Tips to tackle climate change

The Hindu , Saturday, March 21, 2009
Correspondent : Staff Reporter
DINDIGUL: Protection of water sources, reduction of water pollution, encouraging energy efficiency and climate-friendly trends are essential to tackle climate change and global warming, said V. Irulandi, Chief Conservator of Forests.

He was addressing a seminar on issues and impacts of climate change on community held at Gandhigram Rural University here on Friday.

Global warming and climate change have been threatening eco system. “If we do not act quickly, our world will undergo terrible catastrophe including hurricane and floods. Global warming will destroy bio-diversity and cut agriculture production and threaten food security. Scientific findings forecast that global temperature will rise to 1.4 to 5.8 degree Celsius by 2100. Of the 19 warmest years of record, 19 had occurred since 1980 and three hottest years ever observed have all occurred in the last eight years. This change was much larger than any climate change experienced in the last thousand years.

Rise in sea level and temperature will have devastating effect on coastal areas, wiping out economic and tourism activities and destroying coastal eco system, he cautioned.

Degradation of soil, destruction of water resources and shifting monsoons will certainly cut yields by a third. More over, crop yield and productivity will vary. Live stock will also become costlier owing to higher prices of grain. Up in global temperature will also affect functioning and composition of forests, destroying variety of plants, he warned. “Decline in local food production will lead to more malnutrition and hunger.”

Such negative effects could be limited by making suitable change in crop varieties, modern water management and irrigation system, effective planning on land use and watershed management.

Regulation and technologies to control land and water use, improvement in water management, protection of water side vegetations, restoration of rivers and reduction of water pollution may address these problems, he advised.

Taxes, regulatory standards, tradable emission permits and information and voluntary programmes will play major role in this connection, the CCF said. “Change in practice and lifestyle of people is a must. They should know how their activities damaged environment.”

 
SOURCE : Saturday, 21 March 2009
 


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