By 2035, Risk Of Sea-Level Rise In Mumbai, Ahmedabad An Urban Heat Island: Climate Panel Report https://www.indiaspend.com/climate-change/by-2035-risk-of-sea-level-rise-in-mumbai-ahmedabad-an-urban-heat-island-climate-panel-report-805918 Flavia Lopes,Tanvi Deshpande|28 Feb, 2022
Climate change impacts will continue to increase, reducing the window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future, if drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions are further delayed, a new report warns.
In Mumbai, by 2035, 27 million could be impacted by climate change, with high risk of floods and sea-level rise.
In Ahmedabad, 11 million people would be at a high risk of living in an urban heat island, with much higher temperatures than nearby areas.
By 2050, 70% of the world's population will live in urban areas, the IPCC report says. Cities are at much greater risk to extreme weather, like heat waves, that can aggravate air pollution and limit the functioning of critical infrastructure, such as transportation, water, sanitation and energy systems.
Why it is important to climate-proof infrastructure https://www.indiaspend.com/climate-change/why-indias-budget-push-to-infrastructure-should-consider-climate-resilience-803850
India has over 50 cities with a population above 1 million, and nearly 500 cities with a population above 100,000. The National Commission on Population in India predicts that in the next 15 years (by 2036), about 38.6% of Indians (600 million) will live in urban areas. Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai--some of India's largest cities--are all low-lying coastal cities.
India has already suffered infrastructural losses and damage of more than Rs 2.7 lakh crore ($37 billion) in 2018 due to extreme climate events--nearly as much as its defence budget in 2018, found the 15th edition of the Global Climate Risk Index 2020 prepared by Bonn-based think-tank Germanwatch. In the last two decades, India's lack of disaster preparedness amounted to a loss of Rs 13.14 lakh crore ($180 billion), a 2021 CEEW study stated.
