Lok Sabha Question No. 166 (STARRED), answered on 2021-02-12
Subject: Adverse Effects of Climate Change
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Thomas Chazhikadan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 166

TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.02.2021

## Adverse Effects of Climate Change

- *166.  SHRI THOMAS CHAZHIKADAN:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  taken  note  of  the  climate  change  across  the  country during the last three decades;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the geographical areas that have witnessed the most significant climatic change, with special  reference  to  the  Himalayas  indicating  the  impact  of  such  a  change  on  the environment in the country; and
- (d) whether the Government has conducted any study to examine the trend of declining rainfall in certain areas of the country like Cherrapunji and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

(a) to (d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## Statement  referred  to  in  reply  to  part  (a)  to  (d)  of  Lok  Sabha  Starred Question  No.  166  due  for  the  reply  on  12.02.2021  by  SHRI  THOMAS CHAZHIKADAN regarding Adverse Effects of Climate Change.

(a)  &  (b):  The  Government  is  seized  of  the  matter  and  has  been  assessing  the  impact  of climate change over the years through various Ministries and Agencies. As per the report by the  World  Meteorological  Organization  (WMO),  the  average  global  temperature  for  20152019  is  currently  estimated  to  be  1.1  degree  Celsius  above  pre-industrial  (1850-1900). According  to  the  India  Meteorological  Department  (IMD),  all  India  mean  temperature  has risen by nearly 0.7 degree C for the period 1901 to 2017. On an average, at present, the sea level along the Indian coast is estimated to be rising at about 1.7 mm/year.

India  is  a  Party  to  the  United  Nations  Framework  Convention  on  Climate  Change (UNFCCC), its Kyoto Protocol (KP), and the Paris Agreement (PA). Independent studies rate India's  efforts  highly  and  compliant  with  the  requirements  under  PA.  The  Government  of India  stands  committed  to  combating  climate  change  through  its  several  programmes  and schemes.

(c): While  many  studies  monitor  current  changes  in  the  environment,  the  science  of attribution  of  these  changes  particularly  to  global  warming  is  far  more  complex  and  is currently  an  evolving  subject.  Such  changes  as  are  observed  may  arise  from  a  number  of causes, including the inherent variability in climatic systems that are common in the biosphere and geosphere. Most studies so far have relied on mathematical modelling of climate change impacts but these are yet to be empirically verified.

According to the information provided by Gobind Ballabh Pant National Institute of Himalayan  Environment,  some  of  the  impacts  of  climate  change  observed  in  the  Indian Himalayan Region are  as  follows:  (i)  upward  movement  of  treeline  of  woody  species  at  a slow rate having likely impact on alpine pastures over the time span of several decades,  (ii) upward movement of herbaceous plants over the time scale of a century which has already been observed and documented in states such as Sikkim,  (iii) gradual shifting of production zone  of  horticulture  species  like  apple  orchards  in  Himachal  Pradesh,  and  (iv)  melting  or retreat  of  certain  glaciers,  though  there  are  also  stable  or  even  advancing  glaciers  in  the Himalaya, thereby emphasizing the complex geographical and cyclical nature of the glacial dynamics.

Although  there  is  inter-annual  variability,  the  total  precipitation  during  the  Indian summer monsoon has remained largely stable over the period 1901-2019 and has shown a weak decreasing trend during the recent few decades. Further, the following are findings of the IMD on the changes of rainfall and its intensities during the last three decades:

- Five states  viz.,  Uttar  Pradesh,  Bihar,  West  Bengal,  Meghalaya,  and  Nagaland  have shown significant decreasing trends in southwest monsoon rainfall during the recent 30 years period (1989-2018).
- The annual rainfall over these five states along with the states of Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh also show significant decreasing trends.
- Other states do not show any significant changes in southwest monsoon rainfall during the same period.
- Considering district-wise rainfall, there are many districts in the country, which show significant  changes  in  southwest  monsoon  and  annual  rainfall  during  the  recent  30 years period (1989-2018).
- With regard to the frequency of heavy rainfall days, a significant increasing trend is observed over Saurashtra & Kachchh, Southeastern parts of Rajasthan, Northern parts of Tamil Nadu, Northern parts of Andhra Pradesh and adjoining areas of Southwest Odisha,  many  parts  of  Chhattisgarh,  Southwest  Madhya  Pradesh,  West  Bengal, Manipur & Mizoram, Konkan & Goa, and Uttarakhand.

(d): Yes,  Sir.  The  IMD  has  carried  out  a  detailed  investigation  of  rainfall  patterns  of Cherrapunji and Mawsynram region of India which reveals that annual and seasonal rainfall of  Cherrapunji  shows  no  significant  trend.  However,  on  a  monthly  scale,  March  and  July rainfall has shown a significant increasing trend.

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