BHUBANESWAR: Rise in temperature could pose more challenges for coastal states like Odisha as it could lead to formation of more cyclones, warned environment experts while calling for immediate remedial measures to address climate change on Thursday.
“Climate change affects evaporation and precipitation and frequent formation storms is one of its biggest impact,” said senior scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Centre at City College of New York, Tarendra Lakhankar in his address to students at the two-day International Conference on Climate Change Education organised by Sri Sri University, Cuttack in collaboration with City University of New York (CUNY) and US Consulate, Hyderabad.
Lakhankar said the focus should be on plantation and other environment friendly measures to increase carbon sequestration and check rise in temperature, especially in urban areas, to fight climate change. Climate change is global but its impact is local due to which sensitisation has to be created at community level, while alternatives to fossil fuels and other non-renewable energy need to be explored to check the alarming rise of CO2 emission.
“There are many sustainable development goals (SDGs), the United Nations (UN) has formulated to tackle climate change. However, to make it successful, we have to take it to the grassroots and educate people towards their adaptation,” said Prof Paramita Sen of Bronx Community College (BCC), CUNY.
To encourage climate change education and help students in weather and climate change research, Sri Sri University with support from CUNY installed a solar automated weather station on its campus on the inaugural day of the international conference.
Prof Neal Phillip, who along with his team installed the weather station, said it will help understand different parameters of weather at a very micro-scale.BCC president Thomas A Isekenegbe said the college has received State Department Public Diplomacy Grant to further its work on climate change in India.Sri Sri University president Prof Rajita Kulkarni said the university has been striving to achieve UN SDGs.