Scientists urged to develop technology that can predict drastic changes in climate
BANGALORE: The Tata Energy and Research Institute (TERI) has urged the Government to frame policies to combat the ill effects of climate changes, a top official of the organisation said here on Wednesday.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Senior Scientist V. Ramaswamy emphasised the need to take up urgent initiatives to control greenhouse effect to face and adapt to the impacts of climate changes.
Mr. Ramaswamy was delivering a talk on "Understanding Climate Changes of the 20th Century."
He stressed the need for sustainable patterns of energy production and consumption, and conservation of existing natural resources.
Greenhouse gases had been the dominant non-natural factor for increased global warming in the last four decades.
India has registered a significant rise in temperature during this period.
Predicting climate change
Dr. Ramaswamy wanted scientists to develop latest technology for predicting climate changes of extreme nature.
He sought formulation of a set of policies to adapt to the climate changes as there was no option but to live with it.
Warning to poor countries
TERI Director General and IPCC Chairman R.K. Pachauri, quoting the Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s third assessment report, cautioned that the impact of climate change will fall disproportionately upon developing countries and the poor in all countries.
He said in tropics and subtropics, where some crops were near their maximum temperature tolerance and where dry land non-irrigated agriculture dominated, yields were likely to decrease even if there are small changes in climate.
Livelihoods affected
In coastal areas and small island states, livelihoods are threatened directly by potential sea level rise, and indirectly by the adverse effect of seawater intrusion on the health of coastal ecosystems.
Dr. Pachauri said atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide had increased by 31 per cent from 280 ppm before the Industrial Revolution to 368 ppm in 2000.
Concentrations of methane increased by 150 per cent over the same period, he added.
