Lok Sabha Question No. 2050 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-12
Subject: Rise in Temperature of Earth
Ministry: EARTH SCIENCES
Asked by: Sangamlal Kadedin Gupta

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2050

## TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2021

## RISE IN TEMPERATURE OF EARTH

## 2050.   SHRI SANGAM LAL GUPTA :

## Will the Minister of EARTH SCIENCES be pleased to state:

- (a)   whether the temperature of earth is continuing to rise;
- (b)   if so, whether the temperature of earth has risen upto onedegree fahrenheit during the last hundred years;
- (c)   if so, whether the Government has made any assessment of the likely impact of the said rise in temperature on human beings and if so, the details thereof;
- (d)   whether the glaciers are melting and water level in the oceans has been increasing as a result of the rise in temperature and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e)   whether the said rise in temperature has aggravated the risks of natural disasters and led to submergence of certain islands and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER FOR MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

- (a) Yes, Sir. The global average near-surface air temperature has increased since preindustrial times and the warming trend is still continuing.
- (b) Yes, Sir. The global average near-surface air temperature has increased by approximately 1 °F since pre-industrial times.
- (c) Yes,  Sir.  The  Ministry  of  Earth  Sciences  (MoES),  has  recently  published  a  Climate Change  report  entitled  "Assessment  of  Climate  Change  over  the  Indian  Region".  The preparation of this report was led by the Center for Climate Change Research (CCCR) at the  Indian  Institute  of  Tropical  Meteorology  (IITM)  Pune.  The  report  highlights  the effects of human-induced climate change which has resulted in consistent increase in the global average near-surface air temperature. Since the last three decades, each of them has  been  successively  warmer  at  the  Earth's  surface  than  any  preceding  decade  since 1850 wherein during the 2001-2018 period, there have been 18 of the 19 warmest years in the observational record.
- (d) Yes, Sir.The consistent warming of the planet has led to changes in the rate and patterns of precipitation, extremes, glacier  melt and sea-level rise.The sea levels over the North Indian  Ocean  has  risen  at  a  rate  of  3.3  mm  year-1  during  1993-2017,  similar  to  the global mean. While thermal expansion has dominated sea-level rise in the North Indian Ocean, the major contribution to global mean sea-level rise is from glacier melt.
- (e) Yes, Sir.The said rise in temperature has aggravated the risks of natural disasters. While climate  change  is  global,  changes  in  climate  are  not  expected  to  be  uniform  across  the planet and therefore the risks of natural disasters also vary across the globe. For instance, Arctic temperatures are rising much faster than the global average, and rates of sea-level rise vary significantly across the world. One of the consequences of warming of the global ocean and the melting of ice and glaciers is the rise in mean sea level. Sea-level rise can exert significant stress on highly populated coastal societies and low-lying island countries around the world. Indian Ocean region is heavily populated, comprises of many low-lying islands  and  coastal  zones  and  is  highly  rich  in  marine  ecosystems.  The  regions  in  and around  the  Indian  Ocean  are  home  to  roughly  2.6  billion  people,  which  is  40%  of  the global  population.  One-third  of  the  Indian  population  and  the  majority  of  the  Asian population  are  located  near  coastal  regions.  Therefore,  the  rise  in  sea  level  can  pose  a growing challenge to population, economy, coastal infrastructures and marine ecosystems.

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