2023-24 was a year of ‘polycrisis’, says Sunita Narain at opening ceremony
(From left) Souparno Banerjee, Senior Director, Outreach, Publications and Environment Education, CSE; Richard Mahapatra, Managing Editor, DTE; economist Nitin Desai; veteran journalist TN Ninan and Sunita Narain, CSE Director General & DTE Editor during the official launch of State of India’s Environment 2024.
The Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE’s) annual Anil Agarwal Dialogue, kicked off at the Anil Agarwal Environmental Training Institute in Rajasthan’s Nimli on February 28, 2024 with the launch of the 2024 State of India’s Environment report.
The report was released by economist Nitin Desai, senior journalist T N Ninan, and CSE Director-General Sunita Narain. It is collated and published annually by Down To Earth magazine.
The report presents data that says about 109 nations suffered losses due to extreme weather events in 2023, with countries in Africa, Europe and West Asia taking up the lion’s share.
Fifty-nine countries in this region were impacted and the highest number of deaths from these events happened in this region. Indonesia had the maximum number of affected people (almost 19 million), while Libya suffered the most deaths.
In India, 2023 saw its warmest ever August and September in 122 years. Through the year, the country witnessed an extreme weather event almost every day — over the 365 days between January 1 and December 31, such events happened on 318 days. They claimed 3,287 human lives, affected 2.21 million hectare (ha) of crop area, damaged 86,432 houses and caused 124,813 animal deaths.
All 36 states and Union territories were affected. Himachal Pradesh recorded the highest number of extreme weather events, with 149 days, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 141 days. Kerala and Uttar Pradesh were next with 119 days each.
In terms of events, the break-up was:
- Heavy rains, floods and landslides: 208 days
- Lightning and storms: 202 days
- Heatwaves: 49 days
- Coldwaves: 29 days
- Cloudbursts: 9 days
- Snowfall: 5 days
- Cyclones: 2 days
Bihar was the biggest sufferer in terms of deaths — 642 people lost their lives to extreme weather incidents. The largest expanse of affected crop area was in Haryana. Gujarat had the highest number of damaged houses, and Punjab accounted for the maximum number of animal deaths.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Dialogue, Narain pointed out that 2023-24 was a year of ‘polycrisis’ — “a period when we are losing our many, multiple conflicts, among them our war with nature; our war with humans (read Ukraine and Gaza); and our war of control over minerals and technology (where China plays a significant role).”
She added: “We must reinvent the narrative of environmental management. Technological fixes will not be enough. We will need to strengthen our regulatory institutions.”
The Anil Agarwal Dialogue is a national conclave of environment and development journalists. This year’s Dialogue will conclude on March 1.
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