‘Research on climate change in India is in its infancy’

The Hindu , Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Correspondent : Staff Reporter
Bangalore: Global warming may be an irreversible phenomenon with catastrophic consequences on livelihoods, but research in India on climate change and its impact is in its “infancy” and scientific projection models “weak to put it mildly,” according to N.H. Ravindranath, professor at the Centre for Sustainable Technologies, Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

Despite Karnataka’s many scientific institutions, very few are working on climate modelling, said Dr. Ravindranath at a round-table meeting on “Environment, sustainability and climate change” here on Monday. “We know even less about the impact of global warming on climate-sensitive professions such as dryland farming, forestry or fishing,” he said.

Attributing these lacunae to limitations in institutional capacity, computing and funding, Dr. Ravindranath said: “We need a State-level task force. If Gujarat can have one, so can Karnataka.” He said that the expertise of institutions such as IISc., the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Indian Institute of Management, universities and corporate heavyweights should be tapped.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), most parts of India will experience warming in the range of 2 to 4 degrees Celsius. This is bound to impact the hydrological cycle, with an increase in rainfall, floods and droughts in India, he added. British economist and academic Nicholas Stern said that the two greatest challenges of the 21st century were poverty and climate change. “There is an intimate link between climate change and development and it is our responsibility to tackle both these together.” “Cyclones, for instance, might become more frequent in India. A global rise in temperature by 4 or 5 degrees will involve the massive movement of people and conflict over resources,” he said, adding: “We are the first generation with the chance to rewrite the world as we see it. And I hope we do not take that chance.”

Former Chairman of the Legislative Council B.K. Chandrashekar said that climate change must not be dismissed as an “esoteric subject” by political parties in the agendas.

 
SOURCE : Tuesday, March 24, 2009
 


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