It’s ‘Code Red for Humanity’, the UN Chief said. For Donald Trump with his orange mane, it wasn’t even Code Orange, though Code Orange is no less dire warning. What’s important though is, if greenhouse gas emissions are not “drastically cut” in the next 20 years, the heat will be on the human race, the consequences so “disastrous” that natural habitats will destruct.

The global average temperature rise at present is 1.1°C. A further increase of 0.4°C degree and there will be "heat wave" events, like longer warm seasons, shorter cold seasons and faster rises in sea-level. For Bharatvarsha, it will mean an increase in the frequency and severity of hot extremes; forest fires may break out more frequently, rain could increase by 20%; monsoon precipitation will go up and there’ll be glacial lake outbursts, floods and landslides.

UN secretary-general António Guterres wants governments to take immediate steps. At least the major emitters. “You got to join the net zero emissions coalition,” he told the G20. India is part of the G20. But how much do Indians know what the Government of India is doing to tackle climate change? Zilch, zero, hardly much of any consequence. The Government of India is like we’re not on planet earth!

The common Indian, the aam aadmi, doesn’t know what are India’s credible, concrete and enhanced nationally determined contributions to fight climate change. The IPCC’s projections stand on scientific evidence and reasoning, but the Indian is a tantric and Vikram Betaal mess. The world can yet be saved if governments guarantee sustained reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases”. The goal should be to reach ‘net-zero’ emissions ASAP.

Or else, India would face frequent glacial lake bursts in the Himalayas and inundation of low-lying coastal areas. Increase in annual precipitation will cause severe rainfall events in south India. North India will see the largest temperature increase. Glaciers will melt more often. If the melting continues, there will come a point when it’ll become effectively irreversible, said the IPCC report.

At the sea level, events that used to occur once in a 100 years could happen every year, once every six to nine years by 2050. Imagine Lakshadweep completely submerged under seawater! Administrator Praful Khoda will be distant memory. The “beach floating villas” that will come up at Minicoy, Kadmat and Suley islands would disappear. Rising sea level due to global warming will gobble them up like fish algae!

Also, sea-level rise in Asia will be 3.7 mm annually in the Indian Ocean. There will be flooding in low-lying areas of India’s coastline. Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Kolkata, Surat, Visakhapatnam will all be affected. Landlocked Delhi will get warmer. Inner cities will heat up and flooding will be a fait accompli.

Reports like the IPCC are to provide global policymakers with scientific assessments of climate change to guide national and global policies. The last IPCC report was released in 2013. This one was delayed by a year due to COVID-19. It’s a conclusive report on the regional impact of climate change, extreme weather events and how they are linked with human activities.

Climate change is intensifying the water cycle, affecting rainfall patterns, seeing continued sea level rise in coastal areas, contributing to frequent and severe coastal flooding in low-lying areas, seeing extreme sea level events. More global warming and it’ll amplify permafrost thawing, loss of seasonal snow cover, melting of glaciers and ice sheets and loss of summer Arctic sea ice.

Regarding monsoons and India, in the long term, South and Southeast Asian monsoon and East Asian summer monsoon precipitation will increase. There’s also a warning: People will have to labour in longer and more frequent heat waves. There’ll be warmer nights for the winter crops, erratic monsoon rains for summer crops, destructive floods and storms.

Donald Trump is like most of us: Feel the heat, and hunt for shade. Then we doze away. The likes of Bezos and Trump and Ambani and Adani with dollops of dollars can condition the air to required textures. Cool when it’s hot, warm when it’s chilly. The catch is even Covid-19 will go away one day, but global warming and the resultant events will reverse global climate to irreversible tantrums. One day we’ll all fry or drown in global regret if we don't freeze to death before that. (IPA Service)