Extreme weather: drawbacks of climate crisis and positive actions humanity must take

The major issue people are dealing with worldwide is climate change due to which these uncertain Extreme weather conditions are caused and affects millions of people. Talking about climate change is nothing new but still as a human we have failed to protect and conserve our environment which raised us . These weather conditions are generally very intense or abnormal weather events happening around us. These conditions hamper our ecological balance and also our flora and fauna , sometimes it also destroys the agricultural fields which leads to severe issues such as food shortage and inflation .

For instance , a country like India where heatwaves are quite normal but due to climate change leading to extreme weather conditions results in record breaking heat causing water shortages , heat strokes and the heat waves itself are strong , frequent and intense .  Cities like Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh are some primary examples of this phenomenon .

As climate change starts to grow rapidly around the world, we humans should start taking initiatives to slow down this process and protect our environment from these drastic changes . This is our collective responsibility to come up and start sustaining our environment . The resources , Natural energies and many more are also vastly affected due to this climate crisis and hamper our growth as well .

Causes of Extreme weather

The major cause of these weather conditions appears to be climate change .This is the cause of current drastic environment issues happening around . The first cause turns out to be The greenhouse effect . Where the gases like carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O) trap in the heat thus causing intense and unpredictable weather conditions. Another reason is Deforestation which is cutting down excess trees and forest lands for industrial or any other needs . This reason is itself the most harmful reason as the carbon levels increase and reduce rainfall .

These reasons itself destroys the ecological balance and causes droughts, floods, and rising temperatures. Apart from these reasons , issues like urbanization , natural climate variations and air and industrial pollution also contribute to these drastic changes in the weather conditions . For instance like rapid urbanization leads to urban heat islands and loss of green spaces results in high temperatures .

Impacts of these extreme Weather

As earlier mentioned these weather conditions heavily impact an individual’s life as well as its surroundings . Firstly , human life itself has to face major negative consequences such as due to the frequent and intense heatwaves in countries like Italy , Spain , Pakistan and many more records hundreds to thousands of deaths yearly due to these disastrous heatwaves .

Also due to these weather condition one has to face respiratory problems due to poor air quality as seen in recent times in India itself where many cities in the country were facing higher AQIs due to the worsened air quality and the pollution in it .

Not only humans are impacted but the agricultural and vegetation fields too are . As mentioned these conditions cause irregular rainfalls due to which the crops are damaged or do not get sufficient water to grow . These issues often lead to droughts which degrade the land quality and reduce crop yields increasing farmer distress. Results like floods destroy the crops over all which leads to food shortages and rising food prices.

The impact does not stop here but further raises consequences for the economy , coastal areas and social impacts . The economy itself gets burdened as often every time a huge natural disaster strikes it takes millions to restore the damages and further continue the development. damages to infrastructure and loss of jobs in agriculture and fisheries business resulting in poor economy.

The social impacts consist of increase in poverty and inequality and also climate induced migration which over-populates any region which can cause fights over land and water resources .

Initiatives taken by humanity

global initiatives for climate change solutions

Here is a list of Global initiatives taken by the UN itself

• Paris Agreement (2015)
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
• Green Climate Fund (GCF)
• COP Conferences (Conference of Parties)

Here are some of the recent global initiatives taken world wide to deal with the Extreme weather conditions in the world . Firstly the Paris agreement talks about Countries agreeing to limit global warming to well below 2°C, aiming for 1.5°C. Also Each country submitting its own climate targets called Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

Secondly the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the main international treaty on climate change, adopted in 1992. It gives the issue a global platform to discuss and debate the issue as well as the causes. Thirdly the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) talks about sustaining the resources for the future generations .

The green climate fund (GCF) provides financial help to developing countries. Also promotes clean energy, climate-resilient infrastructure, and adaptation projects . Lastly COP Conferences (Conference of Parties) meetings are held every year under the UNFCCC. For the environment causes and helps it create a platform for every country to keep its opinions globally.

National Initiatives for climate change effects

Here is a list of National Initiatives taken by the government of India

• Renewable Energy Promotion
• National Climate Action Plans
• Heat Action Plans (HAPs)
• Afforestation & Reforestation Programs
• Energy Efficiency Programs

This talks about the initiatives taken by the Government of India for these Extreme weather conditions such as promotion of solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal energy adoption for the country which is renewable and the country can meet its sustainable goals . secondly the National Climate Action Plans where India submits Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to reduce emissions.

Thirdly the Heat Action Plans (HAPs) which is a system for Early warning systems for heatwaves which creates awareness for the citizens . fourthly Afforestation & Reforestation Programs for increasing the number of forest covered land in sub total land . The main motive is to Large-scale tree plantation drives to absorb CO₂. Lastly Energy Efficiency Programs some major works done under these programs are considered LED lighting, energy-efficient buildings, green construction.

Conclusion

As we grow rapidly in population, issues like climate change or the Extreme weather conditions also grow rapidly with us . Today globally and Nationally we have taken initiatives for creating protected and conserved programs for our environment . But at the end it rests upon us to take responsibility as an individual to stop this exploitation and perform our civic duties as to create a pollution free environment.

At the end issues like Extreme weather conditions can only be dealt with when working in accordance with the government and realizing its own mistakes and responsibilities .