Delhi’s Average Temperature Spikes 1 Degree, Kolkata 1.2 Degrees

Catastrophic warning

New Delhi: The average temperature in the national capital increased by one degree Celsius, by 0.7 degree in Mumbai, 0.6 degree in Chennai and 1.2 degrees in Kolkata in over a century-and-a-half. These startling revelations by Britain-based CarbonBrief came when all eyes are on South Korea as scientists discuss stricter cuts on emissions. Its newly-developed web app calculates the average rise in your city and regional temperature since 1871.

The application comes in handy to understand the impact of increase in global temperatures caused by climate change. Heat stress is likely to become increasingly frequent and more intense with increased warming.

Climate experts say such analysis assumes significance when representatives of the 195 member-governments and authors are working long hours to approve the “life changing” report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scheduled to be published on October 8.

It’s believed to be the largest peer-review exercise in the world, as has been noted by an IPCC spokesperson.

Scientists and experts have been in meeting all through the week in Incheon city in South Korea to agree to the report that will offer pathways of keeping the world temperature at 1.5 degrees of warming.

The recommendations could offer scientific guidance to policymakers on how to reduce emissions from sectors like electricity, transport, buildings and agriculture to not exceed global temperature rise of more than 1.5 degrees from pre-industrial levels.

Climate change has already caused global temperatures to rise one degree on an average from pre-industrial levels.

The IPCC report is expected to demonstrate that the cost of action to limit global warming is far less than the massive cost of inaction the world will have to bear in future once runaway climate change sets in. “India is very vulnerable to the impact of climate change with over 7,000 km of coastline and a huge reliance on our Himalayan glaciers and monsoon rains for the livelihood and well-being of our people,” New-Delhi based The Energy Research Institute Director General Ajay Mathur told IANS.

“Supporting and implementing comprehensive and urgent climate action that is required to be taken by all stakeholders to limit temperature rise to well below two degrees Celsius is the need of the hour,” he said.

According to a report released by Britain-based Christian Aid, coastal cities like London, Houston, Jakarta and Shanghai are set to become extremely vulnerable to storm surges and flooding. The rise in sea-level is expected to exceed 40 cm if global warming is not limited to 1.5 degree Celsius. (IANS)