The figures tell a few disturbing stories in ‘State of India’s Environment: In Figures’, a report published by the Center for Science and Environment. Two-thirds of India’s rivers are polluted by heavy metals.Climate change is accelerating inland migration, even increasing human trafficking.In all its declarations on climate promises and pledges, India is not targeted 15 of the 17 government programs (such as achieving 175 gigawatts of renewable energy) that have a deadline this year.
Here are 39 other tracts that report on various aspects of the world’s environment. Researchers at CSE collected data from government departments, surveys, reports and websites, as well as other international reports. The team also adds this data on its own.
Lists some of the key features taken from the report:
1. Our coastline is eroding: More than a third of India’s coastline (~ 6,907 km) experienced some coastal erosion or otherwise, between 1990 and 2018. West Bengal is the worst hit, with more than 60% of its erosion-prone beaches.
2. The temperature will get worse: This year has been the hottest March of 120 years. Temperatures are rising sharply, and we are seeing more days of heat waves this year.
3. Contamination of heavy metals:Based on data from the Central Water Commission (from 764 river level monitoring stations in 28 provinces) between 2018 and 2020, the report found that three of the four river monitoring stations in India have alarming levels of heavy toxic metals.
These include lead, iron, nickel, cadmium, arsenic, chromium and copper. In one-quarter of the monitoring stations (across 117 rivers and canals), high levels of two or more toxic metals have been reported. The Ganga also has no heavy weapons. Of the 33 monitoring stations along the Ganga, 10 had high levels of pollution (indicating high levels of lead, iron, nickel, cadmium and arsenic in the river).
4. Climate change and disasters:Climate change is moving people away from more places than conflicts and violence, the report said. Climate disasters have caused about 76% of the global migration seen by the world by 2020. India is the fourth largest affected by the disaster, after China, the Philippines and Bangladesh. The effects of climate change also increase the incidence of migration, making people more vulnerable to trafficking (as smugglers target vulnerable areas such as women and children), the report found.
5. Inflation:The average Indian diet already includes fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and grains, the report found. To make matters worse, inflation based on consumer prices in India in April 2022 rose to an eight-year high of 7.79% due to rising fuel and fuel prices.
6. Our weather action is not intended. India will not be able to implement 15 of the 17 government programs (such as 100% domestic resource allocation, 175 gigawatts of renewable energy and double farmers’ incomes) by this year.
7. Failure to implement climate control will cause significant damage: In the next 5-10 years, climate change will be one of the biggest global disasters. This is based on a study of more than 12,000 world leaders in business, nonprofits, governments, academics and others, conducted by the World Economic Forum Global Risks Perception Survey 2021-2022.
The report also reveals how some Indian forests are missing from research data and how only 12 percent of plastic waste is recycled by 2019-2020.It also said that it no longer worked as a farmer. Cost of farming has risen in India, calf, by about 35% between 2012-13 and 2018-19. However, the share of agricultural income has decreased. At the same time, 50 percent of agricultural households in the country suffer from debt, and about 29 farmers and farm workers die by suicide every day in the country.
“Data is about measurement and the better we measure, the better we will be in management – this is what we know and that is why we are compiling this data every year,” Down to Earth editor SunitaNarain said in a press release. “It helps us to understand the changes we are seeing in our world; it helps us to understand what to do.”The report shows that we really need to do more, and do it differently, to get us back on track, adds Narain to the online book release. “Business as usual will no longer work.”
