Study called for urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (representational)
New Delhi:
India could face devastating effects of climate change, including deadly heat waves and severe flooding, over the next 80 years, study calls for urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid the associated risks for the population, ecosystems and economy of the country.
Average annual temperatures across India are expected to increase by 4.2 degrees Celsius in a high emissions scenario by the end of the 21st century, said the researchers, led by Professor Mansour Almazroui of King Abdulaziz University. in Saudi Arabia.
“India is the most densely populated region in the world, with relatively high sensitivity and low resilience to changes in its climate, which makes it very exposed and vulnerable to changes that may occur during the rest of the 21st century”, said Mr. Almazroui told the Press Trust of India news agency.
“A large part of India’s population, ecosystems and economy are all at high risk from future climate change,” he said.
Study, published in the journal Earth Systems and Environment last month, suggests that northwestern India is “particularly at risk” for flooding from melting snow and glaciers caused by temperatures which are expected to increase by the end of the 21st century.
The researchers also predicted deadly heat waves on the plains, adding that severe flooding is expected to occur and that annual precipitation over India is expected to increase in all emission scenarios in the 21st century.
Using a supercomputer to analyze global climate models, the research team observed a potentially large increase of more than 6 degrees Celsius in a high-emission scenario in the northwest of India, including the complex mountain ranges of Karakorum and the Himalayas.
“The increased warming is likely to further accelerate the melting of snow and glaciers in this region, with a consequent increase in flooding. This could have serious consequences for crops, ecosystems and people living downstream,” said Mr. Almazroui.
“In addition, the increase in temperature is likely to increase the frequency of deadly heat waves on the plains of the country,” he added.
The study analyzed the latest generation of models to project more warming – 1 to 3 degrees Celsius – on the irrigated plains of the Ganges, which researchers say could have serious repercussions on agriculture and livelihoods. .
The models predict higher warming on the Indian subcontinent in winter than in summer, which can disrupt snow or ice accumulations and affect winter growing patterns, the researchers said.
Although the expected average temperature increase in winter will reach 4.7 degrees Celsius, the estimated warming for summers may reach 3.6 degrees Celsius, they said.
The study also predicted a larger increase in precipitation over northwest India, including Gujarat and Rajasthan, while winter precipitation also shows a greater increase over Gujarat and neighboring states in all future scenarios.
In the high emissions scenario, the average summer monsoon precipitation over India, particularly in the western part of the country which extends to Western Ghats and Kerala, is expected to increase by the end of the 21st century, the researchers said.
Increased summer precipitation, as well as increased water in rivers due to the melting of glaciers in summer, could cause severe summer flooding in the future, they said.
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
