Soyun Park

Ms. G. Buijsman
Science 2018
January 8th 2014
Global Warming in India
Global warming is the biggest challenge that the planet is facing today. Global warming
is the term used to describe a gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earths
atmosphere and its oceans (Aboutnews, 2014). This is a change that is believed to be
permanently changing the Earths climate and commonly known as climate change. As
the Earth is getting hotter, disasters like hurricanes, droughts and floods are getting
more frequent. While climate change is debated, it has been proved by scientists that the
planet is warming. Over the last 100 years, the average air temperature near the Earth's
surface has risen by a little less than 1 degree Celsius or 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit (NASA,
2008). This essay will consider the issues of global warming, explore the impacts
specifically with respect to India, which is ranked as one of the top ten countries most
vulnerable to the impacts of climate change (see Picture 2), and discuss some of the
solutions we can potentially implement.
So who and what are responsible for global warming? Global warming cannot be
attributed to one factor. Both humans and nature have contributed to this issue.

Picture 1: How the cycle of global warming looks like. (Source: GW, 2014)

http://www.globalwarmingarticles.org/few-more-days-left-of-the-earth-due-to-global-warming/

Picture 1 shows a number of ways that human activities contribute to global warming.
These include manufacturing through factories, generation of energy, use of cars and

vehicles, and the burning of fuel for heat. Would you believe that, a single gallon of
gasoline puts 19 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when burned (NWF,
2014)? While it is difficult to directly evidence that humans are only responsible for
global warming, it is very clear that we are key contributors. The burning of fossil fuels
causes more greenhouse gases to build up in the atmosphere. As the atmosphere
thickens with more greenhouse gases, more heat is held in. Fossil fuels such as oil, coal
and natural gas are high in carbon and when burned, produce major amounts of carbon
dioxide or CO2 (NWF, 2014). These human activities and the increases in CO2 that are
caused all contribute to global warming.
As well as human factors, natural factors also impact on the climate of the earth. These
include the energy from the sun; periodic volcanic eruptions of tiny particles, dust, and
salt spray, and natural carbon cycle processes such as termite mounds in Africa that emit
methane or tiny organisms in the ocean surface that take up carbon dioxide (UoCS,
2014). Even cows produce methane from their digestion. This combination of natural
occurrences and human activity all add up to produce global warming although its very
clear that the human contribution is significant.

Picture 2: Climate Change Vulnerability Index 2011. (Source: DWUK, 2011)

https://developmentwatchuk.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/climate-change-vulnerability-index-2011/

All countries in the world are clearly at risk of the impacts of climate change, however
some are more vulnerable than others. Picture 2 shows the countries that are most at
risk, India being ranked as the second most vulnerable country. India turned out to be
the most vulnerable to the climate change due to extreme levels of poverty and a high
dependency on agriculture. The Climate Change Vulnerability Index considers 42 social,
economic and environmental factors of 170 countries. These include: exposure to
climate-related natural disasters and sea-level rise; human sensitivity, in terms of

population patterns, development, natural resources, agricultural dependency and

conflicts (DWUK, 2011).

Picture 3: Global warming impact in India. (Source: MIEF, 2014)

http://mief.in/midweek-awareness-climate-change-stats-india/

"The key issue as far as India is concerned is vulnerability and exposure." Experts say
India is likely to be hit hard by global warming. It is already one of the most disasterprone nations in the world and many of its 1.2 billion people live in areas vulnerable to
hazards such as floods, cyclones and droughts. Freak weather patterns will affect
agricultural output with the risk of 63 million people no longer having adequate food
supply. These weather patterns could also lead to water shortages and trigger outbreaks
of water and diseases such as diarrhea and malaria in many developing nations such as
India (REUTERS, 2014). According to Yale Studies, millions of Indians are already
observing changes in their local rainfall, temperatures, and weather, report more
frequent droughts and floods, and a more unpredictable monsoon (CCC, 2014).
So what does this mean for India and its environment? The following two paragraphs
will discuss and evaluate how global warming interacts with the one world factor:
environmental. Indias geography means it is environmentally exposed to the impacts of
climate change in coastal areas and inland. According to the IPCC report, one of the risks
to India is flooding in Deltas and coastal areas (TTOI, 2014). This flooding, particularly
in areas such as the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta causes severe coastal erosion and land
loss and ultimately the loss of lives of many of the people that live in the Delta. Flooding
of coastal areas do not only kill people, it also causes the destruction of beaches and
ultimately impact on the future of Indias tourism industry, like in areas such as Kerala.
Cities like Mumbai and Kolkata, which lie on the coast could also be affected by flooding
and sea level rises (TTOI, 2014).
The impact of this could seriously affect the economies of the cities and the functioning
of infrastructure. The warming up of the earth could also affect the interior areas of India
causing increased droughts, drying up of wetlands and potential loss of ecosystems.
These changes could also impact on agricultural production and cause food security
issues. The World Bank report: Turn Down the Heat reflects these pressures on Indias
environment and predicts some of the impacts which include water stress in many parts
of the country and potential food security challenges through a decrease in food supply

from agriculture (India:, 2013). The good news is that the government of India are
already putting plans in place to help address the challenges of climate change and
minimize the impact on India (WWF, 2014).

Graph 1: Increase in carbon dioxide from 1950 to 2014. (Source: CC, 2011)
http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

It is clear that global warming is happening with carbon dioxide levels at the highest they
have been in 650,000 years (see graph 1). So what is it as humans we can do to try and
reverse the impact of our actions?
Nowadays, there are many schemes to try and counter balance global warming and these
include planting trees as trees absorb carbon dioxide. However it is clear that tree
planting alone is not the only solution to climate change. To help reduce global warming,
behavior needs to change at a grass roots level, with the general public making more
environmentally responsible choices, and also at a government, business and
international level, which needs to include policy changes.
The general public can make choices that include:
Driving less.
Conserving water and energy in their homes.
Producing less waste.
Recycling more.
Choosing locally grown organic food.
Enjoying nature and natural world more like doing activities outside.
Governments and businesses also have responsibilities to reduce their impact on the
world such as:
Providing alternatives to fossil fuels.
Introducing renewable energy schemes.
Introducing CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) schemes in businesses.
Getting employees involved in CSR activities (RICOH, 2014).
Building eco cities like they are doing in China.
Adapting housing to reduce carbon emissions.

Implementing proper waste management and recycling facilities.

Personally, I think education is the most important way in which we can address climate
change. Its a key part of the solution. For the new generation of young people in the
world, education through schools such as the Greenschool and through topics such as
sustainability at school will help increase awareness of the challenges we face and the
solutions we can choose. This new generation can change the future of the world and
what it looks like.

Graph 2: CO2 concentration prediction. (Source: WITI, 2014)

http://www.yourclimateyourlife.org.uk/1_important.html

Clearly, planting trees is not going to stop global warming. The impacts are being felt
across the world with countries such as India, their geography and population being
particularly vulnerable to climate change. If we continue with business as usual (see
graph 2), which means making no change, this could have devastating effects on the
environment of countries like India with potential for coastal floods, inland droughts and
ultimately food security issues. However we have an opportunity to choose alternatives
and potentially reduce the impact of global warming, both at grass roots level and also at
governmental and international level. We can all make a difference. As Al Gore said,
Now it is up to us to make moral choices to change the policies and behaviors that
would, if continued, leave a degraded, diminished and hostile planet for our children and
grandchildren and humankind (RAGW, 2007). It is time to make changes to global
warming on our big house, the earth.

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