(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer)
Representational Photo
The year 2024 has been declared the warmest on record, capping a decade of unprecedented global heat. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) attributes this alarming trend to human activities that continue to fuel greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions, reaching record highs, are locking in even more heat for the future, creating a cycle that the planet can ill afford. The fallout of this climate crisis is unfolding in devastating ways, leaving no corner of the globe untouched, including tourist places such as Kashmir. Although, winter in Kashmir has by and large been normal, 2024 was an erratic weather. In July last, the Valley experienced the highest recorded temperatures, with Srinagar city recording a high of 36.2 degrees Celsius. The Valley also recorded a 34% deficit in rainfall from June to July, and in October the region witnessed a 74% shortfall. Overall also, the Valley has received less precipitation beginning with last winter itself. Data reveals that in the past 28 years alone, nine winters in the Valley have passed more or less snowless – three of them in the last decade – a frequency that has created a deep sense of alarm.
Although climate change is a global phenomenon, Kashmir has become its microcosm. It is mirrored in the fragile ecosystem of the region. From erratic weather patterns to heatwaves, Kashmir has been experiencing the same changes as on the global level. The changes are not mere aberrations but harbingers of a dire future if immediate actions are not taken. For example, one of the victims of climate change has been the Valley's apple and saffron production, which have suffered irreparable damage due to soaring temperatures, causing significant economic repercussions.
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On a bigger scale and which has consequences beyond the boundaries of Jammu and Kashmir, the rising temperatures have led to a rapid retreat of glaciers. Over the past six decades, Jammu and Kashmir has seen a staggering 25 percent reduction in glacier size, a trend exacerbated by the looming threat of climate change. If left unchecked, 48 percent of these vital sources of water could vanish by the end of the century.
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UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his New Year message has taken a due note of this catastrophic turn in the global climate, and called for global measures to reverse the trend.“We must exit this road to ruin-and we have no time to lose,” Guterres said in his message and called on countries to“put the world on a safer path by dramatically slashing emissions, and supporting the transition to a renewable future.” World needs to heed the message for its own survival.
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