Erick Burgueño Salas
Research expert covering climate change and the water industry
Climate change in India - statistics & facts
There is no denying that the effects of climate change on our planet are getting more present year by year, and India – the world’s most populated country – is being strongly impacted by this crisis. A harder to predict monsoon season, droughts, flooding, and extreme temperatures are among the consequences that Indians are experiencing and will have to endure in the coming decades. Although India is performing well in the fight against climate, more will have to be done to protect the country from the imminent changes.
Climate change, combined with other meteorological phenomena like El Niño, is modifying the delicate monsoon pattern and bringing a harder to forecast rainy season. This causes both extended periods of no precipitation and sudden abnormal episodes of torrential rain, resulting in drought in some areas and flooding in others. For instance, the 2023 monsoon season experienced significant fluctuations, reporting a general rain deficiency across the country. The East and North-East regions were the most affected, with almost 20 percent less rain than the average. During the same year, India declared a drought emergency in August, aligning with the most under-performing month of the monsoon. The dry conditions do not show signs of offering a truce: as of February 2024, around a quarter of India's territory was affected by at least a moderate drought, more than double the land that was affected in the same month the previous year.
Despite such advancements, India’s economy still depends significantly on coal-generated electricity. Modi's government has stated that India is committed to meeting its population’s energy needs, and that the country will rely on coal power until the objective of a developed India is achieved. Nevertheless, the South-Asian nation has set targets to reduce its emissions intensity by 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and to reach carbon neutrality by 2070. According to experts, however, this pledge will not be enough to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The monsoon is changing
One of the most, if not the most important meteorological event in India is the monsoon season. Every year, the summer monsoon irrigates fields and fills aquifers, driving India's economy – which depends, in big part, on activities that need a predictable amount of rainfall, like agriculture.Climate change, combined with other meteorological phenomena like El Niño, is modifying the delicate monsoon pattern and bringing a harder to forecast rainy season. This causes both extended periods of no precipitation and sudden abnormal episodes of torrential rain, resulting in drought in some areas and flooding in others. For instance, the 2023 monsoon season experienced significant fluctuations, reporting a general rain deficiency across the country. The East and North-East regions were the most affected, with almost 20 percent less rain than the average. During the same year, India declared a drought emergency in August, aligning with the most under-performing month of the monsoon. The dry conditions do not show signs of offering a truce: as of February 2024, around a quarter of India's territory was affected by at least a moderate drought, more than double the land that was affected in the same month the previous year.
On the good path but still not enough
As the third biggest greenhouse gas emitter in the world, India has a big task ahead, to not only protect its citizens from the effects of climate change but also to transition as fast as possible to a carbon-neutral economy. Actions are already being taken toward this goal, including a minimum renewable purchase obligation from power companies to increase to 43 percent by 2030. India is already one of the largest renewable energy producers in the world.Despite such advancements, India’s economy still depends significantly on coal-generated electricity. Modi's government has stated that India is committed to meeting its population’s energy needs, and that the country will rely on coal power until the objective of a developed India is achieved. Nevertheless, the South-Asian nation has set targets to reduce its emissions intensity by 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and to reach carbon neutrality by 2070. According to experts, however, this pledge will not be enough to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
