Climate change is having a significant impact on India’s forests, but there is a lack of ground-level observational data to determine the exact effects. Forests are crucial for absorbing excess carbon emissions and storing carbon dioxide. Photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen, is affected by rising temperatures. While increased carbon dioxide levels can lead to carbon fertilization, increasing plant growth, this can only be beneficial up to a certain point. Research by scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Goa, found that forests in some regions of India are actually decreasing carbon dioxide absorption due to decreased photosynthesis. This is due to increased temperatures in these regions. Another study found that tropical forest trees’ photosynthetic ability starts to fail when leaf temperatures reach 46.7°C, and at an average atmospheric temperature rise of 4°C, tropical trees will reach a point of no return. It is crucial to study the impact of climate change on forests at the individual species level and to conduct more research to understand the effects of climate change on forests in India.
Diverse Dangers of the Natural Environment
