It's time to adapt

Global temperature rise is here to stay.

- Chandni Raina & Neha Singh

According to the sixth IPCC Assessment Report, global surface temperature reached 1.1°C above 1850-1900 during 2011-2020. A recent G20 Report of the Group of Experts highlighted that global temperature breached the 1.5°C mark in 2023, and under business as usual, warming is projected to exceed 3°C.

Such increased global temperatures will exacerbate the frequency and severity of climate change impacts and the consequent losses. Even at present, according to the IPCC assessment, there have been widespread adverse impacts, disproportionately impacting developing countries. Even so, developed countries are falling short of their own Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by about 38 per cent, impacting the pace of emission reduction (Economic Survey 2024-25). Combined with the mushrooming of energy-intensive data centres and climate policies of developed countries, the global prospects of limiting, let alone reversing, climate change are dim.

India is inherently vulnerable to climate change due to its unique geography and diverse agro-climatic conditions. Higher global temperatures will lead to higher prospects of climate change impacts, such as increased weather extremes, biodiversity loss, sea-level rise, and water insecurity.