IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 19, Issue 3, Ver. III (Mar. 2014), PP 01-10 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org www.iosrjournals.org 1 | Page “The Impact of Vehicular Explosion on Annual Means Temperature in the Urban Environment- A Case Study of Kolkata. Dr. Alpana Ray Assistant Professor in Geography Prasanta Chandra Mahalonobis College Baranagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, India Abstract: Transport sector is one of the biggest contributors to changing climate in cities around the world. Prior studies on many urban locations both in Asia as well as EU have reported that there is a strong positive relation between number of vehicles and temperature change in a given location. However, no research has been reported investigating this topic in Kolkata. This paper investigates the relation between the growth of personal vehicles (cars and two wheelers) and change in annual mean temperatures in the city of Kolkata. I have created a time series database collating secondary data obtained from multiple sources for the period between 1984 and 2010 and used regression analysis technique to test the relationship between growth of personal vehicles and change in mean annual temperature. The analysis shows that mean minimum temperature in Kolkata has increased from 21.8° C (1984) to 23° C (2010) - an increase of 1.2°C in the last twenty five years. There is a clear evidence of warming at night with increase of mean minimum temperature. The regression results suggest a positive and significant relationship between growth of personal vehicles and change in mean annual temperature and the trend line has a positive r value of +0.52. Understandably, the emissions of carbon monoxide, lead, sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, etc. from vehicles contribute to this increase. The paper concludes by suggesting some remedial measures emphasizing on the role of public transport to mitigate climate change through the reduction of green house gas emissions. Key Words: climate change, green house gas emission, regression analysis, urbanization, vehicular explosion. I. Introduction Cities as home to over half the world’s population are at the forefront of the challenge of climate change. Climate Change is potentially one of the most serious environmental threats facing the world today. Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007a) also concluded that there is a greater than 90 percent chance that the average global temperature increases over the last century and one of the important factors of increase of global temperature is the increase of greenhouse gases mainly from transport sector [1]. Cities are key hubs of the transportation sector. The personal motor car is the second biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector (behind road freight) and it is also one of the major contributor to climatic change in Urban India [2]. Prior studies on many urban locations both in Asia as well as EU have reported that there is a strong positive relation between number of vehicles and temperature change in a given location. D. Banister (2010), D. Das, A. Sharfouddin, , S. Datta, (2009), A. Dhored, A.S Gadgil.(2009), K.M.Ghose, (2009) , K. Rupa Kumar, & L.S Hingane,(1988), R. Hickman, R.Ashiru, J Cook, D.S Lere, A. Sterke (2010), L. Chapmar (2007) have attempted to quantify the effect of transportation on climate change in different cities in the World. However, no research has been reported investigating this topic in Kolkata, which is provides an ideal location for such a study because of its unique, complex urban history, uncontrolled haphazard urbanization, vehicular explosion mainly two wheelers and personalized cars in the last fifty years. So this paper investigates the relation between the growth of personal vehicles (cars and two wheelers) and change in annual mean temperatures in the city of Kolkata. The broad emphasis of this paper is to examine the study of vehicular pollution emanating from the interaction of urbanization and vehicular explosion especially role of personal vehicles two wheelers and personalized cars in the city of Kolkata in India and its impact in the possible micro climatic change mainly the change in mean annual temperature in the city. II. Methodology A time series database has been created collating secondary data obtained from multiple sources for the period between 1984 and 2010 and these are used for regression analysis technique to test the relationship between growth of personal vehicles and change in mean annual temperature. Four types of parameters have