How Global Warming will affect India
We keep reading about rising temperatures and sea-levels in other parts of the world like United States and the UK, but actually India is one of the most vulnerable countries when it comes to effects of global warming. India has a vast coastal line and the rising sea levels caused by global warming will cause an ecological disaster. This is according to a 1989 United Nations Environment Programme study.
As this article explains:
“In India, the signs already back up forecasts that as the mercury rises the
Indian subcontinent, home to one-sixth of humanity, will be one of the worst-affected regions.”
Bengal will suffer
The Himalayan glaciers have started to melt and the average rate of retreat is almost twice (34 metres) per year as compared to the 1971 levels of 19 metres. The melting glaciers will cause temperatures and sea-levels to rise and there will be a cascading effect on the crops and the monsoons. Worse – whole islands are expected to vanish! In fact two have already gone under – two islands in the Sunderbans, an area which India shares with Bangladesh. Temperatures in the group of islands has already gone up by one degree centigrade. You can get the details here. A quote:
“Rising sea levels have submerged two islands in the Sunderbans, where tigers roam through mangrove forests in the Ganges River delta, and a dozen more islands are under threat…official records list 102 islands on the Indian side of the vast Sunderbans…but scientists found that two have been swallowed up.”
And this msn site talks about a six year study which has reported that 10,000 people have already been displaced.
Rising sea-levels will be a disaster
While some climatologists say that sea levels will increase by just 4-35 inches from 1990 levels in another hundred years…some feel that the range could be higher – 20-55 inches. Thats a lot and will affect human habitat in a big way.
In fact, as far back as 1993 a study to evaluate the impact of rising sea levels on India was carried out by JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University). They calculated what would happen if the sea-levels rose by just 1 metre…and they found that as many as 7 million people would be displaced and 5,764 sq km of land and 4,200 km of roads would be lost!
Orissa will suffer too
Orissa is another state which is already being hit hard by global warming. Whole villages in the coastal regions are disappearing. As this article explains:
“As village after village in Orissa’s coastal Kendrapara district vanishes into the Bay of Bengal, one thing is clear: sea levels are rising …the state’s geographical location at the head of the Bay of Bengal, with a landlocked sea and a deltaic plain, makes the state extremely vulnerable to rises in sea level caused by global warming.”
In September 2002, scientists at the National Centre for Agricultural Economics and Policy Research conducted a people’s perception survey on climate-induced natural disasters in the Kendrapara district of Orissa. The results showed that the frequency and intensity of droughts have increased and so have the incidents of flooding. Also, the intensity of cyclones has increased and people believed that the sea-water had become warmer.
These poor villagers do not know why this is happening but climatologists know why. Global Warming. Ironically these poor villages hardly contribute to global warming…they hardly emit any greenhouse gases. There is an interesting chart at this site and it shows that the countries which contribute the maximum to global warming per capita are Australia, Canada and the United States.
Why is the east coast of India being affected more?
This is because the Bay of Bengal is landlocked from three sides and there is a huge delta of the rivers Brahmaputra and the Ganga. These rivers will carry the water from the melting Himalayan snows. However this does not mean that the western coastal regions are immune…just that the eastern coast is more vulnerable at this stage.
So what are these green house gases which are causing the snows to melt?
According to the Wiki greenhouse gases are “include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozonecomponents of the atmosphere that contribute to the greenhouse effect. Some greenhouse gases occur naturally in the atmosphere, while others result from human activities. You can more about the Greenhouse effect here.
Update, October 2009: The recent floods in Andhra are said to have taken place due to global warming. More about the danger from floods in India in this TIME article.
(Picture sourced from msn)
Related Reading: Buying cheap adds to global warming
How will India manage Global Warming?
Using dryers adds to global warming
A wide angle view of India 
A Canadian newspaper just did a great article about the scientists who are speaking against the global-warming statements issued by the UN. Since the topic of Global Warming interests you, you’ll probably find these newspaper articles quite revealing.
Simply wonderful ! Most informative ! !
The Department of Environment and Water Resources in Australia have released a campaign on “The home guide to reducing energy costs and greenhouse gases” found greenhouse gases
Its all about what we, as individuals, can do to help the environment.
