Revitalization of Rivers in India Draft Policy - Isha Guru Jaggi Vasudev

Revitalization of Rivers In India
Draft Policy Recommendation
much of which then off-gases as nitrous oxide from runoff and leaching. But
agriculture’s most damning contribution to climate change is the release of
carbon held in the soil, primarily from deforestation and land clearing.
PROJECTED IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
Storms that historically have occurred once in a century may come every 30 years
by the 2050s, and every 4 years in the 2080s and beyond. Because warmer air
holds more moisture, there will be not only more storms, but stronger storms.
The intensity index of storms has already doubled as ocean temperatures have
risen. Storms will also affect regions that have not previously experienced them.
For example, in South America and the Mediterranean, historically unprecedented
hurricanes have been projected. Some regions will see stronger droughts and
become drier, while others will become more humid. Rainfall is likely come in
the form of intense storms, causing flash floods and poor infiltration. “Super
El Nino” effects could bring an end to the Indian monsoon rains, which provide
critical rainfall for billions of people. The International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) Red List documents 830 organism extinctions, with 29 more extinct
in the wild and 4,735 critically endangered. Above 2 o C, there is a moderate chance
that the Amazon will dry up and become a desert, resulting in a tremendous loss
of biodiversity, stored carbon, and land inhabited by indigenous people. Heat can
result in coral bleaching, and further increase could lead to widespread mortality
of corals, resulting in loss of biodiversity. Carbon dioxide taken up by the oceans
makes the water more acid. Subsequent warming will turn it toxic to organisms
such as plankton, crabs, and shellfish. Plankton, being critical to oceanic carbon
sequestration, their loss could lead to the spread of “marine deserts” devoid of
the base of their food chain. Melting of Greenland and Antarctic ice caps can raise
sea levels significantly and flood some of the cities. The loss of steady glacial
meltwater would mean serious water shortages.
Annexures
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