How Melting Glaciers Could ‘Put 20% of GDP at Risk’, Pg16

Key Highlights:

• A new report estimates that 21.5% of India’s FY24 GDP, amounting to Rs 64.8 lakh crore, is dependent on the Himalayas.
• The report, titled ‘A resilient Himalaya: protecting a region at risk and securing future prosperity’, was compiled by Systemiq in partnership with Integrated Mountain Initiative.
• Melting Himalayan glaciers threaten water supplies to major river systems like the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra.
• Himalayan river basins are projected to reach ‘Peak Water’ around mid-century, after which meltwater flows will decline.
• The Himalayas, accounting for 18% of India's land, experience about 35% of the nation's disasters.
• Black carbon, a pollutant from incomplete combustion, significantly accelerates glacier melt and is a key focus for mitigation.

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Detailed Insights:

• The economic dependence includes direct contributions from Himalayan states and indirect reliance of downstream agriculture, industry, and hydropower.
• The report's calculation of GDP dependence considers direct GSDP, indirect reliance on Himalayan-fed rivers, and induced supply-chain and wage-spending effects.
• ‘Peak Water’ signifies the point when glacier meltwater reaches its maximum, followed by a decline as ice reserves shrink.
• Disasters in the Himalayas lead to food and water insecurity, supply chain disruptions, displacement, and macroeconomic pressures.
• Black carbon darkens snow surfaces, causing them to absorb more sunlight and increasing surface heating by about 40 watts/m2 in spring.
• Modernizing the brick kiln industry, particularly by adopting zigzag technology, can significantly reduce black carbon emissions.
• Adoption of zigzag technology is uneven across India, with states like Uttar Pradesh still lagging behind Punjab and Haryana.
• A comprehensive approach to tackle black carbon requires addressing emissions from kilns, cookstoves, transport, and crop-residue burning.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Peak Water: The point in time when glacier meltwater flow reaches its maximum, after which it begins to decline.
• Black Carbon: Soot produced by incomplete combustion, which accelerates glacier melt by darkening snow and ice surfaces.
• Zigzag Technology: An efficient method for firing bricks that significantly reduces fuel consumption and black carbon emissions.