PARLIAMENT QUESTION: IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON WEATHER PATTERNS
PARLIAMENT QUESTION: IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON WEATHER PATTERNS
The Government has taken due note of Climate Change across the country and is making several efforts to assess and minimize the impact of climate change. The multi-faceted approach is aimed at addressing the potential impacts of climate change on the country’s weather patterns, focusing on adaptation, mitigation, and resilience-building.
Key initiatives include:
These efforts are aimed at reducing vulnerabilities and preparing the country for the diverse impacts of climate change, from altered monsoon patterns to more frequent extreme weather events.
There has been a quantum increase in climate modeling research and climate science in India. Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) established the Centre for Climate Change Research (CCCR) at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, to conduct research studies related to the science of climate change.
For the first time, the CCCR has developed an Indigenous climate model, namely the IITM-Earth System Model (IITM-ESM), which provides reliable future projections of Indian monsoon rainfall and is used in addressing climate variability and change issues across the region. The model is the first from India to contribute to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (IPCC-AR6). In addition, the CCCR has also led the Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) for the South Asia region for generating high-resolution regional climate change projections, which are frequently utilized for assessments of the impacts of climate changes on different sectors.
Also, the Ministry of Earth Sciences, has recently published a Climate Change report titled “Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region”. The report has assessed the impact of climate change across the country, covering all aspects of regional climate change, including the climatic extremes across India. The report is the first of its kind, and a comprehensive discussion has been made regarding the impact of human-induced global climate change on the regional climate and monsoon of the Indian subcontinent, adjoining the Indian Ocean and the Himalayas.
Apart from the above, IMD brought out the web-based online “Climate Hazard & Vulnerability Atlas of India,” prepared for the thirteen most hazardous meteorological events, which cause extensive damages and economic, human, and animal losses. The climate Hazard and vulnerability atlas will help State Government authorities and Disaster Management Agencies plan and take appropriate action to tackle various extreme weather events.
India is actively collaborating with a number of international organizations to share data, expertise, and resources on climate resilience, as well as to address the broader challenges posed by climate change. This collaboration is part of India’s efforts to not only contribute to global climate action but also to enhance its own adaptive capacity.
This information was given by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.