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India needs to take effective measures to check the unprecedented rise in temperatures as human-induced climate change threatens both lives and livelihoods across the country. The prevailing heatwave in some parts of the country has already claimed dozens of lives and severely impacted agriculture, which in turn will likely have an adverse effect on food security. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), climate change has made heatwaves more intense, prolonged, and widespread across the country, with the annual mean temperature rising 0.85 percent during the past century. Thus, the need of the hour is to end the continuous burning of fossil fuels and other unsustainable practices, which are key to preventing rising global temperatures.
To achieve this dual feat, India should expedite the process of shifting from fossil fuels to green energy. The country should consider making it mandatory for daily commuters in metropolitan cities to use electric vehicles (EVs) or public forms of transportation, which are environment-friendly, to minimise the usage of fossil fuels. It should also ban unauthorised growth in the city. Authorities should take necessary steps to have a green public transport system in place. At present, Delhi is the only city in India where the entire public transport system runs on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) instead of fossil fuels. Although several other cities have tried to imitate Delhi in this regard, they have not been able to make a complete transition. For instance, one will still find buses running on diesel alongside battery-operated ones on Kolkata roads. Such practices should end if we are truly sincere in contributing our might to halt rising global temperatures.
Ever since the industrial revolution increased emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, etc., have been trapping heat, and in the process, the temperature of Earth’s surface and lower atmosphere have been on the rise. A United Nations (UN) report has claimed that since the industrial revolution, the concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by 47 per cent in the atmosphere. It’s a pity that despite the alarming emission rate of greenhouse gases, the nations participating in COP28 at Dubai in 2023 failed to take on any useful measures on the use of fossil fuels.
In the absence of a consensus among the nations on this crucial aspect of global warming, India has no alternative but to minimise the effect of climate change to save its people from scorching heat and impending hunger. India may succeed in its endeavour to a great extent by switching to renewable forms of energy at the earliest. At the same time, the country should protect the environment by putting a blanket ban on cutting of trees, preventing soil erosion, and stopping unplanned construction activities. Citizens of India should not indulge in any activities that may lead to dire environmental consequences. Those in power must not fail in their duty to protect the environment; otherwise our fertile land may become barren in the coming days.