Voices of Change: Anamika from Bihar, India
"We are being disproportionately impacted by climate change. The people who contribute less to pollution are often affected more"
What is your name and where are from?
My name is Anamika Kumari and I am from Bihar, India.
Have you heard the term Climate change?
I heard about climate change from my under-graduation days and currently I am studying Environmental Studies which brings me even more closer to the term “Climate Change”.
What is the climate over there?
India experiences extreme conditions of hot summers from June to September and winters from October to December. Temperatures in summer go as high as 110 °F(43 °C).
Do you guys see any changes in the climate during past few years?
I have witnessed climate change in action in two seasons over the years. Winters seem to be arriving later than the traditional September and October we once knew. Winters are also not as cold as they used to be. Growing up in Patna, located in eastern India, the effects were evident, ranging from intense heat waves, droughts causing crops to fail and erratic monsoon patterns leading to catastrophic flooding in some of the years. After my marriage, I moved to Gurugram in the northern part of the country, and the challenges we faced are similar in my husband’s region. While the country has contributed less to carbon emissions per capita than other countries, we are being disproportionately impacted by climate change. The people who contribute less to pollution are often affected more. This brings up the issue of climate justice.
What does your family think about the climate change?
Discussions specifically on climate change are absent in our family, but the changes are observed by everyone in the family.
What is your opinion on climate change, why does it occur, and what is the main cause?
Despite these shifts, I don’t believe climate change will profoundly disrupt our day-to-day lives. I believe the Indian people are resilient and will find ways to adapt no matter the situation. Life goes on. A major contributor to climatic changes is the rapid industrial development across the country over the decades. The increase in the number of vehicles, factories, and power plants has impacted the air we breathe as the amount of greenhouse gas emissions increases. In addition to affecting the quality of the air, the pollution has also contributed to the increase in temperature. Though we will endure, I worry about what the future holds for India’s youth like my future children if these climate changes are not controlled through concerted global action. I wish more people could witness how those people bearing little responsibility suffer the consequences of this threat.
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