A comic begins: Forty percent of India’s 1.4 billion people live in a relatively small stretch of land, The Indo Gangetic Plain. How the region became a cradle of civilization is no accident of history, but rather an example of how geography has shaped the country, and helped make it the world’s most populous nation. While the country’s population boom is often attributed to fertility rates, a more fundamental explanation can be found in the soil of these great plains. At 270,000 square miles, the plain is one of the most fertile stretches of land in the world. A colorful, abstracted map shows various aspects of the plain with labels: It lies between the Indus and the Ganges Rivers. The Himalayas mountain range is located in the North. The mountains block cold, dry air from Central Asia, making an ideal environment for crops to grow. Minerals from Himalayan glaciers melt into the rivers, which are then soaked by the land, making it very fertile.

Narration continues: People have flocked here for virtually as long as urban civilizations have existed. In 1963, archaeologists found 5000-year-old remains of one of the largest towns in the Indus Valley Civilization at Rakhigarhi, an excavation site in Haryana, India. A map of the archaeological site contains various elements that are labeled as such: Excavations by the archaeological survey of India have revealed they had sun-dried brick houses in rows that ran parallel to the street; Advanced sanitation infrastructure with bathrooms and kitchens connected to soakage jars; large granaries; platform for grinding grains; drainage system made of burnt brick; bead factory; market complex; Sasraswati River. Narration: Archaeologists found remains of a pottery kiln, ceramic wares, kitchen equipment, animal figurines and toy carts. This pottery is made of the alluvial soil that makes the Indo-Gangetic plains so fertile. Thumbnails show artwork from the period: The Dancing Girl, a sculpture from the Indus Valley Civilization; Animal terra cotta figurines from the Mature Harappan Civilization; Dish container on stand from the Harappan Civilization; Silver hoop and stamp seal from Rakhigarhi.

Narration: The region’s unique weather pattern has allowed it to foster civilizations over time. The presence of the Himalayan mountain range contributes to the creation of the monsoon system. The range heats up and draws moisture from the ocean during the summer. An illustration shows a coastal village at the base of the Himalayas. An inset map shows pre-Monsoon rainfall by state in India in summer 2023: The middle band of the country shows less than 87.7 mm; the states around that show 87.7-150.2 mm; and states on the north, south and eastern coasts show 150.2 mm to over 275.2 mm and over. A series of illustrations depict this process: Moist air rises up. Mountains act as a natural barrier. Moist air cannot cross to the drier regions of the Tibetan Plateau. Air cools and condenses … and turns into rain and snow … which waters much of India’s crops.

Narration: The abundance of the Indo-Gangetic Plain drew farmers to its soil. Now that’s leading to its degradation. Excessive emissions from industrialization and agriculture have led to a high concentration of fine particulate matter in the region. The drop in air quality has decreased life expectancy in the region by seven years. Narration: Aerosols from industrial pollution, cooking fuels and car exhaust are also changing rainfall patterns and detrimentally affecting the monsoons. This has led to more droughts and longer dry periods. Illustrations show the Qutb Minar in contrast to modern-day industrialization of smoke stacks; cooking fumes; and car exhaust. Emissions are wafting up, almost obscuring the tower. Another illustration shows dry, cracked earth.

Narration: The abundance of the Indo-Gangetic Plain drew farmers to its soil. Now that’s leading to its degradation. Excessive emissions from industrialization and agriculture have led to a high concentration of fine particulate matter in the region. The drop in air quality has decreased life expectancy in the region by seven years. ​​ ​​Narration: Aerosols from industrial pollution, cooking fuels and car exhaust are also changing rainfall patterns and detrimentally affecting the monsoons. This has led to more droughts and longer dry periods. ​​ ​​Illustrations show the Qutb Minar in contrast to modern-day industrialization of smoke stacks; cooking fumes; and car exhaust. Emissions are wafting up, almost obscuring the tower. Another illustration shows dry, cracked earth.

Yusuf Jameel, a data scientist at Project Drawdown, a research organization focused on science-based climate solutions, says: “Climate models agree that as the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere increases, and the air is able to carry more moisture, the summer monsoon rain will increase, and there will be more extreme rainfall events. Major flooding events like the one in Pakistan last year — that was caused after weeks of intense rainfall [and] is likely to become more common.” Narration: Extreme climate events have led to lower crop yields, affecting food security and livelihoods in the region. An illustration of Jameel speaks the quote. Other panels show industrial emissions from smoke stacks; heavy rainfall; a flooded town in Pakistan; and a house under power cords and a hot, hot sky.

Narration: The plain is also extremely vulnerable to climate change. That’s partly because of its high population density and partly due to what Sachchida Nand Tripathi, a researcher at the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur, calls “the valley effect.” While the Himalayas lie to the north of the plains, the Deccan Plateau lies to its south. The two barriers cause the air in the region to stagnate, leading to higher concentration of aerosols. This accelerates the melting rate of the Himalayan glaciers. The effects are already starting to take hold. In 2022, extreme weather events including heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, tropical cyclones deadly heat waves affected nearly 5 million acres of crop area. India is the world’s largest rice exporter, making up about 40% of exports globally. Extreme climate events impact not only India’s growing population, but many other countries around the world. Graphics: Two maps show the cross-over between states in the Indo-Gangetic Plain and States most vulnerable to climate change. The cross-over includes: Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam.

Narration: But researchers say there is still hope. Paul West, an ecologist at Project Drawdown, suggests there are ways to provide more stability and sustainability. Illustration: A portrait of West speaks his quote. Isometric cubes representing the following solutions: Build healthy soils for improving crop yields; use less nitrogen fertilizers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; drain flooded rice fields to reduce methane emissions; agroforestry to create diverse conditions; plant cover crops to reduce soil erosion; plant diverse or perennial crops (a tradition that harks back to the Indus Valley Civilizations.) Narration concludes: Saving the future will depend on solutions based in modern science and centuries-old farming traditions.