This is useful information Nita, to consider the implications of land-loss in the Bengal area, and then extrapolate from this to try and understand how such things occurring can also impact on us closer to home. I think too often we tend to “see” information on anticipated catastrophes, or even actual ones as something that happens to others “way over there”. Closer to home, where I live, the Fraser river delta is comprised of several small islands, which have been gradually urbanized during the past 40 years. This has always been prime agricultural land for growing a variety of vegetables, and this land has disappeared under urban construction. The sedimentary margins of the Fraser river for 100miles is prime food growing area in BC, Canada. With the anticipated rise in sea levels, much of this land will disappear under water, and with it most necessary arable land that provides food for us here – and not all of it, as much of our food is imported from the US, Mexico,etc right now as it is. The pressure to move large populations from inundated areas will give rise to civl unrest in those locales where newcomers place added pressure on already burdened populations. This will happen in India and also here in Canada.
This is a tough fact to wrap one’s imagination around.
As these changes are ocurring very slowly people tend to be complacent. But if one looks at it in the span of a hundred years, the changes are quite dramatic. In India specially people live such a hard life that villagers take these things in their stride. However with growing populations, this may not happen in the future.
I think one of these days we are going to have to follow a stringent set of rules and there will be laws against doing certain things that we take for granted now. Its like you smoked all your life and now you have say heart disease…so restrict your life!
I wonder what kind of a world we are leaving for our grandchildren.
Watch subject. Bush goes ballistic about other countries being evil and dangerous, because they have weapons of mass destruction. But, he insists on building up even a more deadly supply of nuclear arms right here in the US. What do you think? How does that work in a democracy again? How does being more threatening make us more likeable?Isn’t t
he country with the most weapons the biggest threat to the rest of the world? When one country is the biggest threat to the rest of the world, isn’t that likely to be the most hated country?
What happened to us, people? When did we become such lemmings?
The more people that the government puts in jails, the safer we are told to think we are. The real terrorists are wherever they are, but they aren’t living in a country with bars on the windows. We are.
it is very good article and contains a large scale information. global warming is very dangerous to all countries. it effects very much india.
well i am not taking about all countries but global warming it’s gona effects more too indai
I watched a show on Global warming just an hour ago and have been really moved by what the world is moving towards…
What I think is really sad, is that the developed countries like US and Canada being the TOP MOST producers of Green House Gases will still have some or the other way to fight with the issue for some time while the developing and the underdeveloped countries like India, Bangladesh, and other Asian countries and Most African countries which have ALMOST NO contribution towards the Green House Gas emmission would be the MOST AFFECTED!!!
Moreover, every year more than 5000 species of plants and animals are going extinct. Scientists say that the rate of extinction now is 1000 times more than ever experienced in the History of Earth! I wish the people of the world wake up from this sleep of ignorance and negligence and work towards saving OUR tomorrow…It’s OURS not any body else’s world we’re trying to save! Please save the Earth and it’s billions of species of plants, animals and lastly, us humans!
To prove what I just said about the figures of CO2 emissions from countries like US, Canada, India and most African countries, I’d like to present the graph showing the exact figures. Please find the detailed information on the folowing links:
wiki article
and
globalis.gvu.edu
@Nipun Kalra:
Hi Nipun, welcome.
And thanks for that additional information. 🙂
It’s a shame what happened to Bangladesh. I hope the world steps up and helps them.
Hi all,
I am really schoked when i hear a word Global warming. I guess in 2100 the entire world may become disapppear because of the water level getting raised. Can anyone knows about latest news about global warmimg please mail me.
Thanks and regards,
Ramprakash
we are going to do some thing for globalwarming if u want to join with us kindly reply
we are going to do some thing for globalwarming if u want to join with us kindly reply
kanaiyalalkatira(at)rediffmail.com
fine, i read your msg. its the good steps to forward the stop the globel warming.
I also intrest joint with u.
can u plz mail me the details abt wht u guys r doing 2 stop gw …am really intrested 2 join u guys
please tell what v can for stop the global warming….
just try to save tree , plant to make continue their food chain
Thanks
i want to join you you are such a nice man
Keep on working Dude m always with u….
