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इस साल IPCC 一 यानि कि जलवायु परिवर्तन से सम्बंधित अंतर-सरकारी पैनल 一 की छटवी रिपोर्ट प्रकाशित हुई। IPCC का पूरा नाम Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change है। यह पैनल जलवायु परिवर्तन से सम्बंधित दुनिया भर में हुए शोधकार्य को एक ऐसी रिपोर्ट का आकार देता है जिससे सरकार एवं आम आदमी, दोनों ही वैज्ञानिक खोजों के बारे में जान सकें और उनका फ़ायदा उठा सकें। यह लेख इस रिपोर्ट के एक अंश पर केंद्रित है।    Source: Headline Statements, WG1, AR6 (2021)   अंश A.2 के अनुसार: " संपूर्ण जलवायु प्रणाली में हाल के परिवर्तनों का पैमाना और जलवायु प्रणाली के कई पहलुओं की वर्तमान स्थिति कई शताब्दियों से लेकर कई हज़ार वर्षों तक अभूतपूर्व है ।"  सरल शब्दों में कहें तो आज जलवायु की जो स्थिति है वो बहुत, बहुत लम्बे समय से नहीं देखी गयी है। इसे समझने के लिए निम्न लेखाचित्र देखें। इस लेखाचित्र में पिछले दो हज़ार सालों के 一 यानि कि साल १ से लेकर २०२० तक के 一 औसत तापमान दिखाए गए हैं। जलवायु परिवर्तन से सम्बंधित लेखाचित्रों को समझने के लिए एक बात जानना ज़रूरी है 一 हर लेखाचित्र में कुछ सालों...

A reader sent in this question. I think it could mean a lot of different things based on tone or context. For example, apart from its literal sense, it could also be taken to mean, "Why is (modern) climate change problematic?" or "Why should we worry about (modern) climate change?". Here, I try to address these, one-by-one. "Why do you think Climate should never change?" Actually, I don't think that the climate should never change. An inspection of the paleoclimatic record (a record of the climate of the past) readily elicits many, many instances of climate change in the history of our planet. In fact, over sufficiently long timescales, climate change is the norm, not an aberration. Consider, for example, the "Ice Ages". These are popularly (but incorrectly*) thought to refer to the cold periods of the Quaternary Glaciation. Over the last 1 million years, the climate rhythmically fluctuated between warmer Interglacials and colder Glacials. T...

A kind stranger asked me recently, " What can I do to help? ". I don't get this question a lot when I talk of climate change, so it's always encouraging. It is also confusing though, because two things are simultaneously true about individual efforts: that they will not be enough, and that they must not stop. To put it in a more precise manner, individual action is necessary but not sufficient to fight the climate crisis. So at what cost and to what benefit do we consider engaging 一 and asking others to engage 一 in climate solutions? A drop in the ocean " There are ~7.9 billion people on this planet. What difference can I make? " I'll see you and raise you. The world is currently emitting about 36 billion tons of CO 2 each year. And an "average" person is emitting only about 4.8 tons of it. If you're feeling underwhelmed by the scope of change you can possibly make (even if you decided to make this your sole focus in life), it gets wors...

I'm moved by the new Cadbury ad . After all, who wouldn't? It combines nostalgia with gender empowerment, with cricket being the deified cherry on top. There is no doubt that the folks at Ogilvy are brilliant at what they do. And I'm certainly not the only one who thinks so.   Oh wow!! Take a bow, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Ogilvy :) A simple, obvious twist that was long overdue, and staring right at all of us all this while! pic.twitter.com/Urq8NXtg7W — Karthik 🇮🇳 (@beastoftraal) September 17, 2021   Unfortunately, I'm also very conflicted about the ad, because the creator's name - Ogilvy - takes me back a different memory lane. About two decades ago, the IPCC released it's Third Assessment Report (please, bear with me, I will not bore you with science this time). In contrast with the cautious phrasing of the previous reports, the Third Assessment Report said it quite clearly: it wasn't natural variability, it was human influence that was causing the climate ...

IPCC 一 यानी कि जलवायु परिवर्तन से सम्बंधित अंतर-सरकारी पैनल 一 की तरफ़ से एक नयी रिपोर्ट आयी है। IPCC का पूरा नाम Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change है। यह पैनल जलवायु परिवर्तन से सम्बंधित दुनिया भर में हुए शोधकार्य का संकलन करता है। IPCC की हर रिपोर्ट को इस तरीक़े से लिखा जाता है कि तकनीकी बातों एवं नयी खोजों को सरल और संक्षिप्त रूप में नीति-निर्माताओं तक पहुँचाया जा सके। IPCC की पहली रिपोर्ट १९९० में लिखी गयी थी। २०२१ की रिपोर्ट IPCC की छँटवी रिपोर्ट का हिस्सा है और यह इस लिंक पर उपलब्ध है। यह लेख इस रिपोर्ट के एक अंश पर केंद्रित है।   Source: Headline Statements, WG1, AR6 (2021) इस लेखाचित्र की व्याख्या पृष्ठ के अंत में की गयी है।   अंश A.1 के अनुसार: " यह स्पष्ट है कि मानव प्रभाव ने वायुमंडल, महासागर और भूमि को गर्म कर दिया है। वायुमंडल, महासागर, क्रायोस्फीयर और बायोस्फीयर में व्यापक और तीव्र परिवर्तन हुए हैं ।" इस कथन के कई पहलू हैं और हर एक का अपना-अपना महत्त्व है। पहला पहलू यह है की अब जलवायु के परिवर्तित होने के संकेत काफ़ी साफ़ हैं और इस बात में कोई स...

The IPCC's Working Group I recently put out its contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report. Titled " AR6 Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis ", the full report is about 1300 pages long and daunting 一 if not practically unreadable 一 for anyone without a background in climate science. But climate change is a critical issue of our times, and whether or not someone is well-versed with the science behind it, it must be communicated to the general public. Perhaps to fill this perceived 1 void - or perhaps because it is finally turning into a popular (clickbait-ish?) issue in India - several "popular" explainers are out. While I prefer to read the IPCC reports directly, I can't help but notice the way the issue is covered in these explainers or in the media. Since a significant proportion of the public's perception and awareness is influenced by these popular explainers, it is important that they be accurate (though not necessarily deep or comp...

The IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report has been covered by a lot of media outlets.  Since I work in a field related to climate change, I naturally prefer to read the IPCC reports firsthand, without relying on any media personality to explain it to me. I understand that most people would not prefer to read a boring and complicated report, even if it pertains to one of the critical issues of our times. Moreover, it is not always a question of preference or interest. Understanding climate change requires some background in science, which may not be available to all. My hope in writing this post is that: (a) it might convince a few people - especially STEM graduates - that they need not rely on middlemen for first impressions ; and (b) it might prove helpful to media personnel who are interested in explaining this issue to their audience. I assume that you have no formal background in this area. Headline Statements The report by the Working Group I is around 1300 pages long. You likely do...