Dr.Vivak M. Arya, Tamanna Sharma
One of the world’s largest problems right now is climate change. The phrase “climate change” represents a change in long term weather patterns. It is characterised by major shifts in precipitation, temperature, snow and wind patterns over a long stretch of time. Climate change basically means a change of climate which is directly or indirectly attributed by human activity that alters the composition of global atmosphere. According to recent studies, increased human activity that affected the composition of the earth’s atmosphere caused major changes in climate at the global level. Since 1750, greenhouse gases like methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide have increased in concentration by 150%, 40%, and 20%, respectively. Fossil fuel combustion produces greenhouse gas emissions that serve as a blanket around the planet, trapping heat from the sun and increasing temperatures. This phenomenon is known as Greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide and methane are two examples of greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to climate change. Since 1975, the average global temperature has risen at a consistent pace of 0.15-0.20 °C each decade, and by 2023, that rate is predicted to climb to 1.4-5.8 °C. The urgency of the problem is very well recognized by not only the scientists and policy makers but also by the leading business magnate. Bill Gates, a multibillionaire philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft, has invested in an Australian climate technology start-up that plans to minimize the methane emissions of cow burps. He also stressed that we need to eliminate global emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050 by developing affordable renewable energy options. He further said that cooperation among all the countries from the world is required to combat climate change. The relationship between agriculture and climate change is entwined in many ways since the climate change is the primary driver of the biotic and abiotic stresses that have a negative impact on a region’s agriculture. While the agriculture industry contributes significantly to climate change through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, it also suffers greatly from the effects of a changing climate. With frequent dry spells, heat waves, and erratic rainfall, climate change is also endangering India’s agricultural development. Additionally, the cropping cycle and farm activities have been negatively impacted by the changing rainfall patterns, which take the form of delayed onset or early withdrawal. The major impacts of climate change on agriculture are as follows:
* Impact on Food security: Food security is affected by climate change in a very complex way. It reduces agricultural production both directly by disrupting the agro-ecological environment and indirectly by placing pressure on economic growth and income circulation, which in turn increases demand for agricultural products. All four components of food security-amount of food available, price of food, food quality, and stability of the food system-are predicted to suffer from the effects of climate change. Due to changes in biogeochemical cycles and global warming, fisheries have already suffered a decline in catch in several locations. The maximum catch potential is reduced by warmer waters in conjunction with overfishing. Insect pests of crops will also benefit from more favourable climatic conditions brought on by temperature instability, increasing their ability to survive in cold temperatures and then reappear in springtime outbreaks. Although some C4 plants like maize, millets etc. will benefit by high carbon dioxide concentrations but overall most of the crops will have a negative impact, thereby reducing their yield and productivity.Wheat (C3 plant) is expected to experience the most negative effects on yield, followed by sweet potatoes.In South Asia losses of many regional staples such as rice, millet and maize could top 10% by 2030. According to IPCC’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land, food prices will rise by 80% by 2050 which will likely lead to food shortages. Food shortages will affect poorer parts of the world far more than richer ones. A large part of the arable land in India is rainfed, so, the productivity of agriculture in these areas is solely dependent on rainfall and its pattern. There would be a decline in the productivity of rabi as compared to kharif season crops. Food security is incredibly important for people all around the world. Thus, the security and safety of the world’s food supply have been negatively affected by all of these problems.
Impact on livestock: The degree of heat stress depends on the ambient temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and radiation. The main effects include: abnormal gametogenesis, folliculogenesis, and ovulation; decreased male and female sexual behaviour; increased embryo and pregnancy loss; a delayed postpartum recovery period; increased calving intervals; decreased perinatal vigour; and increased perinatal mortality and morbidity, etc. Low productive-reproductive performance of animals after birth is related to the epigenetic changes in the maternal womb due to nutritional deficiency and exposure to stressors. Both male and female animals’ reproductive systems are negatively impacted by high temperatures. Males may experience temporary or permanent infertility, while females experience lower conception rates and early ageing of the egg. Animal sexual behaviour is affected by high environmental temperatures. Animals under heat stress may also lose their embryos too early. Therefore, 60% of the world’s livestock population suffer from heat stress, which results in significant economic losses.
*Impact on water supply and irrigation: Some areas rely largely on glacial meltwater flow that occurs during the hotter summer months. As a result, if glaciers continue to retreat as is now observed, the glacial ice will eventually disappear, which will decrease or completely stop runoff. Reduced runoff will make it more difficult to irrigate crops and will lessen summer stream flows that keep dams and reservoirs replenished. If the world warms by 1.5 °C, the ice mass of Asia’s high mountains would decrease by roughly 29 to 43%, which will have an impact on populations that depend on glacier and snowmelt waters for their livelihoods. These mountain water resources in the Indus River watershed support up to 60% of irrigation outside of the monsoon season and an additional 11% of crop production overall. The major rivers of Jammu and Kashmir such as Chenab and Jhelum relies heavily on Himalayan glaciers. As a result, water availability for various agricultural, hydro-electric and industrial purposes will get reduced. It will change the livelihood of millions of people as it provides about 8.6 million cubic meters of water per annum to Asian countries.Recently, SonamWangchuk, an environmentalist and innovator, has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to act quickly to safeguard Ladakh. He also reported that 25 glacial lakes and other water bodies in the Himalayas have shown a rise in water spread area since 2009. Further he said that “These glaciers will not live anymore if we continue doing such hazards to the Earth”. The Thajwas Glacier, a popular tourist destination in Kashmir’s Sonamarg, also known as the “Hidden Jewel of Kashmir,” is melting rapidly. A serious environmental problem has also been witnessed in Indo-Gangetic plains whereby different rivers (including Kosi, Ganga, Son, Indus and its tributaries) changed their course a number of times. This has resulted in devastating floods in many areas.
Conclusion: The world is alarmed by climate change because it affects agriculture and the products produced by it. Considering the catastrophic nature of global warming’s repercussions and the fact that human activity is mostly to blame for them, saving “Mother Nature” requires collective responsibility. Failure tothis can result in a variety of disastrous events that will severely jeopardise the health of both current and future generations. All industries will need to contribute to mitigation and adaptation measures in the fight against climate change. By improving the knowledge and abilities of our farmers, it will be possible for agrarian nations to raise productivity without increasing the environmental impact of agriculture. Climate change is the most difficult problem mankind is facing but collectively we have the ingenuity to solve it.
(The authors are from SKUAST- Jammu)
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