Ramprakash:
I guess you are looking out for property located safely above the high water level projected for 2100. Since you have not left your e-mail ID, I’m making a public offer, which is good in a way, because I can sell to the highest bidder.
I am selling a 100-hectare orchard in very scenic surroundings in Uttarakhand. This is at present approachable by an all-weather road, and by 2100 it will stand on the shore of a giant lake that is expected to form — a freshwater inlet from the Indian ocean — which will be capable of handling the traffic of amphibious aircraft.
At present we grow apples, strawberries, cardamom, chilgoza and avocados. Over the next 75 years we plan to gradually switch over to mango, jackfruit and sapota, besides planting 50 hectares with high-yielding, premium, genetically modified Basmati.
I am open to bids starting at Rs. 1,00,00,00,00,000.
For all those interested, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity 🙂 🙂 🙂
hey Vivek Khadpekar well i want too buy so what is your nest step?
Hi,
After watching movie “Inconvenient truth”, I shocked that my state Andhra Pradesh (India) got maximum temprature in 2005. I want to work to prevent the Global Warming, that total world is effected. If, you have any news about this send me in detail. I want to attend the seminars also.
hi guys, i am very keen to know everything possible about global warming, and i would like to help in every possible way, start an ngo, educate people, approch govt institutions,file pils in courts, guys lets do our little bit to save our mother earth, wake up, lets do just do.
Hi,
I have done study on the topic global warming and still lot of search I am doing. In India Calcutta will be under water due to the effect of global warming. And on earth 1.2 billion or more human beings may lose their life in next 50 years to Global Warming. One thing which is very painful to know that the cause of global warming is created by all of us. Now if we don’t take any step to save the earth then our next generation is going to put finger on all of us. Today, I am appealing to all readers to save the earth and to reduce the CO2 level, Say no to crackers on this diwali 2008. This Deewali I have decided not to play with crackers to save our earth.
Will you support me…..???
Vaibhav Pandey
Save the earth!! Actually you should have said “save humanity from the wrath of the earth”. Earth is safe, earth has shrugged of hot and ice ages several times before and has emerged unscathed. It is we who are not safe.
ya.i wil support u….”No crackers for this Diwali”
its really shocking n sad each time I hear/read about global warming, n the worst fact is that it is caused due to our activities…i really want to help in whatever way I can…its useless publishing stuff in the newspaper,magazing, or whatever media, as no one really follows the steps that are required right now!!! I am a student,15, and I have tried in ways that i have learnt in my school and I am sure many of us would be doing that, but still, there are a lot of reasons and factors due to which people can’t help, like those uneducated persons and some people feel too lazy to help.
We need to stand up now, or else it would be too late!!!
Lets do something NOW to support our mother earth!!
hello, I HAVE READ YOUR ARTICLE ON NET, I AM GOING TO START ONE PROJECT IN WHICH WE ARE PLANNING TO EDUCATE PEOPLE FOR ONE PERSON ONE TREE.SHORTLY WE ARE LAUNCHING WEBSITE ALSO. IF YOU WANT TO JOIN WITH US PL. MAIL ME ON KANAIYALALKATIRA@REDIFFMAIL.COM
global warming freaks me out how they show all of those pics of the. poor polar bears. at school we are learning about global warming and kids have been crying it is really freaky. will we hav a world to live in 50 yrs time.
Hi all,
We all need to consciously make all efforts we can think of to prevent global warming, and thus save the earth. May be we doing something for the same cause without knowing but we need to do more, we need to make ppl aware of the danger. For that the best place to start is our schools, Juhi, thanks to your school that they are showing u the way.
1st n foremost thing in this direction is to SAVE ENERGY, in whatever way we use it. As u all know that this comes mostly at the cost of burning fossil fuels which chreates the most greenhouse gasses. Switch off the electrical appliances if u r not using, use energy saver light like CFL lamps, more efficient LED lapms has also arrived, optimize use of the cooking gas, use public transport as much as possible (avoid using ur car which carries mostly only u burning the same fuel that can carry 20 ppl in a bus/train) ….. likewise think of as many ways as u can, and follow them. If u all remeber there was time when govt took mass initiative againt illiteracy, now there is mass initiative againt polio, similarly we need to create mass movement against “Global Warming”. Lets start it today,else we will be at a point of no U turn soon.
regards
Another example that shows how ignorant we Indians are and how blindly we believe the theories put forward by the west!!!!!!!!.
