This chapter deals with the impacts of global climate change on different sectors in India. We are basically an agricultural society. The first and foremost sector is agriculture, which mostly depends on the monsoon rain. Although the advent of modern biotechnology may create wonders in agriculture, in the foreseeable future, we as a nation, may not be able to free ourselves from the conventional methods adopted in agriculture. Hence, the impact of climate change on our agriculture is very crucial. This aspect is discussed at length in Section 5.1. Forests are the backbone of the tribal societies in our country. There are people who sustain themselves entirely on what they get from the forests. Besides the dependence of people on forests for their livelihood, forests are the treasure house for rich biodiversity, including medicinal plants. Impacts of global climate change on forests are discussed in detail in Section 5.2. Mangrove ecosystems on our long coastline of 6,500km are very valuable. Such ecosystems are very vulnerable to climate change because they are easily accessible to the people living in and around. The impacts of climate change on mangrove ecosystems are discussed in Section 5.3.

India is dotted with mountains of various heights, the most prominent among these being the mighty Himalayas, the Western Ghats and the Vindhyas. The numerous slopes and valleys of the mountain systems carry the burden of the every day lives of people living there.