18 August 2023

MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

Q1. Extreme weather conditions in the Himalayas serve as a reminder that while planning development in the area, the ecology of the area must be preserved. Discuss the effects of extreme weather on the environment and way of life in the Himalayas in this context.

GS I – Geography related issues

• The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) is the world’s youngest mountain ecosystem and one of the world’s most imperilled non-polar areas. The already fragile area has become riskier due to intense weather occurrences brought on by climate change. According to studies, there is an increase in the frequency of extreme occurrences such unexpected flash floods, droughts, landslides, and cloudbursts. The recent calamity in Himachal Pradesh brought on by landslides and cloudbursts serves as a reminder of the delicate ecology of the Himalayas.

Effects of extreme weather on the environment and way of life in the Himalayas:

• Loss of biodiversity: Extreme weather events pose a threat to the Himalayas’ diverse and rich wildlife. By 2050, almost 73% of the habitat for Himalayan brown bears will have been lost, according to a study conducted in the western Himalayas by researchers from the Zoological Survey of India.
• Temperature increase: Many species’ altitudinal ranges are shifting uphill due to the Himalayas’ rapid warming, which is 2–5 times faster than the global average. In the western Himalayan areas of India, plant species like Himalayan pine have moved upward at a pace of 11 to 54 metres every decade.
• Glacier melting: Glaciers in the Hindu Kush and Himalayan Mountain ranges are melting at previously unheard-of rates and may lose up to 80% of their volume by the turn of the century. The amount of water in the Himalayan rivers can be significantly impacted by melting glaciers. Further impacted would be the locals in the mountain area.
• Permafrost has an impact on the ecology, slope stability, erosion processes, and hydrology of surface waters. Recent research, however, indicates that the permafrost’s area is decreasing. Since the cryosphere is located near the source of numerous rivers and has an impact on a range of industries, such as irrigation, fishing, and hydropower, permafrost thawing might cause significant economic damage in the Himalayan region.
• Extreme rainfall events: A study by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) found that in the Ganga headwaters in Uttarakhand and the Sutlej river basin in Himachal Pradesh, the frequency of extreme rainfall events had more than doubled. These occurrences may have modest effects on a species’ competitive interactions, reproduction, foraging behaviours, and population growth rates.
• Agriculture and pasture: Natural vegetation zones’ distribution and size may alter significantly as a result of the predicted extreme weather occurrences. There may be less grassland, coniferous forest, and cold desert land. Inducing dryness in crop plants will reduce crop output. Increasing temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns may alter the growth season, length of the crop, and soil moisture regime.
• Human health: Floods caused by extreme weather events may raise the risk of water-related illnesses like diarrhoea as well as vector-borne illnesses like malaria and dengue.
• Infrastructure in the mountains: Due to extreme weather occurrences, important infrastructure, such as hydropower plants, roads, bridges, and communication networks, will be at risk more and more. Furthermore, if landslides and flash floods become more frequent, entire hydropower producing systems built on numerous rivers will be in danger. This might have a significant impact on river flows and the availability of water for power plants.

Moving ahead:

• For the creation of a climate change policy, including adaptation and mitigation measures, reliable, current scientific knowledge is crucial.
• Local perspectives, practises, and participatory methods of assessing and monitoring environmental and climate change are also necessary. On the basis of local knowledge, local communities may have a say in the adaptation practises that are chosen.
• The Himalayan mountains offer a wealth of ecological services to the populace, including water for domestic use, agriculture, hydropower, tourism, spiritual benefits, and transportation. PES programmes can be implemented at many levels by involving local governments, the business sector, and local communities.
• It is essential to have early warning systems and enhanced weather forecasting in order to anticipate disasters and notify locals and visitors. This will enable prompt evacuation in the case of a disaster and help to protect the safety of persons in the region.
• It is imperative that development be pursued in a way that is environmentally sustainable. The Indian Himalayan Region’s extreme weather whims also call for paradigm shifts and interventions at many governmental levels.

Q2. What does the term disaster risk reduction (DRR) mean to you? Talk about the role that disaster risk finance plays in reaching the goals that the Sendai Framework has set for 2030.

GS III – Disaster Management

• A succinct, futuristic, and action-oriented approach to disaster risk reduction was taken as a policy measure with the adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.

Following are some examples of how important disaster risk finance is to attaining the goals outlined in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction:

• Taking care of financial vulnerabilities: In recent years, there have been a lot of disaster events that have had significant negative human, societal, economic, and financial effects. Many low-income economies experience high annual disaster losses as a percentage of GDP. Disaster risk financing techniques must be devised in order to handle these risks.
• Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience is discussed in priority three of the Sendai framework. Enhancing a nation’s resilience requires both public and private investment in the prevention and reduction of disaster risk through structural and non-structural means. States must therefore improve their ability to comprehend risks and incorporate them into budgeting and planning procedures.
• The private sector’s role in financing disaster risk: To transfer sovereign risk to the capital markets, partnerships with the private sector must be made possible. The private sector can also assist in financing the costs associated with response, recovery, and reconstruction. The commercial sector may also contribute its knowledge and equipment to disaster management.
• Investing in disaster-resistant infrastructure is one way to reduce the disruption of basic services and damage to key infrastructure caused by disasters, which is one of the goals of the Sendai framework. A variety of financial tools, including national contingency funds, contingent credit, insurance, reinsurance, and social safety nets, will be needed to cover this. Additionally, this becomes crucial for improving disaster readiness for quick responses and Building Back Better throughout recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.
• Creating early warning systems: The Sendai framework aims to make multi-hazard early warning systems, information on disaster risk, and risk assessments significantly more accessible to the public by 2030. A sizeable sum of finance for catastrophe risk will be necessary for the prompt fulfilment of these goals.
• The UNDRR identified more than 300 possible hazards that might have a major impact on the financial services sector and impede efforts to achieve sustainable development goals. Therefore, the sector’s investment choices must take material disaster risk into account. By providing access to cash and credit, financial institutions and insurance firms can significantly contribute to the reduction of disaster risk.

Conclusion:

• The necessity of giving financing for disaster risk a high priority has been acknowledged by the G20’s new Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group. India is able to raise awareness of the financial effects of disasters thanks to its significant experience dealing with natural disasters. Through its G20 presidency, India can play a leading role in this situation by building a legal framework to improve the ability to finance disaster risk.