| Abstract: |
Jharkhand, being one of the mineral-rich eastern states of India, is experiencing increasing environmental pressures, as a result of coal mining, thermal power generation as well as heavy industries, which emit large quantities of atmospheric pollutants that influence the stability of regional climates. The current research examines the effects of significant atmospheric pollutants PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, CO and CO2 on the climate change trends in Jharkhand. These aims were to examine the trends of pollutant concentrations in large cities, and to examine the relationship between the pollutant loads and the climate variables in the regions. Secondary data were used using CPCB, IMD Ranchi, IQAir, and peer-reviewed sources regarding 2017-2025 to adopt a descriptive, quantitative research design. There was a purposive selection of six urban monitoring stations: Ranchi, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Hazaribaghs and Chakradharpur. Pearson correlation and percentage departure analysis as well as descriptive statistics were used. The findings indicate that PM2.5, PM10, were regularly higher than WHO and NAAQS standards; the cities of Dhanbad and Jamshedpur appeared to be the most polluted. Anomalies in pre-monsoon 2025 rainfall were up to +106% and temperature anomalies were in line with the eighth warmest-year on record in India. Industrial emissions and local warming indicators were found to have a strong positive correlation (r = 0.71). The research finds that the Jharkhand pollutant burden is a key local cause of climate change, which needs to be mitigated. |
