Title of the Paper
CLIMATE CHANGE AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Abstract
Prasidh Raj Singh1
Manu Maheshwari2
In the modern era Climate change has become one of the Global problems which directly or
indirectly affect the people at large. Climate change mainly affects the agricultural, Costal
resources, energy, forestry, tourism and water. If climate change turns to be large, there is a
limit to how much damage climate can do to the economy. The social impact of climate
change is very noxious which hamper the economy at large and also become the sources of
major problem. Climate change represents a major challenge for employment policies both
in terms of gains and losses, according to a February 2007 study conducted by the European
Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the Social Development Agency (SDA) for the
European Commission. Even the most optimistic climate-change scenario will have a major
impact on economic activities and employment. The economy of developing countries is
mainly depended upon the agriculture and forestry sector. They also tend to be low altitudes
where the impacts to these sectors will be the most severe. The low latitudes tend to be too
hot for the most profitable agricultural activities and any further warming will further reduce
productivity. Up to 80 percent of the damages from climate change may be concentrated in
low‐latitude countries. Climate change will not affect the global economy only, but will
simply reduce the quality of life. In the recent era Asian countries faces number of problem
related to Climate change. The main aim of this paper is to examine the current situation of
climate change & social impacts and come up with the possible solution in this regard.
Keywords: Global Problem, European Trade Union Confederation, Social Development
Agency, Developing Countries, latitude countries, Climate change
Prasidh Raj Sing – Student at National Law University, Orissa, India, Email: 09a033@nluo.ac.in
Prasidh_raj16@yahoo.co.in , Mobile no +91 9583237911
2
Manu Maheshwari – Student at National Law University, Orissa, India, Email: 09m27@nluo.ac.in , Mobile no.
+91 9439506555
1
INTRODUCTION
Greenhouse gases are chemical compounds in the atmosphere. They allow sunlight to enter
the atmosphere where it warms the Earth's surface and is reradiated back into the atmosphere
as longer wave energy or heat. Greenhouse gases absorb this heat and trap it in the lower
atmosphere to warm up the Earth's surface. Since the industrial revolution there has been a
rapid increase in the production of human-made greenhouse gases – in particular carbon
dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.
Fossil fuel combustion,
increasingly
intensive
agriculture, and an expanding global human population have been the primary causes
for these changes.
Climate change is undoubtedly the most serious environmental crisis Earth has ever
witnessed. As the planet enters what many are terming the ‘Anthropocene’ period in its
geological history (Crutzen and Stoermer 2000)
Climate change is a major challenge for agriculture, food security and rural
livelihoods for billions of people including the poor in the Asia-Pacific region.
Agriculture is the sector most vulnerable to climate change due to its high dependence
on climate and weather and because people involved in agriculture tend to be poorer
compared with urban resident. Climate is an important factor of agricultural productivity.
The fundamental role of agriculture in human welfare, concern has been expressed by many
organizations and others regarding the potential effects of climate change on agricultural
productivity. Interest of this matter has motivated a substantial body of research on climate
change and agriculture over the past decade. Climate change is expected to agricultural and
livestock production, hydrologic balances, input supplies and other components of
agricultural systems.
1. Climate change vis-à-vis Agriculture Sector
The rise in global temperature owing to climate change will affect agriculture in strikingly
different ways in the lower and higher latitudes. While in temperate latitudes a rise in
temperature will help developed countries increase food productivity, it will have adverse
effects in India and other countries in the tropics.
The agricultural sector employed about 1.4 billion of the world’s 3.4 billion workers in 2008.
The sector also comprises the largest reservoir of workers in any economic sector looking for
higher wages and more opportunity. (Philip 2010)
The climate change effects on agriculture will differ across the world determining how
climate change will affect agriculture is complex; varieties of effects are likely to occur.
Change in temperature as well as changes in rainfall patterns and the increase in CO levels
projected to accompany climate change will have important effects on global agriculture
especially in the tropical regions. It is expected that crop productivity will alter due to these
changes in climate and due to weather events and changes in patterns of pest and diseases.
The suitable land areas for cultivation of key staple crops could undergo geographic shifts in
response to climate change.
Climate Change
Direct effect on crop Production
Indirect Effect
Social-Economics
Sea level rise
Food Demand
Floods & Drought
Costs and benefits
Although in India agriculture contributes only 21% of India's GDP, its importance in
the country's economic, social, and political fabric goes well beyond this indicator. Rural
areas are still home to some 72% of India's 1.1 billion people, most of whom are poor
and marginalised and rely on agriculture as their main source of income (World Bank
2009).Smaller farms are dependent on timely and sufficient rainfall during the monsoon for
high crop yields. However with the changing climate, rainfall patters have become erratic
and reduced leaving farmers exposed to many risks including droughts, floods, disease of
both crops and animals and unpredictable market irregularities (Venkateswarlu 2009).
Indeed it is estimated that every 1˚C increase in temperature is likely to lead to a 5-10%
reduction in yields of some crops (Pachauri 2009)
Food security has deteriorated since 1995 and reductions in child malnutrition are unlikely to
reach targets set by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. Climate change
will have a significant impact on food security and malnutrition, as changes in patterns of
extreme weather events will affect the stability of, and indeed access to, food supplies (Cohen
2008).The impact of climate change on agriculture could result in problems with food
security and may threaten the livelihood activities upon which much of the population
depends. Climate change can affect crop yields (both positively and negatively), as well as
the types of crops that can be grown in certain areas, by impacting agricultural inputs such as
water for irrigation, amounts of solar radiation that affect plant growth, as well as the
prevalence of pests.
On the other hand Mali is a country in Sahelian Africa, where 80 percent of the population
lives on agriculture and pastoral activities. The major crops produced for domestic
consumption include: millet, sorghum, rice, maize, and legumes. Cotton, vegetables, and
tubers are produced as cash crops (Reed 2009). Exported agricultural goods include cotton,
livestock, and mangoes. Livestock and fisheries are traded, but also serve as a source of
wealth. Agricultural activities are likely to be severely affected by climate change, namely
through increased temperatures and likelihood of drought, as a result of reduced rainfall, and
because of a shrinking rainfall season. These changes in turn affect agricultural and livestock
productivity, food security, and food prices, and render agricultural production a daily
struggle.
1.1Climate change can influence agricultural production in a number of ways. One can
roughly Group the drivers into six categories:

