THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 01 october 2019 (At hot sea (Indian Express))

At hot sea (Indian Express)

Mains Paper 3 : Environment
Prelims level : Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Mains level : Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on climate change

Context

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) expressed, “By 2100, oceans all over the world will absorb five to seven times more heat than they have done in the past 50 years, if we do not reduce our emissions trajectory”.

Key highlights of the report

• This report warns, will lead to global sea- levels rising by at least a metre, submerging several coastal cities, including Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Surat.
• Marine heatwaves are projected to be more intense, they would last longer and occur 50 times more often.
• Sea-level rise could also lead to an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events, which occur, for example, during high tides and intense storms.

Background

• Oceans cover more than 70 per cent of the earth’s surface and provide critical ecosystem services such as soaking up heat and distributing it evenly.
• So, as the planet warms, it’s the oceans that get most of the extra energy.
• But hotter oceans also mean stronger cyclones and storms. This could mean unprecedented volatility in several coastal regions.

Threat to climatic incident happened worldwide

• In 2014, Cyclone Nilofar was the first extremely severe cyclone to be recorded in the Arabian Sea in the post-monsoon season.
• Earlier cyclones impacting the country generally originated in the Bay of Bengal and made their landfall on India’s eastern coast. Cyclone Nilofar did not make a landfall but it led to heavy rains in the country’s west coast.
• And in October last year, a higher than normal surge in sea-level due to the dual impact of Cyclone Luban and high tide swamped several beaches in Goa.
• Some of them, in fact, went completely under water for a few hours.
• Warming seas have changed cyclone behaviour in other ways as well.
• In 2017, Cyclone Ockhi, which originated in the Bay of Bengal, travelled more than 2,000 km to wreak havoc on India’s western coast — the first cyclone to do so in 30 years.

Way forward

• The IPCC report warns of more “frequent El Nino and La Nina events”.
• These events in the Pacific Ocean are critically linked to the southwest monsoons in India. In fact, a El Nino caused a severe drought in the country in 2015.
• This means that countries will not only have to upscale efforts to check GHG emissions, they will also need to ramp up investments in infrastructure and knowledge systems that help build up peoples’ resilience against extreme weather events.
• However, after the Paris Climate Treaty, progress on both counts has been patchy at best. The latest IPCC report should serve as a wake-up call.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) Which animal was known by the people of Indus Valley Civilization?
1. Horse
2. Buffalo
3. Pig
4. Elephant

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. Only 1 and 3
B. Only 1, 2 and 4
C. Only 2, 3 and 4
D. All of the Above

Answer: C
Mains Questions:
Q.1) IPCC report on oceans underlines urgency of upscaling GHG reduction targets, building resilience to climate change. Critically analyse the statement.