Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
INTRODUCTION
factor to the survival of several million people
across some of India's diverse landscapes, several
initiatives have been taken up at various levels
of governance ranging from local to global.
The United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) through its Confer-
ence of Parties (COP) focuses on Impacts and
Adaptation, mitigation and policy interventions
to address the threat of climate change. The sci-
ence and technology panel of the United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
advocates use of a communication based system
through an interface of top down and bottom up
approach to tackle preparedness against extreme
events like drought.
Since the last industrial revolution, emissions re-
sulting from anthropogenic activities have led to a
substantial increase in the atmospheric concentra-
tion of greenhouse gases. The resultant warming
of the earth's atmosphere, has consequently led
to a rise of about 0.8 ° C in the average global
surface temperature.
As a result of these changes,widespread eco-
logical and socio economic impacts of climate
change is likely to threaten the future growth and
economic activities of several countries in the Asia
Pacific region. Some indicators and triggers of
global warming include increased extreme weather
events (including more flooding, drought, frequent
heatwaves,cyclones, depressions), increased ag-
ricultural losses, sea ice melt, retreating glaciers,
sea level rise, coral bleaching, and decline in
biodiversity. Communities in both developed and
developing countries are already suffering from
these impacts, and tropical countries are likely
to be more vulnerable than developed countries.
Scenarios compiled by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2007b) suggest
than unless humans dramatically reduce green-
house gas emissions, we will see a doubling
of pre-industrial carbon dioxide concentrations
resulting in an increase of the earth's temperature
from between 1.1 to 6.4°C (depending on estimates
for low and high scenarios), with recent modeling
suggesting upwards of 11 °C by the end of the
century (Stainforth et al, 2005).
The last decade has been observed as the warm-
est with India and South - East Asia experiencing
frequent extreme climatic events. While recent
climate models predict an increase in rainfall
patterns regional change may be different (Rupa
Kumar et al, 2006).
The Indian subcontinent harbours some of
the most ecologically diverse and fragile eco-
systems where the local environments are under
threat from a variety of factors. Recognising the
BACKGROUND
India is an agriculture based developing economy,
surrounded by a long coast line and a mountain-
ous Himalayan range in the north. Given this,
the country is vulnerable to any major changes
in the overall climate. There is an urgent need
for developing strategic interventions to address
the adaptation needs of local communities and
ecosystems based on impact studies and the use
of appropriate technology and communication
based solutions and strategies. Regional climate
variability and the various uncertainties involved
in projecting future climate scenarios make local
adaptation attributes a very complex issue and
often region specific.
Civil society interventions often have strong
linkages to field and grass roost based sustainable
development projects with a particular focus on
some of the vulnerable ecosystems of the Indian
sub continent like the Himalayas, Sundarbans and
the coastal regions and agriculture.
Himalaya
The vast number and range of glaciers and peren-
nial river systems originating from the Himalaya
