Kerala, Puducherry recorded worst Climate Shift Index levels from June to August 2023, says study

CSI level three or higher

“Three Indian states experienced more than 60 days at CSI level three or higher — Kerala, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 11 Indian states experienced average temperatures 1°C or more above the long-term (1991-2020) average, and five Indian states had a summer average CSI above 3 — Kerala, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, Meghalaya, Goa,” it said in a statement.

Based in New Jersey, Climate Central claims to be an independent group of scientists and communicators who research and report the facts about our changing climate and how it affects people’s lives.

According to it, approximately 7.95 billion people — 98 percent of the entire human population — experienced temperatures that were made at least two times more likely by heat-trapping carbon pollution in Earth’s atmosphere during the hottest boreal summer in recorded history.

Also Read: Crops at risk as Karnataka farmers struggle with drought conditions 

30 days of warmer temperatures

As per the report, the countries with the lowest historical emissions experienced three to four times higher seasonal temperatures during June-August than the world’s largest economies.

The report said that almost half of the world’s population (48 percent), or over 3.8 billion people, experienced at least 30 days of significantly warmer temperatures in June and August due to human-caused climate change.

The analysis shows that countries that felt the strongest effects of climate change have contributed the least to carbon pollution.

At least 1.5 billion people felt the strong influence of climate change every day from 1 June to 31 August 2023, it said.

“The influence of climate change was inequitably distributed throughout the world, with residents of G20 nations exposed, on average during the period, to 17 days of temperatures made at least three times more likely.
Meanwhile, residents of the United Nations’ Least Developed countries (47 days) and Small Island Developing States (65) were exposed to far more days of three or above on the Climate Shift Index,” the report said.

Also Read: Rain deficit and drought situation persist in Kerala

‘Carbon pollution is responsible’

According to Dr Andrew Pershing, Vice-President for Science, Climate Central, virtually no one on Earth escaped the effects of climate change.

“In every country we could analyse, including the southern hemisphere where this is the coolest time of year, we saw temperatures that would be difficult and, in some cases, nearly impossible without human-caused climate change. Carbon pollution is clearly responsible for this season’s record-setting heat,” he added.

Kerala experienced a weakened southwest monsoon this year and recorded more than-average temperatures from June to August. The state will also face a possible drought-like situation if the northeast monsoon also fails.

(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)