India has opportunity to develop more sustainable energy industry: IPCC report co-author

Making plans keeping in view the goal of limiting global temperature rise to under 1.5 degree Celsius gives countries such as India an opportunity to develop a more sustainable energy industry, according to an Indian co-author of the recent IPCC report.

The report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) said

India could witness deadly heat waves if the planet's temperature goes up by two degrees Celsius.

Avoiding global climate chaos will require a major transformation of society and the world economy that is "unprecedented in scale", the IPCC said.

"At +1.5C, twice as many megacities as present, such as Lagos in Nigeria and Shanghai in China, are likely to become heat stressed, potentially exposing more than 350 million more people to deadly heat stress by 2050.

 

"At +2C warming, Karachi (Pakistan) and Kolkata (India) could expect annual conditions equivalent to their deadly 2015 heatwaves (medium confidence)," the report said.

Aromar Revi, one of the authors, said India has an opportunity to develop a more sustainable energy industry and manage cities.

"For a country like India, which has yet so much to grow, planning according to under 1.5 degree Celsius is an opportunity as it presents a chance to develop a more sustainable energy industry, agriculture and manage cities," said Revi.

"People across the world, especially in India, are dealing with extreme weather events. The recent floods, increasing droughts, air pollution in the northern parts of India, these are clear signs," Revi said.

Joyashree Roy, another author of the report, said all countries have accepted the scientific findings of the report.

This report is important because these scientific assessments are going to be useful globally, as the world is already experiencing the impacts of climate change which the IPCC has been documenting for more than a decade.

The report impresses upon the need for substantial effort across all sectors.

"Reducing emissions and limiting global temperature rise to under 1.5 degree Celsius will have positive impact on sustainable developmental goals. It will help in food security, addressing poverty, reducing air pollution and preventing water scarcity," he said.