Climatic change cause for concern: Experts

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 8

Abrupt climate change and extreme events are a bigger cause of concern as a small change in temperature is detrimental not only to human beings but the whole life on earth. Dr Ashwani Kumar, Director General, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) stated this while speaking at the inaugural session of the five-day training programme on ‘Climate Change Vulnerabilities and Adaptation Strategies’ for scientists and technologists working in the government sector.

Dr Ashwani Kumar said people in developing countries were particularly vulnerable to climate change because they were more prone to its adverse impacts. Climate change was threatening food production system through changes in carbon.

Recently in Paris, the international community had agreed to contain global temperature rise well below 20°C with respect to pre-industrial revolution.

India was likely to be effected very adversely by impact of climate change as food and water security of the country was also likely to be affected. Climate change mitigation coould be attained at cheaper cost through forestry activities such as afforestation and reforestation. However, adaptation was going to be the key for stability of natural resources, he said.

The DG of ICFRE urged all scientists across the sectors to join hands to ensure climate change mitigation and adaptation in various agro climatic zones of the country. Forests in India contributed a lot towards climate change mitigation. With its focus on sustainable management of forests, afforestation and reforestation programmes, India had been successful in improving carbon stock in its forests by as much as 10 per cent, amounting to about 600 million tonnes of carbon for the decade ending 2004. India’s forests also capture about 10 per cent of its annual GHG emissions. The Government of India’s Green Indian Mission plans to reforest 10 million hectare of degraded land in the next 10 years, Dr Ashwani Kumar added.

Saibal Dasgupta, DDG (Extension), highlighted that forests were vulnerable to climate change and at the same time, forests were important for climate change mitigation.

The ICFRE is organising the five-day training course from February 8 to 12, 2016, for the scientists and technologists working in government sector. Eighteen scientists from various government scientific organisations and universities of the country are participating in the training programme, sponsored by Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, under the‘National Programme for Training of Scientists and Technologists working in Government Sector’.