Scientists have spoken collectively and their message is loud and clear: Act now to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times or abandon billions of people to suffer the social and natural dangers of a hotter planet. It’s now over to governments to slow down warming. 

As a relatively poor country, India will be among those most adversely affected if warming exceeds 1.5ºC. Along with the rest of the world, India will have to radically transform the economy – something akin to a “green, white, telecom and IT revolution all rolled into one.” 

Experts say India is already taking action, but it needs to step up the scale and speed of its efforts. 

“The window of opportunity for action is much smaller,” said Priyadarshi Shukla, chair of the Global Centre for Environment and Energy at Ahmedabad University. 

In its report, ‘Global Warming at 1.5ºC,’ released on Monday, the UNbacked Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said time was running out to avert the more disastrous impacts of climate change. The global average temperature is already 1º C above pre-industrial times and, at the current rate of emissions, the earth is warmin ..