Syllabus
GS Paper 3 – Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Context
Keeping tabs on carbon with an accounting system | The Hindu Editorial
What is Meant by Climate Polycrisis?
- It is used to describe a situation where there are multiple challenges affecting the world simultaneously due to the interplay between various crises related to climate change.
- The concept of ‘polycrisis’ can help us understand that we’re not dealing with isolated incidents but rather a complex web of interconnected issues.
- This wide-spectrum understanding can guide us towards more comprehensive and effective solutions.
In India, there are interconnections between seemingly different sectors such as energy, infrastructure, health, migration and food production that are being impacted by climate change.
What Causes Climate Polycrisis?
- GHG Emissions: Human activities like burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes release heat-trapping greenhouse gases.
- Unsustainable Practices: Overuse of natural resources and pollution from production processes harm the environment.
- Biodiversity Loss: Destruction of habitats and species reduces nature’s ability to provide essential services and sequester carbon.
- Population Growth: Increased energy and resource consumption due to population growth puts pressure on the environment.
- The absence of political determination and insufficient joint efforts can hinder the execution of effective strategies and actions to lower emissions, adjust to climate changes, and assist communities at risk.
Effects of Climate Polycrisis
- Extreme Weather Events: The frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as cyclones, floods, droughts, and heatwaves are increasing.
- Health Risks, especially for the most vulnerable populations. The WHO estimates that between 2030 and 2050, climate change will cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress.
- Infrastructure Damage: More frequent and severe events can cause widespread damage to infrastructure, agriculture, and human settlements.
- Economic Impact: Extreme heat and humidity may adversely affect labor hours and up to 4.5% of India’s GDP could be at risk by 2030. Reduced agricultural productivity, damage to infrastructure, and increased healthcare costs can strain the country’s economy.
- Access to Essential Services: Devastating floods and droughts can make it harder for children to access education, food, and healthcare, causing widespread displacement of populations.
- Climate Feedback Loops: Climate polycrises can trigger feedback loops, where one crisis exacerbates another. For example, wildfires can release stored carbon, contributing to further climate change.
- Political Instability: Resource scarcity, displacement, and economic hardships can contribute to political instability, conflict, and social unrest in affected regions.
- National Security: Climate-related challenges can exacerbate tensions and conflicts over resources such as water and arable land, potentially impacting national security.
- Environmental Degradation: This diminishes the Earth’s carrying capacity, including the resources available for consumption, and causes premature deaths due to toxins and pollutants.
Solutions to Climate Polycrisis
- Holistic Approach: Develop a strategy that emphasizes resilience, equity, and justice principles. This approach should consider the interconnected nature of the crisis and avoid sectoral solutions that can lead to unintended consequences.
- Carbon Infrastructure: Just as digital infrastructure enables new startups and public services, there is a need for a “carbon infrastructure” that integrates carbon considerations into policy-making at all levels, from households to nations.
- National Carbon Accounting (NCA): The idea of “National Carbon Accounting” (NCA) has been proposed as a transformative solution. NCA can help keep track of carbon emissions and sequestration at a national level, aiding in the formulation of effective climate policies.
- International Cooperation: Joint efforts between countries as well as public-private cooperation are crucial to strengthen financial stability, technology governance, economic development, and investment in research, science, education, and health.
- Climate Action: Urgent and coordinated climate action is needed to mitigate the effects of climate change.
India in Tackling Climate Polycrisis
- National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC): Launched in 2008, the NAPCC outlines a national strategy to adapt to climate change and enhance the ecological sustainability of India’s development path. It includes eight National Missions focusing on promoting understanding of climate change, adaptation and mitigation, energy efficiency, and natural resource conservation.
- National Adaptation Fund on Climate Change (NAFCC): This fund supports adaptation measures that have high replicability, reducing adverse effects of climate change on vulnerable communities.
- Climate Change Action Programme (CCAP): This programme supports capacity building, strengthening scientific and analytical capacity for climate change assessment, establishing appropriate institutional framework, and implementing climate-related actions.
- State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC): These plans outline state-level strategies to combat climate change.
- Renewable Energy Targets: India has committed to expanding its non-fossil fuel capacity to 500 GW by 2030. It also aims to fulfill 50% of its energy requirements from renewable sources by 2030.
- Carbon Intensity Reduction: India plans to reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by around 35% by 2030 from 2005 levels. It also aims to reduce total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes by 2030.
- Ujjwala Yojana: This initiative provides clean cooking fuel to poor households, reducing dependence on polluting fuels.
- Green E-Mobility: India is encouraging a shift towards electric vehicles to reduce emissions.
Source: The Hindu
Practice Question
Examine the Climate Polycrisis concept and detail a thorough plan that governments and international organizations can implement to effectively tackle this multifaceted crisis. (Answer in 250 words)