India can lead the way on climate action and prosper, or do nothing and “impose steep economic costs” – as well as the continuing human and environmental cost – on the country, according to a new report.
Leaving climate change unchecked could cost India $35 trillion in lost economic potential over the next 50 years, finds the Deloitte Economics Institute in its report, India’s turning point: How climate action can drive our economic future.
Or instead, India could gain $11 trillion in economic value – by limiting rising global temperatures and exporting the climate solutions it has already developed to the rest of the world.
The human and environmental cost
For India, a rise of 3C or more in average global temperatures by the end of the century will “make it harder for people to live and work, as sea levels rise, crop yields fall, infrastructure is damaged, and other challenges emerge,” Deloitte warns.
Climate-related disasters in the country have increased in recent years and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently warned that India is set for more extreme heat waves, monsoons and droughts if it continues on its current trajectory.
Other studies point to the negative impacts of air pollution, which kills more than 1 million people a year. It is also thought to shorten lifespans by more than nine years for around 4 in 10 Indians.
Read More at https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/09/india-economic-gains-climate-opportunity/
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