Visakhapatnam facing immediate threat due to proposed coastal corridor

‘VISAKHAPATNAM: More and more people are expressing their deep concern over the damage being done to environment and the lack of initiative and concerted methods to stop the damage.

The studies made by some reputed agencies continue to reveal alarming facts and the disaster earth would face in near future.

A study made by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the CARE International identified India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Indonesia as being among the global warming’s “hotspots” or countries that were particularly vulnerable to extreme droughts, flooding and cyclones in the coming two to three decades and a UN-sponsored workshop held in Dhaka examined the effects of global warming on the predominantly agricultural region of South Asia where a major part of the 1.52 billion population lives in rural areas.

Scientific evidence

Noble Laureate Al Gore, who is an activist against damage to environment, presented the scientific evidence on the human-driven climate change in his movie “An Inconvenient Truth” and in the recent past gave a call to switch over to the totally carbon-free renewable energy within the next 10 years.

Recently, the New Economic Foundation released a note saying that “in 100 months from August 2008, the atmospheric concentration of green house gases would begin to exceed a point beyond which it was no longer possible to avert potentially irreversible climate change”.

The forecast was based on limiting the average surface temperature rise to two degrees Celsius, the maximum acceptable level of temperature rise agreed to by the European Union and others.

Every second, nearly 1000 metric tons of carbon dioxide is being released into the earth’s atmosphere and this must be substantially reduced to prevent runaway climate change, the note said.

In the background of the impending damage to atmosphere and the need to create awareness and a positive action from people and the Government, an organisation called “100 Months Climate Protection Movement” has been formed, said one of its members K. Saraswathi.

Immediate threat

While there is threat everywhere in the world, Visakhapatnam region is facing an immediate threat to some crores of population in the shape of the coastal corridor , she stated.

In a bid to bring awareness about on the need to initiate a nationwide debate and plan measures at various levels of the Government to face the impending crisis positively and boldly, a one-day workshop is being organised at the Youth Hostel, adjacent to YMCA on the Beach Road here on September 14, Ms. Saraswathi informed.