6) The impact of climate change falls disproportionately on the poor. Analyze and also highlight India’s risk profile due to climate change. (250 words)

Topic- Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation

6) The impact of climate change falls disproportionately on the poor. Analyze and also highlight India’s risk profile due to climate change. (250 words)

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Why this question

The article examines the disproportionate impact of climate change on the poor. With the impact of climate change now taking myriad forms, it is a necessity to take steps to address the impact of climate change on the poor population.

Key demand of the question

The question expects us to first explain how there is a disproportionate impact of climate change on the poor population. Thereafter we need to bring out the risk profile of India with respect to climate change and the measures required to address this vulnerability.

Directive word

Analyze – When asked to analyze, you  have to examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them as a whole in a summary.

Structure of the answer

Introduction – Explain that a recent report of IPCC has belief the belief that climate change is a gradual, slow moving phenomenan.

Body

• Explain about the impacts of climate change and how it falls disproportionately on the poor
  • food, resulting in increased competition to access these basic necessities. This increases the chances of the intensification of existing conflicts and also creates new ones.
  • Frequent floods and droughts caused by climate change lead to food shortages and rise in food prices. This causes ­hunger and malnutrition, the effects of which are felt most strongly by the poor. According to the World Food Programme’s 2018 Global Report on Food Crises, “climate disasters triggered food crises across 23 countries, mostly in Africa, with shocks such as drought leaving more than 39 million people in need of urgent assistance.” etc
• Analyze India’s risk profile
  • India ranks fifth globally for the losses it has experienced due to climate change. Around 800 million people in the country live in villages and depend on agriculture and natural resources for their livelihoods. With at least 50% of the farmlands in the country being rain-fed, changes in the pattern of the monsoons will affect their livelihoods the most.
• Discuss steps that are required to mitigate the risk

Conclusion – Explain that the risk is real and discuss way forward.