There is possible no other country in the world that has a climate which is as varied as India’s. It ranges from very cold in the Himalayas, extreme heat in Rajasthan, wet in Cherrapunji, tropical in Kerala and lush with green in Punjab. Owing to this complex geography, the consequences of climate change can vary greatly across the different climatic zones of the country.1
I realised this after spending just one summer and one winter in India. India has good reason to be concerned about the effect of climate change.2 Over the period 1994 to 2007, India’s emissions nearly doubled and have continued to grow ever since.1 The predicted future impacts of climate change, according to the IPCC 2004 report, includes a decrease in snow cover in the Himalayas, erratic monsoons, rising sea levels and an increase in the frequency and intensity of floods 2.
The India Climate Portal (www.indiaclimateportal.org) can be a great source of information on climate change and its related impact on India. Also, the Ministry of Environment & Forest of India published an research paper on GHG emission in India; a great source of information for understanding India’s current situation and a way forward. The full paper is available on:http://moef.nic.in/downloads/home/GHG-presentation.pdf .
1 http://www.indiaclimateportal.org/what-climate-change-means-for-india
2 http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/indnc1.pdf