Temperature as it affects plants, animals, pests, and water supplies. For example,
temperature alterations directly affect crop growth rates, livestock performance and
appetite, pest incidence, and water supplies in soil and reservoirs.

Precipitation as it alters, for example, the water directly available to crops, the
drought-stress that crops are placed under, and the supply of forage for animals,
animal production conditions, irrigation water supplies, aquaculture production
conditions, and river flows supporting barge transport.

Changes in atmospheric CO2 as it influence the growth of crop plants and weeds by
altering one of the basic inputs for photosynthesis.

Extreme events as they influence production conditions destroy trees or crops, drown
livestock, alter water supplies, and influence waterborne transport and ports.

Sea level rise as it influences the suitability of ports and waterborne transport,
inundates producing lands, and may alter aquaculture production conditions.

Climate-change-motivated greenhouse gas net-emissions reduction efforts as they
would influence the desirability of production processes and the costs of inputs, plus
add new opportunities.
From the above observation it is almost clear that climate change not only affect the
agriculture sector but it indirectly affect the economy of one country. The effect of climate
change on agriculture trade lows, and the resultant impact on employment and GDP, for some
of the most developing and undeveloped countries across the world. Most of the countries
that are expected to experience substantial declines in agricultural output because of climate
change are also highly dependent on agricultural export earnings as a proportion of GDP.
Some of the most dependent agricultural economies face an estimated loss of more than 50
percent of their total agricultural output by 2080, which directly impact on agriculture output.
Conclusion
Climate change as we all know become one of the major concerns related to agriculture
sector which directly affect the economy at large and also affects the live hood of thousands
of people across the globe. Now it’s high time to take the initiative in this regard and
implement the mitigation programme which includes,
1. Long-term adaptation measures may include: changes in land use to maximise yield
under new conditions;
2. Application of new technologies; new land management techniques; and water-use
efficiency techniques.
3. It is necessary to make technology cheaper, more efficient and accessible to farmer in
order to mitigate the climate change impact on agriculture sector.
On the other hand Impacts on regional and local food supplies in some low latitude regions
could amount to large percentage changes in current production. Climate addition, warming
beyond that reflected in current studies may impose greater costs in terms of total food supply
Reilly and Schummelpfenning (1999) define the following ‘major classes’ of adaptation,
which include adapting to: seasonal changes and changing sowing dates and different
varieties or species. Actions required may include those related to:
 Water supply and irrigation systems;
 Other inputs (fertiliser, tillage methods, grain drying, and other field operations);
 New crop varieties;
 Forest re management and/or other natural disaster
Instead of that we should also includes, a new varieties: drought/heat resistance, new farm
management practise, change in land use and watershed management should also be taken
into consideration.
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