Climate Change

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November 6, 2022
Protecting children from climate change impact not child's play
In 2020, 559 million children were affected by four to five heatwaves a year; numbers could increase four-fold by 2050, as per a report by UNICEF
Heat-related mortality is four times higher among children under 1 year of age than in persons aged 1–44 years (Image: Taqver, Wikimedia Commons)
August 11, 2022
India’s rivers in trouble due to high fertilizer load and heavy monsoons
This could lead to water quality crisis reinforcing the need for basin-specific management strategies
Around the world, more than a fifth of nitrogen released by human activity ends up in aquatic ecosystems (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
July 29, 2022
Carbon removal using ‘blue carbon’ habitats “uncertain and unreliable”
New study from the University of East Anglia challenges the widely held view that restoring areas such as mangroves, saltmarsh and seagrass can remove large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere
Mediterranean seagrass (Image: David Luquet, CNRS-Sorbonne University)
July 10, 2022
Slow onset climate-induced disasters leaving migrants at greater risk of human trafficking
People in India fleeing disasters like drought more likely to have experienced trafficking or modern slavery than those fleeing floods or cyclones
The country's climate change assessment suggests things are only going to get worse (Image: Saurav Karmakar, India Water Portal Flickr)
July 8, 2022
Warming waters will lead to gasping rivers in India
Indian rivers are experiencing rising temperatures, which can lower the oxygen carrying capacity of their waters and spell doom for living organisms, small and large living in the waters.
The Karamana river in Thiruvanathapuram, Kerala (Image Source: India Water Portal)
June 15, 2022
Damned by pollution, doomed by beautification
The River Front Development project planned by the PMC is nothing but a cosmetic makeover for the already choked Mula Mutha river in Pune, argues Dr Gurudas Nulkar while speaking to the India Water Portal.
The highly polluted and encroached Mula Mutha river in Pune (Image: Alexey Komarov via Wikimedia Commons)
The Kyoto Protocol: Mandate, mechanisms and revisions
The Kyoto Protocol is a landmark agreement reached at the Conference of the Parties (COP 3) in Japan. It derives its name after the city, Kyoto, in Japan, where the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference - COP 3 was held in December 1997. Industrialized countries agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as per levels specified in the treaty.
Rama Mani
Posted on 28 Aug, 2009 04:57 PM

Mandated Quantified GHG Emissions Reduction
References of impact of climate change on health
A list of quick references of the impact of climate change on health
Rama Mani
Posted on 28 Aug, 2009 04:44 PM

1. Climate change and diseases: A double Jeopardy
Impact of climate change on health in India: Protection of health from climate change has to be a part of a basic, preventive approach to public health
According to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), climate change is likely to have a greater impact on India compared to other countries similarly positioned, on account of the unique combination of its geography, diverse population characteristics and extremely high carbon-related energy dependence
Rama Mani
Posted on 28 Aug, 2009 04:01 PM

Climate change is bound to affect the basic requirements for maintaining health - clean air and water, sufficient food, adequate shelter, and freedom from disease given the already high level of poverty, low nutritional levels and poor public health infrastructure in the country. (Dream 2047, Vigyan Prasar)
Reference: Impact of climate change on major river basins in India
A short compilation of further reading and references on the impact of climate change on major river basins in India
Rama Mani
Posted on 28 Aug, 2009 03:45 PM

Climate and water resources of India, R. Ramesh* and M. G. Yadava; Current Science, VOL. 89, NO. 5, 10 SEPTEMBER 2005 - http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/sep102005/818.pdf
Effect of climate change on river Kosi and its basin
Considering the vulnerability of the Kosi's basin, the melting glaciers will acerbate the problem a hundredfold. The melting glaciers will release much more water than normal in a short time thus creating a flood situation.
Rama Mani
Posted on 28 Aug, 2009 02:46 PM

Kosi is one of Ganga's largest tributaries and in turn is fed by 7 tributaries - Sun Koshi, Dudh Koshi, Indravati, Tama Kosi, Likhu, Arun, and Tamar. These tributaries encircle Mt Everest from all sides and are fed by world's highest glaciers. The river drains a total area of 69,300 sqkm upto its confluence with Ganga. The river basin stretches 54,000 sq.kms.
Effect of climate change on the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta regions
The Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghana delta belt comprises of 105,000 sq. kms of which 2/3rds is in Bangladesh. The Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghana system has the largest catchment area of 1,100,000 km². The delta region is particularly vulnerable to seasonal floods, heavy run-offs from melting snows, and tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal. Inspite of this, it is one of the most thickly populated regions on Earth.
Rama Mani
Posted on 28 Aug, 2009 02:28 PM

The delta belt is home to approximately 125-140 million people. And over 300 million people are supported by the delta. The density of population in the Delta region is 200 people / sq.km. making it one of the densest regions in the world.

The delta region is a high-rainfall region and receives 60-80 inches of rainfall every year.
Impact of climate change on major river basins in India: The Indo-Gangetic-Plains
The effect of climate change on the Indo-Gangetic-Plain region will primarily be by the glacier melting impacts and heat waves and extreme climates
Rama Mani
Posted on 28 Aug, 2009 02:14 PM

The Indo-Gangetic Plains, formed by the drainage systems of the rivers Indus and the Ganga, stretch across the countries of Bangladesh, Nepal, India and Pakistan covering approximately 401.72 million hectares of land.
Migration and displacement due to sea-level rise: Mega-cities like Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai could be hit hard
A one-meter sea level rise will inundate 6000 square kilometers in India, of which Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai will be the major cities being affected. This would mean losses of billions of dollars in infrastructural, social, physical assets and capital.
Rama Mani
Posted on 26 Aug, 2009 05:34 PM

125 million people are likely to migrate in the coming century of which 75 million will be from Bangladesh. The people from Bangladesh will most likely migrate to India in addition to our own 50 to 60 million people who will be displaced due to sea-level rise, shrinking water sources due to CC in the densely populated coastal regions of India.
References of the impact of climate change on river deltas and other coastal areas
A short compilation of articles and reports on the impact of climate change on river deltas and other coastal areas
Rama Mani
Posted on 26 Aug, 2009 04:48 PM

Mumbai Marooned: An Enquiry into Mumbai Floods 2005 - Final Report ,
By Conservation Action Trust - Click here

Enquiry-mumbai-floods-2005-final-report
Impact of climate change on river deltas and other coastal areas in India
While global warming is a matter of worldwide concern, among the most vulnerable areas are the coastlines of less developed tropical countries such as India. The river deltas, in particular, are already facing the brunt of climate change and these adverse impacts can be expected to increase dramatically in the course of this century.
Rama Mani
Posted on 26 Aug, 2009 04:23 PM

The effects are most visible in the Sunderbans. Literally the 'beautiful forest', these wetlands at the mouths of the Ganga and Brahmaputra river systems are among the largest mangrove forests in the world. About 62% of this area of some10000sq km lies in Bangladesh but there is a significant Indian portion in the state of West Bengal.
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