Editorial

Climate is Changing

Climate across the globe is changing, and changing fast for the worse.

Sentinel Digital Desk

Climate across the globe is changing, and changing fast for the worse. To effectively inform people about climate change, use a combination of scientific facts, relatable stories, and actionable solutions, highlighting both the risks and potential benefits of climate action, while emphasizing that everyone can contribute to positive change. Recent climate change trends show a clear and concerning pattern of rising global temperatures. Reports have confirmed that 2024 was the warmest year ever on record, with average temperature exceeding 1.5°C above the pre-industrial levels. What is more alarming is that the global increase in temperature is also accompanied by more frequent and intense extreme weather events, including heat-waves, droughts, storms and heavy and intensive rains. In March 2025, recent trends indicate a continuation of global warming, with record-breaking temperatures, rising sea levels, and melting glaciers. Ice is melting in the Himalayas and other mountains, as also in the Arctic and Antarctic regions at a pace which was never recorded before, with the United Nations saying that glaciers, which were once deemed 'eternal' are disappearing at an alarming rate. Reports quoting UN officials said that the last five or six years have witnessed the most rapid glacier retreat, with 2022-2024 witnessing the largest three-year loss of glacier mass in recorded history. Climate change has also made a visible impact in the North-eastern region, with erratic rainfall patterns leading to floods as well as droughts, and increasing temperatures, affecting agriculture, livelihoods, and ecosystems. The worst hit is the tea industry, which is heavily dependent on a uniform rainfall pattern which is fast becoming erratic every passing year. Authentic reports have also confirmed that average annual temperatures have increased in the region, with some states like Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Tripura recording a rise of 0.1-1.0°C per decade. In such a scenario, it is very important for the government to keep informing the citizens with authentic information about climate change and its likely impact on the lives of the people. It is also the responsibility of the concerned government agency, in this case the State Disaster Management Authority, to make the best use of all available media channels including the radio and the social media, so that people are provided up-to-date information. Equally important is the need to address behavioural issues vis-à-vis climate change, and motivating the citizens to be proactive stakeholders in the campaign against climate change issues.