COP27: Kolkata presents climate action roadmap, announces city-level summit

Subject : Environment

Context-

Kolkata presented a report on its climate vulnerability as well as actions taken for mitigation and adaptation during a meeting at the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change being held at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt.

About the City- level climate summit-

The civic body announced its decision to hold a city-level climate summit soon.
Kolkata was the only city from the country part of the meeting focused on urban climate resilience organised by the Climate Action Network South Asia.
The meeting was attended by representatives from several South Asian cities.
Kolkata has been identified as one of the most vulnerable global cities to climate change in recent UN reports.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation received the invitation after recently announcing its support to the global pledge to cut fossil fuel – the first city corporation in India to take the step.

Vulnerability of Kolkata-

Recent global reports have highlighted the vulnerability of Kolkata particularly due to its proximity to Sundarbans; one of the world’s major biodiversity hotspots.
Major risk involve- high heat, severe cyclones, intense rainfall within short duration.
About 15,000 trees were toppled in the city during Cyclone Amphan in 2020 alone.
The civic body and state have already taken some steps like providing solar connectivity in eight major city parks and turning them carbon neutral; introducing electrical vehicles; undertaking the plantation of trees.

IPCC report highlights concerns-

AR 6 IPCC report underlined both the city’s existing as well as predicted risks–
- Beyond 2040, climate change would lead to numerous risks and the occurrence of multiple climate hazards, often in tandem.
- Substantial green cover was lost because of Cyclone Amphan
- Limitations of resilience plans to address the vulnerability
- It is the most vulnerable to disaster-related mortality among eight megacities – only one from India
- It is third among the 20 largest coastal flood-prone global cities, with the highest estimated flood losses by 2050. The city also has a risk of subsidence because of sea-level rise and flooding. In future, rainfall may increase by 55 per cent.
- Category 3-5 cyclones (extremely severe or super cyclones) likely to increase in Sundarbans, also affecting Kolkata
- Bay of Bengal water expected to rise 0.6 metres by century-end; impacting Kolkata which already has an old and stressed drainage system
- Warming in the city increased by 6°C in the last six decades, highest in the world followed by Tehran and Moscow
- Average temperature may rise about 5 degrees by century-end, while the maximum temperature may touch about 50 degrees Celsius if the present trend of global emission continues.