50-64 and
as Aspirants (in Red) if the score is less than 50. States with an index score of 100 are
classified as Achievers (in Blue) i.e. the states have achieved the national target set for 2030.
A score of 0 denotes worst performance. The SDG Index Score ranges between 42 and 69 for
States and between 57 and 68 for UTs.[17]
Surface Temperatures of India in the last 50 Years:

The first graph shows the Average Temperatures of India in the last 50 years on Y-axis. The
trend line starts at 24 degree C and the minimum recorded temperature is nearly 23.6 degree
C. In the span of 50 years a constant rise in the temperature is clearly apparent.
Now, let’s take a look at the trend line of the past 25 years and 10 years in two separate
graphs:
Now, if we look at the trend line of the past 25 years in the second graph, there is a raise of
0.2 degree C in 25 years.And the third graph depicts a significant change in the surface
temperatures of India. The minimum average temperature rose from 24.2 degree C to 24.5
degree C. That’ s 0.3 degree C raise in just 15 years.It took 25 years for the temperatures to
raise from 24.0 C to 24.2 C, but only 15 years to raise from 24.2 C to 24.5 C. That’s a 150%
raise in the surface temperatures in just one and half decade.By looking at all the three
graphs, it is apparent that the surface temperatures of India are raising at a dangerous pace. If
this continuous, in just a few more decades, India will face a lot of consequences of global
warming additional to what it is already experiencing at its heart every year.[18]

Naturally, as the declination angle of the earth is shifted gradually towards the sun, the more
amount of direct and indirect radiations come into contact with the earth surface and increase
the earth's surface temperature. The Kyoto protocol commits industrialized nations like U.S,
European countries, Japan and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 5.2% by 2012
(to the 1990 levels). This protocol recognized that developed countries are principally
responsible for the current high levels of GHG emissions in the atmosphere as a result of
more than 150 years of industrial activity.[19]

Date of event Name of event Key-points of event India’s role at event

26 August 1989 Montreal Protocol 1. Legally enforced the 1. Signs on 19 June
 phase out of ozone 1992.
depleting substances 2. Suggested to work on
(HFCs, CFCs). the agreement of
2.Funded incremental phasing out HFCs under
costs of compliance in Kyoto Protocol, so as to
developing countries be able to claim carbon
since 1991. credits initially, but later
agreed to cooperate
3. In 2010, focused on under Montreal
climate mitigation, Protocol.
energy efficiency and
the phase out of HFCs. 3. Demanded the
establishment of a
finance mechanism for
developing countries.
3 – 14 June 1992 Rio Earth Summit 1. Systematic scrutiny 1. Had opposed on the
of patterns of internationalisation of
production of toxic its natural resources.
components.
2. Had assured
2. Alternative sources commitment to gaining
of energy to replace the funding for their natural
use of fossil fuels. resources and
environmental
3. New reliance on protection.
sustainable public
transport systems. 3. Identified as a G-77
member (developing
4. Concern over countries urging on
growing demand and developed nations to
limited supply of water. take actions).

