The world is focussed now on the impending 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is due to take place in Paris during the period November 30 to December 11, 2015. The Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has assessed in detail the impacts of climate change on several sectors of the economy and the diverse ecosystems of this planet. The Cover Story of this issue titled, ‘Heritage in Peril! Effects of Climate Change’ is a subject of growing concern and something that human society has to comprehend in entirety, to be able to do everything possible to reduce the risks of damage from the impacts of climate change. In the state of Uttarakhand in 2013 there was a large-scale disaster and loss of life on account of an extreme precipitation event. Indeed, a single event cannot be attributed to human-induced climate change, but the IPCC AR5 has clearly highlighted an increase in frequency and intensity of extreme events, particularly extreme precipitation events. The AR5 also stated, ‘Impacts from recent climate-related extremes, such as heat waves, droughts, floods, cyclones and wildfires, reveal significant vulnerability and exposure of some ecosystems and many human systems to current climate variability.’ The damage to coral reefs in several parts of the world which is the result of the impacts of climate change is a phenomenon that could be treated as ‘heritage in peril’. It is also now clear that Arctic Sea ice is on the decline, and in fact the AR5 has projected that Arctic Sea ice in the month of September during the middle of this century could completely vanish if there is no mitigation of the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs).
A large fraction of species face increased extinction risk due to climate change during and beyond the 21st century, especially as climate change interacts with other stressors. Most plant species cannot naturally shift their geographical ranges sufficiently fast to keep up with current and high projected rates of climate change in most landscapes. Future risk is indicated to be high by the observation that natural global climate change at rates lower than current anthropogenic climate change caused significant ecosystem shifts and species extinctions during the past millions of years. Marine organisms will face progressively lower oxygen levels and high rates and magnitudes of ocean acidification, with associated risks exacerbated by rising ocean temperature extremes. Coral reefs and polar ecosystems are highly vulnerable. Coastal systems and low-lying areas are at risk from sea level rise, which will continue for centuries even if the global mean temperature is stabilized.
Human society creates and constructs buildings and monuments, which in rare cases get labelled as wonders of the world or heritage sites. But, nature’s splendour and the ecosystems of this planet are a heritage, which will always remain essential for the support of all forms of life. Climate change is a very serious threat to the protection and conservation of this heritage.
Dr R K Pachauri, Director-General, TERI
|