Climate Change

Climate change is not a new term in the scientific community. Though it is fairly new for the layman who is still figuring out its meaning and some even questioning its existence. Thousands of years of growth and industrialization led by humans on Earth, and their greed to expand themselves even at the cost of mother nature is what has led us all to almost the brink of destruction. Various factors have contributed to the alterations in the climate of the Earth and hence, have become a major constituent in climate change.

The drastic and devastating effects of climate change are usually witnessed in certain regions of the country such as Delhi, and Hyderabad. Climate Change is a highly essential segment of International Relations and UPSC GS 2. Numerous questions have been asked about the various environmental phenomena leading to climate change and updates with respect to it. You can walk through the article to gain complete knowledge of the climate change and other factors.

Climate change is the long-term change in the weather patterns of a specific geographical location. As per an estimate by WHO, climate change may be the prime reason for the death of around 250,000 people every year due to increasing pollution-related problems.

• This change in the weather patterns can either be human-induced or due to anthropogenic factors.
• All these factors collectively raise the temperature of the local environment and hence contribute to ecological imbalances in the weather conditions.
• These weather conditions, when hampered for a longer period of time, lead to a substantial change in the climate of that area; i.e., a rise in the temperature, an increased concentration of greenhouse gases, disturbed natural cycles, all of this leads to change in the climatic conditions of the geographical area.

Evidence of Climate Change

According to a research study by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), human activities have led to an increase in global temperature of about 1 ° C (0.8 ° C to 1.2 ° C) above pre-industrial levels. Following are the evidences that prove that climate change is a reality and needs to be taken into account for future policies and action:-

• A rise in the Global Temperature
• A decrease in the snow cover on Glaciers
• A reduction in Arctic Sea Ice Cover
• Warming of Ocean Waters
• The rising sea level of the Ocean
• Increase in the event of forest fires around the world
• Ocean acidification resulting in the death of marine plants and animals.
• Extreme weather events at regular intervals. Like – excessive precipitation, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, high winds, hail, thunderstorms, downbursts, tornadoes, waterspouts, tropical cyclones etc.