Just look at all the data’s given by the pro global warming theory people. They show just the recent data i.e. from the ending of last ice age. No data is ever given prior to it. Google for a longer data of global temperature and you will see that the global temperature keeps rising and falling. It is cyclic.
So tomorrow even if we stop driving all the cars, close all the industries and stop buring all the fuels…..still the global temperature will rise. The current activities carried out by human have a minor effect on global warming.
By the way i still believe in conservation of natural resources…….
@varaaroho
you think human activities have no hand at all??!! Maybe the temperature is rising of its own accord but human activities are aggravating it. Yes it is cyclic but it should not have happened for a long time to come. Even species become extinct. But in their own time. Human activities have increased the rate of extinction. I think you are wrong.
i want to work for global warming kindly guide
i am a student from uttarakhand and want to somehow spread the awareness regarding global warming and want to contribute in saving ours planet.
I’m a student from bca &my thinking about Global Warming
Global Warming
———————
All these facts lead scientists to infer that the global warming we now experience is not a natural occurrence and that it is not brought on by natural causes. Global Warming is defined as the increase of the average temperature on Earth. As the Earth is getting hotter, disasters like hurricanes, droughts and floods are getting more frequent
All these facts lead scientists to infer that the global warming we now experience is not a natural occurrence and that it is not brought on by natural causes.
“An increasing body of observations givesa collective picture of a warming worldand other changes in the climate system.”
Successes
Recent successes in Global warming is well underway and will have wide-ranging consequences for our health and well-being. The primary cause of global warming is from human activity, most significantly burning of fossil fuels to drive cars, generate electricity, and operate our homes and businesses. Clearing tropical forests contributes to about 20 percent of global warming emissions.
When too much global warming pollution is released into the air, it acts like a blanket, trapping heat in our atmosphere and altering weather patterns globally and here in the U.S. We need to deeply reduce the heat-trapping emissions causing this effect if we are to address global warming
By choosing to invest in clean and efficient energy technologies, industries, and approaches, we can greatly reduce the consequences of our changing climate. We have ample technology and ingenuity to reduce the threat of global warming today. By ramping up our use of renewable energy and energy efficiency, and increasing the efficiency of the cars we drive, we can take essential steps toward reducing our global warming pollution, and in the process transform our energy system to one that is cleaner and less dependent on oil and other fossil fuels.
Since the Global Warming
Early Warning Signs map was originally released in November 1999, the picture of how global warming can affect us has become increasingly clear. By now it is very apparent that a warming climate could have substantial and direct impacts on the health of our ecosystems, food and water sources, and on humans, especially children and the elderly. It is well understood that these impacts will occur around the globe and will disproportionately affect the poorest members of our global community.
i read your articles i think it will good to work my project
thnx
global warming is a great threat for INDIA.it is a big challenge too.we have to put our hands together to fight against it……..
we can able to stop the sea level of increasing yes it is true i will going to try & i make it to prove
respected ma’m/sir,
one of mine friend(SAGAR CHOPDE) is going to make an GLOBAL WARMING awareness program by riding bicycle all over india.He does require SPONCERS and proper guidance as he’s from Rural Area.Please help him.His cell no. is 09579611375. or mail me on sachinkbobade(at)gmail.com.
Hope you will help him heart and soul,
Thanking you,
your’s faithfully,
sachin k bobade.
