India: Spring is disappearing, abrupt switch from winter to summer-like conditions seen, says study

A new study by Climate Central has stated that spring is gradually disappearing across India mainly due to climate changes. The analysis shows that many parts of northern India are experiencing an abrupt transition from winter to summer-like conditions as February warming rates have increased sharply in recent decades. 

“The cooling in the central and northern Indian states during January followed by very strong warming in February creates the potential for a quick jump from winter to spring-like conditions. By burning coal and oil, humans have warmed the planet leading to warmer conditions in all seasons across India,” said Andrew Pershing, VP for Science at Climate Central.

The study stated the primary cause of this warming is rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from burning coal, oil, and natural gas. The purpose of this analysis is to place India in the context of these global trends, with a focus on winter (December-February). 

Some of the significant points in the study are:

1. While December and January temperatures cooled slightly or saw minimal warming across northern India, all regions experienced significant warming in February. 

2. Nine states, including Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, saw a difference of over 2 degrees Celcius between their January and February warming rates.

3. Manipur had the largest change since 1970 (2.3°C), while Delhi had the smallest (0.2°C). 

4. The southern part of the country has strong warming in December and January. Sikkim (2.4°) and Manipur (2.1°) had the largest changes in temperature in December and January, respectively. The northern part of the country had weaker warming and even cooling during December and January.

5. The largest jump in warming rates occurred in Rajasthan, where the warming in February was 2.6°C higher than January.

Global warming

Earlier this month, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) stated that the world experienced the warmest February on record, with the average temperature being 1.77 degrees Celsius more than the February average for 1850-1900, the designated pre-industrial reference period.

C3S in February said the global mean temperature breached the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold for an entire year for the first time in January. A permanent breach of the 1.5-degree Celsius limit specified in the Paris Agreement, however, refers to long-term warming over many years. 

According to climate scientists, countries need to limit the global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial period to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Earth’s global surface temperature has already increased by around 1.1 degrees Celsius compared with the average in 1850-1900 — a level that has not been witnessed since 1,25,000 years, before the most recent ice age.