Rising heat waves & droughts, rainfall cases & also a likelihood of more cyclonic activity – this is what can take place in India and the subcontinent over the coming decades, as per a report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on August 9. The IPCC report, Climate Change 2021: the Physical Science Basis’, is the first part of IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). This is its latest valuation of the condition of Earth’s climate and also the impact on the planet and life forms. The report also raises a crucial red flag. Global temperatures have already risen by about 1.1 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial times, and warns that the 1.5-degree-Celsius threshold was likely to be breached before 2040. As far as India is concerned, the report says heat waves and humid heat stress will be more intense and frequent in the 21st century. Changes are expected in monsoon precipitation. Bhupender Yadav, Union Cabinet Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate change said, “India under the visionary leadership of PM Modiji has taken numerous steps to tackle the global problem of climate change.”