For anyone who ever questioned the authenticity of global warming claims, the unheralded climate-related disasters over the last few years should have put their doubts to rest. A few weeks ago, Environment Minister Anil Dave informed the Lok Sabha about a study conducted by Oxford University which stated that India could face as many as 1.3 lakh climate-related deaths in the coming decade. From floods causing total chaos in states like Tamil Nadu, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat and Maharashtra to severe droughts leaving farmers in despair, India is under ‘attack’.
It’s a no-brainer why India needs to act urgently and address the underlying causes and issues. Dr Ravi Gooneratne, Associate Professor in Toxicology at Lincoln University, New Zealand says “India, being the second largest population, has to be very concerned about climate change, in order to feed its citizens. With the political scenario in the world today, no country can afford to depend on others for food. The aim will have to be to become self-sufficient, which will only happen if they make serious changes in food production.”
The concept of global warming is something that everyone is aware of. When greenhouse gases are emitted, some of the sun’s rays get reflected while most of it gets absorbed by the earth, causing the temperature to rise. These greenhouse gases are mostly emitted by industries, but also by cattle. Ravi explains, “When cattle feed on grass that has been cultivated using pesticides, it forms methane (CH4). With every degree increase in temperature, more rainfall is evaporated, thereby reducing crop production drastically to about 10 per cent.”
Underlining the role of educational institutions and the government in addressing climate change, Ravi says although the IITs are increasingly taking up projects related to climate-change, there is a lot more that can be done. These are a few pointers:
• Institutions have to find out what climate change is high and what calamities they are prone to
• Mitigate the basic causes through research
• Get state funds for climate-specific research
• Get involved in governmental programmes to train people in using new technology
• Conduct awareness programmes on the hazards of pollution