State set to face variable rainfall, temperature rise, water & food shortage, say scientists

Maharashtra is set to face five major climate challenges — variable intensity of rainfall, increase in temperature, rise in sea level, water scarcity and food shortage, scientists have warned following the latest climate synthesis assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

It has been predicted that the sea level along Maharashtra’s coast may increase by 1.1 m by the end of the century. “The report predicts that temperatures will continue to rise globally, Higher temperatures could lead to more heat waves, which could pose a health risk to Maharashtra. The report highlights the risk of droughts in parts of the world, and Maharashtra has already experienced water scarcity in recent years. The state relies heavily on rainfall, and any changes in precipitation patterns could have a significant impact on agriculture and the availability of water,” as per a brief prepared from the report by Indian scientists, including Dr Anjal Prakash and Prof Jayashree Roy, associated with the IPCC. Dr Prakash is the author of two of the six IPCC reports that have been published in the past eight years.

“The report also warns of an increased risk of flooding in many regions due to climate change. Maharashtra has already experienced severe flooding in recent years, and this could become more common and being a major agricultural state, changes in temperature and precipitation patterns could have significant implications for crop yields and food security,” it further stated.

Story continues below this ad

Dr Prakash said that this is the last chance for governments and administrations to act since the next scientific assessment report will only be available by 2030. “This year, we have seen Maharashtra facing heavy unseasonal rain. Over the past few years, we have also seen many instances of climate change. These clearly hints that the adversity has already begun and we have just got a window of 10-15 years to act.”

“The report clearly shows that it is theoretically possible to limit warming to 1.5°C, but the current scale, scope and pace of global action pledged under 2030 is not enough. So, we are not on track, which is very clearly mentioned in this report,” said Roy.