Dark clouds, gentle, cool breezes, and signs of life everywhere. The Monsoon has begun in India, giving much-needed respite from summer heat!

Images of India in the mainstream media can be misleading. They generally show only our cities. They portray them as overcrowded and unhygienic.

But most of India is farms and forests. Nearly half the labor force is in agriculture. It accounts for about 17 percent of India’s economic production.

From June through September, Monsoon rains give India 75 percent of its yearly rainfall. More than 70 percent of India’s people depend on them. For many farmers, rain means the difference between life and death.

But what is the significance of this year’s Monsoon?

Monsoon Season Proving Climate Alarmists All Wet

Climate alarmists like India’s Rajendra Pachauri (disgraced former Chairman of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) lead many to believe “climate change” (code for catastrophic, man-made global warming) is bringing environmental collapse to India. How? By putting its agricultural sector in peril. Mainstream media echo the claim.

Climate has been changing throughout the planet’s history. But climate alarmists believe recent changes caused by human emissions of carbon dioxide are unprecedented and dangerous.

A key part of their claim is that climate change has changed rainfall patterns. For India, they predict more droughts. And droughts can devastate India’s farmers.

Let’s put that to test!

Firstly, what about warming? India’s temperature has remained largely stable in the past century. Both regional and national averages show no significant increase. The only exception is in major cities, due to urban heat island effect.

Secondly, what about rainfall? It has shown no significant reduction. In fact, recent papers indicate that rainfall has increased significantly in many places during the past six decades.

Thirdly, what about drought devastating farmers? It must be a joke of incredible proportions to claim that climate change has caused drought-based agricultural collapse in India. If it had, output should have fallen. But the country is producing record crops for the third straight year.

The agricultural ministry attributes this directly to rainfall. This is because most crops in India are rain fed.

And What of This Year?

This year’s Monsoon is in full swing. In some places it exceeds expectations. It began earlier than anticipated and has delivered significant rainfall. Catchment areas for rivers have received ample rainfall.

Dams in southern India are filling fast. The major dams that supply water to my city, Coimbatore, are already full. The surplus is being released in canals for use.

So, there is nothing alarming about this year’s Monsoon. As in previous years, it continues to shatter the myth of Indian droughts driven by climate change.

And the Indian agricultural sector, buoyed by technological innovations, is flourishing as never before. The trend will continue despite the climate alarmists’ lies.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly referenced Chennai rather than Coimbatore. 

Vijay Jayaraj (M.Sc., Environmental Science, University of East Anglia, England), Research Associate for Developing Countries for the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, lives in Chennai, India.