Sustainable and Secure Future

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The impacts of climate variability, climate change, and extreme events are visible globally and in India. The Global Climate Risk Index 2021 ranks India seventh, considering the extent to which India has been affected by the impacts of weather-related loss events (storms, floods, heatwaves, etc.). The index signals that repercussions of escalating climate change are exacerbating and can no longer be ignored.

Extreme and unpredictable changes in the climate are a cause of serious concern globally. In India, the impacts of climate change are already profound. The second part of the Sixth Assessment Report (Working Group II contribution) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released in early 2022, has referred to India as one of the countries to be most “economically harmed” by climate change. The situation mandates urgent nationwide measures to build climate resilience by mitigating climate-related adversities and enabling adaptation.

What we are seeing in Bengaluru today is a mixture of events happening at two different levels.

India’s aviation market is the third largest worldwide, after the United States of America (USA) and China. Various government policies and initiatives, including the Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) Policy, which aimed at enhancing rural connectivity, have aided in the growth of the sector.

Land degradation, extending over 96 million hectares is a primary ecological issue for India that has resulted in catastrophic biodiversity loss and exacerbated extreme weather occurrences. One of the major sources of land degradation is large-scale coal mining to realize country's expanding energy demands. By 2050 climate change and land degradation, will result in $1730 billion loss for India.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought on unprecedented adversities for rural populations worldwide, endangering livelihoods and causing psycho-social impacts. These catastrophic effects have been further exacerbated by climate change, with a disproportional impact witnessed among the most vulnerable populations.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, between 2000 and 2018, agricultural expansion led to almost 90% of global deforestation, which is one of the leading causes of habitat destruction of numerous species. Besides land clearance, several other activities within the sector — land preparation, production and use of fertilisers and pesticides, use of farm machinery, crop residue burning, yield storage, and transportation — are responsible for the emission of some major air pollutants and greenhouse gases.

Climate change will amplify the existing risks and create new risks for natural and socio-economic systems. These risks are unevenly distributed and experienced. They are often greater for the disadvantaged or marginalised people (particularly women and girls), and also depend on the geographic location of these communities or ecological systems, such as coasts or mountains. Failing to assess climate risks—current and future—can lead to resource wastage, or worse, maladaptation.

The adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in India has grown significantly over the last few years. There is a three-time jump in EV sales in 2022 compared to 2021. More than 90% of the EVs sold are either two-wheelers or threewheelers. The growth in EV sales could mainly be attributed to policies, such as production-based incentives and the FAME scheme. However, we are still way behind the Government’s target of achieving 70% of all new commercial vehicles and 80% of all two-wheeler and three-wheeler sales to be electric by 2030.