I HAVE STARTES A MISSION AGAINST GLOBAL WARMING AND SIMILAR ISSUES. WE CAN VERY WELL COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE PRESENT URBAN LIFESTYLE IS NOT ONLY DETRIMENTAL TO THE EARTH BUT IS ALSO AFFECTING US IN MANY WAYS. I HAVE STARTED A SELFSUSTAINABLE COMMUNE NEAR PUNE CITY WHERE WE LIVE IN SUSTAINABLE FASHION. THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THE FIGHT AGAINST URBAN LIFESTYLE ARE WELCOME TO EXCHANGE THEIR IDEAS ON MY EMAIL.
i have a project on global warming and learnt a lot from t and i’ll make sure that i do my part in stopping global warming
Hi! I read all the blogs described above..It let me to conclude that still we hv more chances to save our one and only planet earth. It’s very sad to hear that our indian coastal areas are under submerged condition. Under this critical situation we must work hard to take action to reduce G/W.. Nw i take some decision to take part in G/W avoidance 1.Sent sms about ‘effect of g/w and hw to avoid it’ to all frnds and induce them to spread awarness in their surroundings 2. Xplain about global warming to relations and they can xplain to others.. 3. Illiterate people must realize to avoid fossil fuels.
Also govt should give awarnesss pgm in tv,radio about Where’s our earth going on due to G/W and process need to reduce greenhouse effect.
Industries looking for Their profit only. They must take care of our great india. So they reduce co2 emission
my frnds from this seconds i join hand with u to save our india and our earth..Plz contact me at n.ssaravanan at yahoo.com
saravanan(tamil nadu)
how can we stop global warming
Global Warming is still an open debate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_scientists_opposing_the_mainstream_scientific_assessment_of_global_warming
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/magazine/29Dyson-t.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8387737.stm
thanks
Is anybody measured the altitude of south India compared to the himalayan mount. If you do it. You got a shock news of it…
we need support from all of you to deliver better cause for earth and leaving things on earth. as we beleive knowledge is to share
simple…but very knowledgable…
i had one seminar abt global warming …it helped a lot…
thanks..nita
thanx and it will be great addition to my project
hi
frnds i am in kerala. i am a member of chinmaya yuva kendra. we r planing to do something about this.any one can join as
hello
friends i will like to know about global waming if you got any information pls let me know me email add. MKP198624@YAHOO.COM
Thanking you,
your’s faithfully
this site is awesome…….it helped me a lot in my project..#$*#thanxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
We need to adopt innovative approaches
control our population, even a birth rate as low as 1 child /woman is ok.
what about India buying swathes of land in Siberia
This site helps me a lot to do my project work
i m very thanking to this site
make sure that i do my part in stopping global warming
The effects of global warming on the Indian subcontinent vary from the submergence of low-lying islands and coastal lands to the melting of glaciers in the Indian Himalayas, threatening the volumetric flow rate of many of the most important rivers of India and South Asia. In India, such effects are projected to impact millions of lives. As a result of ongoing climate change, the climate of India has become increasingly volatile over the past several decades; this trend is expected to continue……unless Indian government takes any necessary action and Indian people will have to pay for that one day ……..
Still v can save our earth….
Plant tress as much u can..
Try to avoid plastic bags.
Try to use public transport (reduce pollution)
Create awarness, still majority of peoples don’t even know wht is global warming?
Friends,
PLZ PLZ save our motherland.
I have started…
thnx for this info nita
love u
india is most jealousy country compare than overall world but village peoples in india they dont know awareness about GW even our politician. main thing is our politician should have awareness about GW.they r first reason for developing the GW in our country. may be after 50 years no one can alive in this world due to GLOBAL WORMING. HUMAN BEING IS CREATED BY GLOBE BUT NOW A DAYS GLOBE IS DESTROYEDING BY HUMAN BEINGt know awareness about GW even our politician. main thing is our politician should have awareness about GW.they r first reason for developing the GW in our country. may be after 50 years no one can alive in this world due to GLOBAL WORMING. HUMAN BEING IS CREATED BY GLOBE BUT NOW A DAYS GLOBE IS DESTROYEDING BY HUMAN BEING
i was alway most concern about global warning n this article has help me to inspire my friends also! thaxxxxxxx google
Happy to hear
With the current winter having been unusually severe in almost the whole of the northern hemisphere, we perhaps need to start discussing global cooling 🙂
Nice to see you here Vivek, and its always good to hear from old readers! The blog is still on hibernation though, and I keep all comments on moderation. Apologies for that. However my other two blogs are active. My main work however remains journalism.
@Nita: Given the longer and colder winter, “hibernation” seems indeed the appropriate course to adopt 🙂
global warming is occur because of human beings
good article…..