4. Emphasised on equity
(common but
differentiated
responsibilities policy).
11 December Kyoto Protocol 1. Reduction of GHG 1. Signs on 26 August
1997 emissions by 5.2% by 2002.
2012 compared to 1990.
2. Three mechanisms 2. Initially refuses to
for reduction: emit emissions stating
Emissions Trading that reduction of poverty
System, Clean and expanding access to
 Development energy are the primary
Mechanism, Joint concerns.
Implementation.
3. Recently stated its
3. Focus on six GHGs: desire to dramatically
CO2, CH4, N2O, PFCs, increase reliance on
HFCs and SF6. renewables with help
4. Countries divided from developed nations.
into three groups:
Annex I (OECD + EIT 4. Formulated policies
states states), Annex II to support renewable
(OECD states) and energy in its 2008
Non-Annex I National Climate
(Developing states). Change Action Plan.
Besides, several other
5. Annex II countries steps are being taken to
with binding limits to mitigate climate change
invest on GHG
reduction projects in
non-Annex I countries
and receive Certified
Emission Reductions
and help achieve the
latter sustainable
development.
18 December Copenhagen 1. Endorses the 1. Promised to bring
2009 Accord continuation of Kyoto down 20% of its
Protocol. emission intensity as in
2005 by 2020.
2. Recognises the
reality of climate 2. Agreed to the
change. submission of mitigation
plans and a mitigation
3. Commits Annex I progress report to the
countries to economy- UNFCCC once every
wide emissions targets two years.
for 2020.
3. However, India
4. Commits non-Annex avoided mentioning the
I countries to accord in its letter to the
implement mitigation UNFCCC in 2010.
actions.
 5. Establishes a
Copenhagen Green
Climate Fund to finance
projects and policies in
developing countries.
8 December 2012 Doha Amendment 1. Made changes to the 1. Deposits Instrument
Kyoto Protocol based of Acceptance of the
on the reports after the Doha Amendment on 8
conclusion of the First August 2017.
Commitment Period
(2008 – 2012). 2. With this India (80th
country) ratifies the
2. Adds new emission second commitment
targets for Second period of Kyoto
Commitment Period protocol.
(2012 – 2020) for
participating countries. 3. India’s move is seen
as a step to pressurise
developed countries to
ratify the same.
22 April 2016 Paris Agreement 1. Focuses on the 1. Signs on 2 October
restricting the increase 2016, becomes 62nd
in global temperature to nation to do so.
well below 2⁰C above
pre-industrial levels. 2. Plans to reduce its
carbon emission (per
2. Pursue efforts to unit of GDP) by 33 –
limit the temperature 35% from 2005 levels
increase even further to over 15 years.
1.5⁰C.
3. Aims at producing
3. Increase the ability to 40% of electricity from
adaptation and foster non-fossil fuels by 2030.
climate resilience and 4. Commits to increase
low GHG emissions its forest cover and its
development. quality by 5 million
hectares by 2030.
4. Making finance
flows consistent with a 5. India’s early
pathway towards low ratification will
GHG emissions and pressurise developed
climate resilient countries to follow suit
 development. and assist developing
nations in curbing
5. Emphasises on the emissions and providing
reporting capability and finances and technology.
maintenance of
Nationally Determined 6. India’s targets are
Contributions (NDCS) more ambitious than that
for signatories. of USA’s .

7. Accepted the 1.5⁰C

goal for climate policy.

Chapter -5
Findings, Recommendation and conclusion
5.1 Findings

1. WE NEED TO LIMIT GLOBAL TEMPERATURE RISE TO 1.5°C.

Limiting temperature change to 1.5°C gives the world’s ecosystems a better chance of
survival.

Small changes in global temperature rise – even a half degree – can have devastating effects
on ecosystems. Although we think of ecosystems as a collective system of interacting
organisms and their environment, they do not respond to changes collectively.

The individual species that make up an ecosystem react individually to changes in climate –
some more extreme than others. For example, slightly warmer temperatures in western North
America tipped a delicate ecosystem balance that caused harmful, native bark beetle
populations to explode.

Consequently, differing responses can disrupt the delicate balance that form ecosystems –
and once they disaggregate, they may not recover. For this reason, many researchers are
concluding that ecological systems around the planet will not be able to tolerate temperature
rise much beyond 1.5°C.

2. ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION WILL BE AN IMPORTANT SOLUTION TO

CLIMATE CHANGE.
Ecosystems are built out of carbon and have the power to store carbon – providing a natural
climate solution.

While ecosystems are certainly threatened by climate change, at the same time, they can offer
one of our best defenses. Our planet works as a linked biological and physical system (an
ecosystem), which is built from the essential element of life: carbon. When ecosystems are
destroyed, they release the carbon they are built from into the atmosphere, which contributes
to global warming. According to new estimates, the amount of carbon released from
ecosystem destruction is much larger than previously thought.

However, there is also good news. By restoring ecosystems that have been damaged or
destroyed, we can sequester and store carbon from the atmosphere. Focused and purposeful
ecosystem restoration will be important to limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C. That’s
why a new coalition of organizations, including the UN Foundation, Environmental Defense
Fund, Conservation International, and others, are urging world leaders to harness natural
climate solutions, such as reforestation and wetlands protection.
3. WE MUST ACT ON A RANGE OF SOLUTIONS, URGENTLY.
To limit climate change to 1.5°C warming, we must significantly reduce our current
emissions before 2030.

We need to act quickly on restoring ecosystems; at the same time, we need to also address the
other factors contributing to our changing climate.

We must transition to cleaner energy sources – and use less energy. And as we continue to
adapt to a changing climate, we must continue to balance our needs with conservation. The
17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which integrate social, environmental, and
economic needs, chart a balanced path forward for achieving prosperity for both people and
planet.

4. ADDRESSING EMISSIONS IMPROVES HEALTH

The primary drivers of climate change are also responsible for a large burden of disease,
including 7 million annual deaths due to outdoor and indoor air pollution. Emissions that
pollute the air and emissions that cause climate change are often one in the same; and they
are emitted by the same human activities: energy consumption, transportation, agriculture,
and more.

