German environmentalist Michael Kuhn joined the partners of “Beyond Copenhagen” campaign at a dialogue on climate change here on Monday to give a call for better resource management, a paradigm shift in rural development and innovative measures for disaster prevention to reduce the impact of global warming on agriculture and food production.
Mr. Kuhn – policy and external relations expert with German non-profit relief organisation Welt Hunger Hilfe – was here to study the impact of climate change on crops and soil fertility and interact with farmers and villagers to explore the potential for promoting sustainable use of natural resources.
Mr. Kuhn was designated as a member of a delegation to accompany German Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen who was scheduled to meet his Indian counterpart in New Delhi this past week. The meeting was put off as Mr. Roettgen could not turn up in India following some “political developments” in Germany's ruling coalition.
The dialogue on “Climate change: Issues and initiatives” was organised by the Centre for Community Economics and Development Consultants' Society at its headquarters here to deliberate on priorities and interventions on the environmental front in a global perspective and learn from the experiences of Germany in dealing with the consequences of weather changes. The participants, mainly the members of “Beyond Copenhagen” campaign launched here after the 2009 world climate conference in Copenhagen, threw light on the initiatives taken in Rajasthan for dealing with global warming, constant decline in ground water level, reduction in monsoon duration and a steady decrease in the crop yield.
Mr. Kuhn, who visited Gujarat and West Bengal before his Rajasthan visit, went to Batugaon village, 50 km from here, on Monday morning to assess the impact of climate change at the grassroots and witnessed the methods adopted by villagers to face the challenge. He especially noticed the “social adjustments” necessitated by changing weather.
Welt Hunger Hilfe has supported about 5,500 emergency aid, regional development and infrastructure projects in over 70 countries with 1.9 billion Euros since its inception in 1962.
Ajay Jha of advocacy group Pairvi said an international legal framework and State accountability alone could help deal with the impact of relationship among the three spheres.
Former Rajasthan High Court Judge Panachand Jain said the climate negotiations should include a “serious proposal” for enactment of international law on climate change and establishment of international tribunals on the subject.
While Institute of Development Studies Director Surjit Singh said farmers in Rajasthan were gradually learning the techniques of crop patterns, water rights activist Prakash Chhangani said the “mega-project approach” rather than decentralisation in the renewable energy sector would create complications in future.
Others who addressed the dialogue were Centre for Community Economics secretary Sharad Joshi, environmentalist Soumya Dutta, economic justice expert Nidhi Kaushik, Ashok Mathur of Sajha Manch, Bhagirath Chaudhary of Grameen Swabhiman Sansthan and social activist Alok Vyas.
