Climate Challenge India Pledge – Kannada

KN Educate myself and my organization about climate change

• What is climate change? Global climate (long-term weather conditions) changes naturally over long periods of time. Human activity is speeding up the rate at which this change is occurring. Climate change is global – everything we do in one place contributes to worldwide change. x

• How urgent is the problem of climate change? Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are gases that trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (http://www.ipcc.ch/), GHGs are at their highest level in 650,000 years due to human activities. The evidence for all this comes from Arctic ice melt (1), receding glaciers and Northern ice cover (2, 4), changes in rainfall patterns, and increased severity of extreme weather events. GHGs are also increasing rapidly. This is contributing to increase in global temperature (3). Scientists believe that if we don’t take action now, the situation could worsen rapidly.

• How is India affected? In India, climate change is already leading to rise in sea-levels (4) threatening our coastal populations, and our food production among other things. As India’s population and economy grow, so does energy consumption. This means, our emissions will be 4 times higher than current levels by 2030.

(1)

(2) receding glaciers, iceland

(3) rising temperatures

(4) rise in sea levels

Determine my carbon footprint and reduce it

Every day, we use electricity, run the car, heat water, cook food etc. When we do these, we inevitably release GHGs into the atmosphere. Here are some terms you should become familiar with:

• A carbon footprint is a measure of how much GHGs each of us individually produces. It is measured in tonnes (or kgs) of carbon-dioxide equivalent (CO₂e).

• Having a net zero-carbon footprint: When you do something that adds GHGs to the environment, if you do something else that reduces the GHGs by the amount that you added, you have a net zero-carbon footprint. In effect, you cancel the GHGs you added by helping remove the same amount of GHGs in some other way. This is also called carbon offsetting. When you have net zero-carbon footprint, you are also carbon neutral.

• You can also be carbon positive — the amount of GHGs you emit is less than the amount tht you offset. That is, you take out more GHGs than you contribute.

• Use CSM’s carbon foorprint calculator to measure your impact on the climate.

• How do I reduce my carbon footprint? Small changes in our daily lives can collectively make big differences. Act today to make a difference.

Check CCI’s Climate saving tips: Good Earth. Remember: every individual’s action counts!

Help vulnerable communities adapt to climate change in whatever way I can

India as a whole is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Within India, however, some communities will be more affected than others. For example, poor people dependent on resources such as forests, fisheries and agriculture for their livelihoods will be disproportionately affected. We must ensure that the weakest sections of our society are protected through the development of mechanisms such as crop-insurance schemes and coastal defences

Promote India’s transition to a low-carbon society

• Each one of us can do practical things to help our country move to a more sustainable, low-carbon society. For example, we can

  • Switch from conventional bulbs to compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs;

  • Buy certified low-energy appliances instead of resource-intensive ones

  • Promote public transport, walking and cycling as alternatives to the private car

  • Demand more renewable energy from safe, green sources such as wind and solar, instead of coal-fired power plants

  • Ask our city and town leaders to plan our cities with climate change in mind – and ensure that the public participates in such processes

  • Ask our political leaders to set clear targets and timetables for India’s transition to a low-carbon society

  • Reduce use of plastics

  • Buy local products as far as possible

  • Reduce, recycle, reuse

  • Switch off electrical appliances when not in use

  • Switch from paper transactions to e-transactions wherever possible

  • Conserve water

  • Print only if you must

  • Climate Challenge India will help you be a ‘part of the change’!

  • Also check out our Cool Carbon Product Watch for the latest in low-carbon products.

Support science-based and equitable measures that will reduce will reduce national and international greenhouse gas emissions

Efforts to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions must be based on the best-available science using the precautionary principle. They must also be fair to ensure that the burden of adjustment to climate change does not fall disproportionately on the weakest sections of our society