'India's temperature rose by 0.60 degree over last 110 years'

NEW DELHI: India's temperature has risen by nearly 0.60 degree celsius over the last 110 years and extreme events like heat waves have increased in the last 30 years, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), in line with rising temperatures across the globe, all India mean temperatures have risen nearly 0.60 degree Celsius over the last 110 years. Further IMD studies have highlighted that extreme events like heat waves have risen in the last 30 years.

"Similarly, trends in extreme rainfall events in last century showed significant positive trend over the west coast and northwestern parts of peninsula," Environment minister Anil Madhav Dave said in a written reply.


He said as per the fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published in 2014, globally averaged combined land and ocean surface temperature has risen by 0.85 degree Celsius over the period 1880 to 2012.

Many extreme weather and climate events like heat waves, heavy precipitation and tropical cyclones have been observed since about 1950, he said.

The government has launched the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) in June, 2008 to deal with climate change and related issues.

NAPCC comprises of eight missions in specific areas of solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, habitat, water, sustaining Himalayan ecosystems, forestry, agriculture and strategic knowledge for climate change.

These missions address the issues relating to mitigation of greenhouse gases and adaptation to the adverse impacts of climate change on environment, forests, habitat, water resources and agriculture, he said.

"All states and UTs have also been requested to prepare State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) in line with the objectives of the NAPCC highlighting state-specific issues relating to climate change. So far, 32 states and UTs have prepared their SAPCC," the minister said.