Short lived climate pollutants, such as black carbon, methane, and ozone, are also major
drivers of both climate change and illness. Most climate mitigation policies would reduce
these pollutants, thereby creating win-win solutions that reduce the impacts of climate change
and improve public health.[20]

5.THE PARIS AGREEMENT IS A HEALTH AGREEMENT

The Paris Climate Agreement, signed by 195 countries in 2015, is not just a global climate
agreement. As WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated, “The Paris
Agreement is potentially the strongest health agreement of this century.” It addresses not only
the health risks associated with climate change, but also promotes climate action through
adaptation and mitigation.

By acting on the Paris Agreement, countries are committing to stringent climate policies that
will reduce air pollution and improve public health services, such as water and sanitation.
Meeting the commitments of the Paris Agreement would result in over 1 million lives saved
from air pollution alone by 2050. Additionally, mitigation efforts such as protecting forests
yields a wealth of benefits. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
(FAO) estimates that one-third of the world’s largest cities draw a substantial proportion of
their drinking water from forest protected areas, which also serve as key sinks for carbon in
the atmosphere.[21]

6.TRACKING PROGRESS ON CLIMATE MEANS TRACKING HEALTH

The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators for climate change, which help measure
progress toward meeting the goal, do not currently include health-specific metrics. While the
gap is filled by academic research, such as The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate
Change, adopting a formal reporting requirement would encourage decision makers to
seriously consider and weigh the health impacts – and benefits – when choosing mitigation
and adaptation strategies for climate change.

5.2 Recommendation
● Focuses not only on improving understanding, but helps to inform solutions for
problems at local, regional, national, and global levels;
●
● Integrates diverse kinds of knowledge and explicitly engages the social, ecological,
physical, health, and engineering sciences;
●
● Emphasizes coupled human-environment systems rather than individual human or
environmental systems in isolation;
●
● Evaluates the implications of particular choices across sectors and scales so as to
maximize co-benefits, avoid unintended consequences, and understand net effects
across different areas of decision making;
●
● Develops and employs decision-support resources and tools that make scientific
knowledge useful and accessible to decision makers;
●
● Focuses, where appropriate, on place-based analyses to support decision making in
specific locations or regions, because the dynamics of both human and environmental
systems play out in different ways in different places and decisions must be context-
specific; and
●
● Supports adaptive decision making and risk management in the face of inevitable
uncertainty by remaining flexible and adaptive and regularly assessing and updating
research priorities.[22]

5.3 Conclusion
Climate change is expected to affect the human well being in many different ways such as
:capital, ecosystem, disease and migration. Irrespective of the importance of the issue, it is
not clear how to compute the value with the current state of the art of economics. A
meaningful development involves at least transformation from agricultural to a non-
agricultural economy reducing the dependence on agriculture.[23] Since most of the labor-
force about 70%—directly and indirectly depends on the sector for livelihood and
employment, it is when this sector is more productive and ensures food self-sufficiency that it
will release the necessary labor and capital for the manufacturing and service sectors.In the
context of the current debate about climate change, it is necessary to show, far from being
inactive in India, that considerable actions in terms of policies, programs and projects are
being taken. Technology transfer can speed up the modernization process and additional
funds can accelerate government in energy conservation. However, policies for poverty
alleviation must be given priority.[24]

As climate change progresses, past climate conditions and human experiences will serve as
less and less reliable guides for decision makers (see Chapter 3 and also NRC, 2009g). Even
with continued advances in scientific understanding, projections of the future will always
include some uncertainties. Moreover, because climate changes interact with so many
resource and infrastructure decisions, from power plant design to crop planting dates,
responses to climate change will need to be developed and implemented in the context of
continuously evolving conditions. Furthermore, as actions are taken to limit the magnitude of
future climate change and adapt to its impacts, decision makers will need to understand and
take the effectiveness and unintended consequences of these actions into account.[25]

As a direct result of these complexities and uncertainties, all responses to climate change,
including the next generation of scientific research, will require deliberate “learning by
doing.” Actions and strategies will need to be periodically evaluated and revised to take
advantage of new information and knowledge, not only about climate and climate-related
changes but also about the effectiveness of responses to date and about other changes in
human and environmental systems.) By monitoring climate change indicators, providing
timely information about the effectiveness of actions taken to respond to climate risks,
improving the effectiveness of our responses over time, developing new responses, and
continuing to build our understanding of climate change and its impacts. These tasks require
flexible mechanisms for identifying and addressing new scientific challenges as they emerge
and also ongoing interactions with decision makers as their needs change over time.
Continued progress will also be needed in monitoring, projecting, and assessing climate
change, especially abrupt changes and other “surprises”. Individually and collectively, these
demands will require significant changes in the way research is funded, conducted, evaluated,
and rewarded.[26]
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