VISAKHAPATNAM: British Council (Chennai) Director Eunice Crook on Monday said climate change was a matter of serious concern.

Speaking at a seminar on contemporary environmental problems of urban areas here, she said global warming would have an increasing impact on civil society. With urban-centric growth, the relationship between climate change and cities would be of vital importance to the future well-being of the human population during this century, she said.

City-centric problem

Ms. Crook said climate change and its impact on cities should be discussed for three main reasons: over 75 per cent energy consumption was directly related to cities; in many cases, cities were highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and cities had a great potential to instigate innovative solutions (in the form of adaptations and emission reductions).

She said "the statistics on climate change are frightening. Industrialisation has led to a huge increase in energy use over the years. Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere went up by 31 per cent between 1750 and 2001.''

She also said the current rate of increase was unprecedented in history. Although data for India was not readily available, reports suggested a phenomenal increase in carbon dioxide levels in recent times.

Stating that the British Government was keen on addressing to the concerns expressed in various quarters on climate change, she said research had shown that it could impact habitats in various forms. On the end-results like fall in crop yield and spread of infectious diseases, she said that the need now was to initiate measures to prevent global warming.

Ms. Crook said the British Council was looking not at climate change impacts and inter-government negotiations but towards mitigation, adaptation and practical measures that people could adopt.