Bengal may become most vulnerable to climate change by 2050: Experts

West Bengal may top the list of vulnerable states in the country by 2050 on climate change, the way life has unfolded over the past two decades.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

Its extensive coastal areas in the Sunderbans, high population density, and position in a cyclonic belt have already made the state highly vulnerable to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns.

Kolkata's mean temperature will also go up significantly in the coming years, owing to the yearly increase in carbon emission levels. The city and southern Bengal are, as it is, prone to flooding, cyclones and rise in sea levels—all situations aggravated by poverty and dense populations, especially in the coastal districts. A study in 2021 revealed that 15 districts in the state, with an estimated population of 72 million, were extremely susceptible to the vagaries of the weather brought about by climate change.