Weatherchange is the temporary change in atmospheric conditions over a short period (say day to day) which involves varying changes in temperature, precipitation, wind pattern, atmospheric pressure, and humidity. Weather change is now posing a serious threat to global economic stability, imposing direct damage to crops and infrastructure and indirect damage to industries and markets.
Some recent weather changes can include heat waves which Northern India is experiencing. Cyclone Amphan made landfall in 2020 which severely affected West Bengal and Bangladesh causing severe damage to the coastal areas similarly cyclone Javed affected states like Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The temperature in some parts of the country made daily life activities and agriculture easier as the hot and humid days ended with cooler evenings in the areas of Kerala and West Bengal.
India experiences a relatively short winter season due to global warming as the Global temperature rises due to the emission of greenhouse gases. Rising temperature is a reason for the shorter and milder winters.
Economic Impact
Here I am citing some common economic impacts that are prevalent due to weather change.
Agricultural losses
Agriculture being weather-dependent variations in temperature and rainfall patterns can either boost or hamper crop productivity. Some crops can grow well in hot and humid weather conditions while some crops may suffer from warmer temperatures leading to damage of the crop and gradually low production. Extreme weather conditions such as heat waves, cyclones, over precipitation can cause floods, droughts, and landslides which lead to crop failures and seriously reduced harvests.
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Low production pushes up prices which affects both producers and consumers causing inflation in the economy, particularly the underdeveloped and developing countries where almost the entire population is dependent on subsistence farming. Low crop production makes a country increase imports and decrease exports which results in a decrease in GDP growth.
Infrastructure
Extreme weather conditions such as cyclones and floods cause severe damage to infrastructure, including roads, buildings, power lines, etc. The resources that are wasted on rebuilding and reconstructing can be used for other important Investments. Sometimes cyclones and sea level rise disrupt coastal infrastructure which affects the lives of the people living in the coastal areas.
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Healthcare costs
Extreme weather conditions like heat waves can cause heat stroke and dehydration which leads to higher hospitalization rates and increased medical expenditures. Also during heat waves people prefer to stay indoors which leads to a decline in the sales of vendors and street sellers, there is a chance that the poor section of society lack access to air conditioning, shelter, and proper medication, and farmers have the need to work on agricultural fields for long duration in this scorching heat generate health problems. Heavy rainfall causes floods to contaminate water and leads to water-borne diseases like Cholera. Flooded grounds become a home to mosquitoes which can cause malaria and dengue. Excess loo and air pollution lead to an increase in allergies, asthma, and other respiratory problems which increases healthcare costs.
Transport
Heavy rainfall, storms, and heat waves can disrupt the transport system by causing delays, cancellations, and also damage to vehicles. Cyclones and heavy rainfall cause delays in trains, buses, and aircraft which creates a problem for the passengers as well as the supply chain. When the supply chain gets disrupted, it causes economic disparities, as production and consumption balance is hampered, it affects both the rich and the poorer sections of society. Accidents are caused due to fog as it reduces visibility. Cyclone causes Road blockage by broken tree parts and electricity poles thus delaying land transport.
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Tourism
Extreme weather changes can cause tourists to alter their destination preferences. The rise in temperature in the cooler regions and extreme weather events will attract fewer tourists, and ecotourism will decrease due to the migration of birds and animals and the loss of wildlife habitat. Disruption in the tourism industry will lead to job losses and decreased income for the people and government from the tax revenues which will impact the government budget. The states that are dependent on tourism will suffer from severe economic challenges due to higher unemployment and reduced income for the residents as tourist arrivals decrease, businesses like hotels and restaurants will be closed causing economic instability.
Industries
Weather change can cause long-term and short-term damage in the industrial sector. Agro Industry is affected by low productivity due to the extreme weather conditions leading to food shortages and income losses for the farmers and workers. Extreme weather events such as heat waves, and cyclones disrupt the delivery of goods and services, and transportation of raw materials to industries with higher transportation costs increases the cost of production of the finished goods affecting the consumers.
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| Image Credit - leonardo.ai |
Construction projects are delayed due to severe weather conditions like heavy rainfall, cyclones, and floods which cause damage to the infrastructure thus wasting resources on reconstruction. The health of labourers is affected due to heat waves which prevent them from working during the hot daytime which delays construction. In extremely high temperatures, there is a need to invest more electricity for cooling purposes and vice versa which leads to energy wastage and power shortages also weather changes cause preference changes in the consumers which affect the producers as the goods and services are demanded.
Solutions
As an individual, we can make small Lifestyle changes like conserving water, using eco-friendly and chemical-free products, minimizing waste by reducing, reusing, and recycling methods, using public transport or cycling, or preferring to walk instead of using our own private cars whenever possible, using appliances that consume less energy, using renewable sources of energy and above all we need to reduce deforestation and plant more trees as they help mitigate climatic change by absorbing carbon dioxide and providing oxygen. Trees also indirectly play a role in the water cycle causing rainfall. We should keep ourselves well informed about the weather changes and spread awareness and education so that the devastating effects of the weather change can be decreased.
