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A reported rise has occurred in the intensity and number of extreme weather events like tropical storms, cyclones, hurricanes, and floods due to climate change. The August 2018 floods in Kerala were one of the worst floods in India in a 100 years which was exacerbated by the effects of climate change. From 1^st to 19^th August, there was an 164% increase in rainfall compared to the previous average. The floods were further aggravated by mismanagement of dams, excessive deforestation, and an increase in landslides. It led to the death of hundreds of people, marooned thousands of people, and destroyed tens of thousands of houses, other property, and crops.

There has been an increase in the duration and intensity of droughts and an increase in frequency and length of heat spells or waves due to changes in climatic conditions. In 2019, India recorded one of its longest and hottest heat-waves from mid-May to mid-June, due to a 10-day delay in the southwest monsoon, with temperatures reaching nearly the highest recorded in the country. This led to severe droughts all over the country, which were four times worse than the previous year. The droughts in turn led to massive changes in the agriculture sector due to the shortage of water. In addition, people in the country suffered economic loss, heat exhaustion, lack of access to safe drinking water, and starvation.

Sea level are rising as glaciers are melting due to climate change. This leads to the displacement of humans living in low lying areas and loss of their lives and livelihoods as they knew it. The people in the small island of Kiribati in the Pacific have started to move out of their homeland due to the rise in sea level. The country has bought land in Fiji to grow their crops, and are planning their next steps to deal with sea level rise. The rising sea levels around Kiribati led to the emergence of the first group of climate refugees around the world. Closer home in Bangladesh and in West Bengal, communities have had to move away from the coastal communities to inland locations. They have had to completely changed their way of life.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says that “food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Household food security is the application of this concept to the family level, with individuals within households as the focus of concern.” (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2003). However, the change in weather patterns is affecting the agriculture sector and the food industry. This is leading to a shortage in food and lack of adequate nutrition, which can lead to malnutrition. In India, 4 out of 10 children are malnourished. This figure will only get worse with the effects of climate change. The food shortage is also due to humans wasting food and the increase in consumption of processed food.

Humans are extracting ground water at an unsustainable level and polluting it. In addition, ground water level is reducing due to changes in rainfall patterns. The depletion of groundwater levels is leading to water insecurity as 80% of the population depends on it.

Water pollution also leads to many diseases and other health problems such as: Typhoid, Diarrheal diseases, Water-borne diseases. In fact, stagnant water leads to diseases such as malaria and dengue because it’s a breeding ground for insects. The absorption of carbon dioxide in water leads to the formation of carbonic acid which lowers the pH of the water. This leads to the loss of coral reefs that provide food for and protect different species.

Air pollution leads to many diseases and health problems such as: Asthma, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), Lung cancer, Other respiratory diseases. It also leads to acid rain which damages human property. A significant example of that is the discolouration of the Taj Mahal.

The release of toxic greenhouse gases leads to air pollution, water pollution, and economic losses, which in turn leads to new health conditions and exacerbates existing ones. The health conditions vary based on the type of degradation. For example, as food moves up the food chain from plants to humans, the toxins also move to humans and stay in the human body. This process is called biomagnification. Due to human neglect, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), such as DDT (which have since been banned), that do not break down easily are still present in oceans and passed from marine animals to human beings. This leads to a build-up of toxins in the human body.

The book The Sixth Mass Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert goes into detail about how different species of both plants and animals are disappearing from the Earth at a rate never seen before. In fact, some tree species have started moving up to higher altitudes to get to cooler weather conditions. However, not all species can adapt in this manner and those that can’t, are going extinct.

It is essential to prevent environmental disasters such as gas leaks, oil spills and waste dumps. For example, in 2014 there was the Flint Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan, USA. Which occured due to lead in the water that they were consuming. In 1984, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy or Bhopal Disaster released toxic gas, methyl isocyanate (MIC), into the atmosphere leading to the death of over 10,000 people during the year and also adverse health effects on other humans and unborn children in the area.

The economy is dependent on the environment for all its resources from electricity to clothing. In fact, making changes will help the economy and individuals because environmental solutions are economic solutions. If humans continue to exploit fossil fuels at the current rate, then the resource will be diminished in under 100 years. Therefore, it is imperative to switch to renewable energy sources to make sure that there is energy for future generations. In addition, renewable energy sources like solar and wind energy are a good investment for the long term as they only involve a big installation cost, after which there is almost no expenditure. It is a sound economic decision that will be beneficial in the future.