Lok Sabha Question No. 1865 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-21
Subject: Impact of Climate Change
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: P.K.SREEMATHI TEACHER, SURESH KODIKUNNIL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1865

TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.12.2018

## Impact of Climate Change

## 1865.   SHRIMATI P.K. SREEMATHI TEACHER: SHRI KODIKUNNIL SURESH:

Will  the  Minister  of  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE  be  pleased  to state:

- (a) whether due to climate change vulnerability to extreme weather events has increased in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  draft  of  India's  Second  Biennial  Update  Report  (BUR)  to  the  United  Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) states that in a period of four years, over  5,800  people  and  thousands  of  animals  in  India  have  lost  their  lives  to  'extremes  of temperature, rainfall and tropical cyclones';
- (d) if so, the details of human and animal loss occurred due to different events of climate change in the country, State/UTwise; and
- (e) the details of the broader policy interventions at present and in operation by the Government in tandem with international protocols to tackle climate change issues?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

(a)  & (b)  As per India Meteorological Department, some recent studies suggest an increasing frequency and intensity of extremes in rainfall during the past 40-50 years. The assessments by the  Intergovernmental  Panel  on  Climate  Change  and  the  Government  using  regional  climate models  indicate  that  extreme  rainfall  events  are  likely  to  be  more  frequent  in  India  in  future. However, there attribution to global warming is yet to be established.

Heat wave occurrence zones over the years are found to be over the same area of such prevalence in the past, however, frequency of severe heat waves has increased in recent years. Many  areas  of  the  country  (North,  North-West,  Central  and  North-East  Peninsula)  have experienced more heat wave days on an average per season. The past decade was the warmest decade for the country as well as for the globe.

(c) & (d) India  submitted  its  first  Biennial  Update  Report  (BUR)  to  the  United  Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 22 nd January, 2016. As per the report, India  witnessed  many  instances  of  extremes  of  temperature,  rainfall  and  tropical  cyclones  in recent years resulting in enhanced exposure to multi- hazard vulnerability with adverse impacts on ecosystems, natural resources and socio-economic profile. India's second BUR has not been submitted to the UNFCCC.

(e)        India  is  a  Party  to  the  UNFCCC,  its  Kyoto  Protocol  and  the  Paris  Agreement.  India  is meeting  its  commitments  under  the  aforesaid  instruments.  Through  eight  missions,  being implemented  by  various  Ministries,  under  the  National  Action  Plan  on  Climate  Change,  the Government is addressing climate change concerns in the area of solar energy, energy efficiency, sustainable  habitat,  water,  Himalayan  ecosystem,  Green  India,  sustainable  agriculture  and strategic knowledge for climate change.

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