Your planet needs you: Unite to combat climate change

The Pioneer , Friday, June 05, 2009
Correspondent : Manas Ranjan Senapati

Serious environmental and social challenges necessitate us to contribute to our communities and to the needs of future generations. There is now a globalisation of environmental problems. How we obtain and use energy is likely to play a crucial role in our environmental future.

Climate change is the most important global environmental challenge facing humanity with implications for natural ecosystems, agriculture and health. The perusal of general circulation models (GCMs) on climate indicate that rising levels of greenhouse gases are likely to increase the global average surface temperature by 1.5-4.5 degree Celsius over the next 100 years. The difference of average temperature between the last ice age and present climate is 60 deg C. This will cause to raise sea-levels, shift climate zones pole ward, decrease soil moisture and storms. The recent increase in hurricane intensity is due to climate change.

Global warming is predicted to affect agricultural production. The Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an international body of over 3,000 experts, indicates that rice and wheat production of India will drop significantly because of climate change. A 1.5 degree Celsius rise and 2 mm increase in precipitation could result in a decline in rice yields by 3-15 per cent. It is a matter of deep concern since agriculture is the largest source of employment in India. IPCC has recommended the need to adopt a precautionary approach. Non-conventional renewable energy resources i.e. solar, wind, geo-thermal, tidal, bio fuel etc. could give us cleaner environment.

Carbon Dioxide is the most important anthropogenic gas the growth rate of which was larger during the last 10 years at the rate of 1.9 ppm per year. Some other gases that contribute to warming include methane, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons. Global climate change is a long term problem since greenhouse gases once emitted stay in the atmosphere for decades to centuries and even longer.

World Environment Day is an opportunity to raise awareness and promote action on national environmental issues and mitigating priorities. World Environment Day is observed every year since 1974 in more than 100 countries, and is one of the most popular days on the United Nations calendar. The day is being observed on 5th June since 1987 by the host cities throughout the world.

The theme for World Environment Day 2009 is Your Planet Needs You-Unite to Combat Climate Change. This year’s host is Mexico which reflects the growing role of the country in the fight against climate change, including its growth in the carbon markets.

On March 28, 2009, millions of people of 75 countries, including India switched off their lights at 8.30 pm for one hour (Earth Hour) to convey their support for action on climate change. One billion people in 1,000 cities around the world joined Earth Hour the massive campaign of the century to show that they care about their living planet. We could cycle or bus to work and leave our car at home, by using less electricity and less water etc.

By mid-century, India could have both the largest urban and rural populations of the time. This will have an important bearing on global climate vulnerability and the potential for mitigation and adaptation. It is possible, however, that climate change may force the pace of rural-urban migration over the next few decades.

The role of science and technology cannot be ignored. Right kind of technologies and policies are required to strengthen the capacity of communities to cope effectively with both climatic variability and changes. Adaptive actions may be taken to overcome adverse effects of climate change on agriculture. India became a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol in 2002 as an initiative towards mitigating activities. Raising consumer awareness will be the key to arrest climate change globally with local actions that permit its mitigation and the adaptation to its impacts.

--Dr Senapati is Professor and Head of Department of Chemistry at NM Institute of Engineering & Technology, Bhubaneswar

 
SOURCE : Friday, June 05, 2009
 


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