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The pace of change in present day world
is posing a challenge to our coping capacity. Since 1950, population has doubled
and global economy has nearly quintupled. The demand for energy generation has
grown at a phenomenal rate with the food grain requirement and water use nearly
tripled. The burning of fossil fuels has increased nearly fourfold as also the
concomitant carbon emissions. With the increase of emissions, atmospheric green
house concentrations, (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, halogenated hydrocarbon
, tropospheric ozone) have continued to increase. Although the sensitivity of
climate system to green house gas concentrations is not yet well known, the evidence
suggests that there is discernible human influence on climate change. According
to an assessment, doubling of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere or
an equivalent increase of a mixture of green house gases (GHGs) can cause 1.5
to 4.5 o C rise in global temperature with likely impacts such as sea
level rise, floods and droughts. GHG
emissions are the products of complex dynamic systems dictated by socio-economic
conditions and technological change. The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) has developed various scenarios to represent the driving forces and emissions
based on available scientific knowledge and underlying uncertainties. The IPCC
has been involved in analysis of technologies and measures to reduce the GHG emissions
and to enhance the GHG sinks in various sectors including agriculture, energy,
forestry, housing, industry, transport and waste management. These options and
opportunities deserves serious considerations in our pursuits for sustainable
development even without the threat of Climate Change. This
issue of Parivesh is an attempt to provide an overview of the climate change processes
and abatement possibilities. The
Information has been compiled and collated by Shri Bharat W., Assistant Environmental
Engineer, under the guidance of Shri Lalit Kapur, Senior Environment Engineer
and Dr. B. Sengupta, Member Secretary, Central Pollution Control Board. |
