World Bank report named ‘South Asia’s Hotspots: The Impact of Temperature and Precipitation Changes on Living Standards’ said that, Climate change might cost India 2.8 % of GDP.The report also said that, the climate change can depress living standards of around half of India’s population by 2050.Average annual temperatures are expected to increase by 1-2 % over three decades.If no measures are taken, average temperatures in India would increase by 1.5-3 degrees.Even if preventive measures are taken in line with recommendations of Paris climate change agreement of 2015, India’s average annual temperatures would increase by 1-2 degrees celsius by 2050.As per the report, nearly half of South Asia’s population, including India, lives in the “vulnerable areas” at present. These regions will be affected by declining living standards that could be attributed to lowering agricultural yields, lower labour productivity or related health impacts. Nearly 600 million people in India currently live in locations that could become moderate or severe hotspots of climate change by 2050 under a business-as-usual scenario. States in central, northern and north-western India are the most vulnerable to changes in average temperature and precipitation.By 2050, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh would be the top two climate hotspot states. They would witness a decline of over 9 % in their living standards. They are followed by Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.7 out of the top 10 most-affected hotspot districts will belong to the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. These weather changes will lead to lower per capita consumption levels. This would further increase poverty and inequality in South Asia. To handle negative economic impact in India, the report recommends to improve educational attainment, reducing water stress, and improving job opportunities in non-agricultural sectors.It also predicts that a 30 % improvement on these measures could reduce the decline in living standards by nearly 1 % from 2.8 % to 1.9 %.
TechDzone 