Climate Change
9.06 Crore Indians May Go Hungry by 2030 Due To Climate Change: Study
The average temperature is predicted to rise in the range of 2.4 degree Celsius to 4.4 degree Celsius by 2100
New Delhi: Nearly 23 per cent more Indians are at risk of hunger by 2030 due to a fall in agricultural production and disruption in food supply chains, estimates a study released by the International Food Policy Research Institute. The number of Indians at risk from hunger in 2030 is expected to be 73.9 million in 2030 and, if the effects of climate change were to be factored in, it would increase to 90.6 million, it adds.
Also Read: What Is IPCC And Why Are Its Reports On Climate Change Significant?
Here Are The Main Findings Of The Report By International Food Policy Research Institute
- India’s food production could drop by 16 per cent and the number of those at risk of hunger could increase by 23 per cent by 2030 due to climate change.
- Global food production will grow by about 60 per cent by 2050. However, nearly 50 crore people would still remain at the risk of going hungry. Seven crore of these 50 crore people would not have been at risk if not for climate change.
- India’s aggregate food production – an index, by weight, of cereals, meats, fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, pulses, roots and tubers – is likely to fall from 1.627 in normal circumstances to 1.549 if climate change is factored into.
- There is likely to be a minor dip in average calories consumption by 2030 – from 2,697 kcal per capita/day in normal circumstances to 2,651 kcal per capita/day due to climate change.
- Production and demand are projected to grow more rapidly in developing countries, particularly in Africa, than in developed countries, due to projected growth in population and incomes.
- For India, this past April was the hottest in 122 years, which followed the hottest March ever recorded. The average temperature across India is projected to rise between 2.4°C and 4.4°C by 2100. Similarly, summer heatwaves are projected to triple by 2100 in India. The report predicted that the average temperature across India will rise in the range of 2.4 degree Celsius to 4.4 degree Celsius by 2100 and heatwaves during the summer are projected to triple by that year.
- Higher temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, sea-level rise, and growing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, extreme heat, and cyclones are already reducing agricultural productivity, disrupting food supply chains, and displacing communities.
- The rise in average temperature is likely to impact agricultural production. The report projects that agricultural yields may fall by 1.8 to 6.6 percent by 2041-2060 and by 7.2 to 23.6 percent by 2061-2080 due to climate change. The report suggests switching from rice to other crops in the water-scarce northwest and peninsular India to reduce greenhouse emissions. The area under rice could be reduced in the region without threatening food security,” it notes.
Also Read: Climate Change Is For Real, Here’s Why We Need To Limit Global Warming And Act Now
Johan Swinnen, Director General, IFPRI and Global Director, Systems Transformation, CGIAR says that the research shows how our food systems are inseparably linked to the unprecedented climate crisis, which threatens food security, nutrition, and health of billions of people. He said,
Food systems are not only severely impacted by climate change, requiring an urgent focus on adaption, but also play a role in causing global greenhouse gas emissions. Investing in food systems transformation is a key piece of the climate change puzzle, but recent efforts fall far short of what is urgently needed: a wide range of investments in climate-positive research, development, policies, and programs rooted in food systems.
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
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