CHENNAI: The year 2023 gave us a taste of how devastating climate change impact can be, if we don’t adapt and become resilient to the new normal. Cyclone Michaung which drowned Chennai, followed by 93cm of rainfall in 24 hours in Kayalpattinam in Thoothukudi are reminders of how the future would be. Meanwhile, the World Meteorological Organisation has already declared 2023 as the hottest year ever recorded.
Tamil Nadu is taking several measures to combat climate change, but there are gaps that need to be addressed. For instance, the ambitious Real-Time Flood Forecasting and Spatial Decision Support System for Chennai basin has been in a limbo due to issues with the contractor. Government sources told TNIE not a single piece of field equipment was installed till date.
Additional Chief Secretary (Environment, Climate Change and Forests) Supriya Sahu told TNIE that individual weather events cannot be directly attributed to climate change, but increase in frequency and intensity of such events are consistent with predictions about climate change impacts. “For the government machinery to respond to such events, the state government has initiated various measures to mitigate the impact of extreme weather events. One notable initiative is the District Climate Mission, which has been launched in all 38 districts in the state,” Sahu said.
Further, the government supported the operationalisation of the climate studio at the Centre for Climate Change and Disaster Management, Anna University, which has already completed the climate projections as per IPCCC AR6 reports and shared projected climate profiles of all the districts along with the projected climate risks to water, agriculture, forest, coastal ecosystem and urban habitats, she added.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Green Climate company has initiated a study on long-term net-zero emissions transition plan with the support of CEEW. The study explored a business-as-usual scenario, by assessing the emissions trajectory of the state within the existing policy framework, and a net-zero scenario, where TN may achieve before 2070. “A pre-final assessment report indicating the strategies in reducing emissions from individual sectors would be submitted next month,” the top bureaucrat said.
Shruti Narayanm, C40 Regional Director for South and West Asia, told TNIE it was important for cities to integrate climate change into their operations. “We have prepared the Chennai Climate Action Plan and are currently working with CMDA to integrate it with the new master plan. Now, every rupee the city spends should be looked at through the lens of climate change.”