Experts demand climate data in coming census

Kolkata: Subal Dhali, a farmer from the Sundarbans, now works in a barber’s shop in Kolkata. His 2-bigha farmland went under saline water during the last cyclone, rendering it unfit for cultivation.
Nayan Das from Odisha’s Kendrapara works in a hotel kitchen in Kerala after his family’s land was washed away by the sea. Both Dhali and Das are climate migrants, displaced by environmental disasters.Yet, like millions of others across the country, they are unlikely to be recognised as victims of changing climate in the upcoming national census.

A recent Right to Information (RTI) response has sparked concerns about the possible absence of climate change-related data in the coming census. The response from the office of the Registrar General of India has sparked a debate on this critical issue and experts have raised demands for inclusion of data on effects of climate change in the census.
The RTI query (ORGOI/R/T/24/00612), which sought clarity on whether the impending census would include questions related to climate change, received a rather interesting reply. The office wrote: “The Population enumeration schedule of the ensuing Census has not yet been notified. However, in earlier Censuses no question related to climate change has been included in Census questionnaire.”
Last month, Union home minister Amit Shah confirmed the govt’s intent to resume the process for census — on hold since 2020 due to Covid-19 — “very soon”.
With climate change and its effects becoming an increasingly pressing concern — where populations are displaced due to rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and other environmental impacts — accurate and targeted data is essential for effective policy planning and resource allocation, say experts.
Speaking on the importance on collection of data on climate change impact in census, Tuhin Ghosh, director of Jadavpur University’s School of Oceanographic Studies, said: “To facilitate informed studies and policy decisions, it is imperative that the census collects information specifically related to the effects of climate change and consequent mobility.” Ghosh’s extensive research over decades has focused on understanding the impacts of global warming. “At present, we do not even have proper data on human migration,” he added.
According to green activist Santanu Chacraverti, “Census data is vital for climate change planning, as it helps identify vulnerable populations based on social and economic indicators. And climate change factors should be integrated into census parameters, such as: (a) materials used in housing, indicating vulnerability to extreme weather; (b) populations living in hazard-prone areas, assessed with elevation maps; and (c) coastal populations, also analysed with elevation data. Incorporating these considerations into census surveys is feasible with proper planning.” This census will be a digital one. But despite this transition, no mention was made of introducing methodologies to specifically track climate migration or other environmental impacts.