Andaman and Nicobar Islands might not be Inhabitable in Future due to Rise in Sea Level: IPCC

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations, is always dedicated to provide the world with an objective, scientific view of climate change, it’s natural, political and economic impacts and risks and possible response options. IPCC recently introduced a special report in its press conference which is based on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a changing climate (SROCC). This report has cautioned that warming of oceans will increase the frequency and severity of climatic events like cyclones in India.

The report especially mentioned that Andaman and Nicobar islands might not be inhabitable in a few years because of continuous rise in level of sea and increase in climatic events.

Mr. Anjal Prakash, lead author of IPCC report said that, “Islands like Andaman and Nicobar, Maldives etc. will have to be vacated. People will have to be migrated from there as due to rising sea levels, these places will become non-inhabitable”. He further added that “Even with an under two-degree rise in global temperature, there will be a sea level rise, glaciers will melt and many communities will be will be affected. Some of these events are irreversible, so the focus has to be on adaptation for the coming future”.

As per the report, during the 20^th century sea level has risen globally around 15 cm but if we look at current scenario, it is rising more than twice. If the sea level continues to rise this way, it would reach around 30-60 cm by 2100 even if the emission of greenhouse gas reduced and global warming is limited.

“India has 7500 km long coastline along the Arabian Sea to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east. So the impact of the warming of oceans will definitely increase the climatic events like cyclones in our country”. As per report by nearly 30 authors.

Due to increase in sea level, there will also be an adverse effect in water bodies. As their salinity will increase, there will have an impact on irrigation and domestic use.

Warming oceans will lead to extreme sea level events and thus increasing flooding risks for low lying coastal cities and islands. As a result, some small islands which are home to 6.5 million people globally, are at risk of becoming uninhabitable and India’s Andaman and Nicobar island is on of them.