Seminar on Climate Change
at UoH
Hyderabad|India|September'2009: Centre for Earth & Space sciences,
University of Hyderabad, has conducted a seminar on “Climate Change:
Causes, Measures and Preparedness”. Several renowned scientists who are
actively working on the climate change issues have participated and
presented their recent findings in the seminar. Here it has been
summarized the main findings.
The palaeoclimate records based on the marine sediments have revealed the
role of Indian monsoon in triggering the abrupt climate changes on the
global scale due to the tropical convection in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. The
monsoon rainfall has been decreased from 3500 years due to the onset of
arid climate in the southeast Asian region and major shift in rainfall has
occurred from 1977 which is attributed to the anthropogenic influence on
the monsoon rainfall in the Indian region. The temperature and rainfall
data of Peninsular India suggest that temperatures are increasing and
rainfall is decreasing, particularly in the last 30 years, which in turn
affected the groundwater levels. The studies clearly demonstrate depleted
groundwater levels in Kadapa, Kurnool and Anantapur districts of
Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh.
The archaeological evidences demonstrate that the growing settlements
which must have resulted in removal of forest cover was to a great extent
responsible for the drastic environmental changes. For example,
geographical regions where the Indus, Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Chinese
civilizations prevailed became deserts due to the over exploitation of
natural resources. Similarly, the core Neolithic region covered the modern
districts of Bellary, Chitradurga, Anantapur, Kurnool, Mahaboobnagar
having become semi-arid due to the deforestation. Thus, role of over
exploitation of the natural resources and its adverse impact is evident
since ancient days.
The present trend of increasing green house gases and associated climate
change will pose a serious threat on the human health. Climate change
affects health through direct and also complex indirect mechanisms. For
example global warming may affect the distribution of vector –borne and
diarrhoeal and other infectious diseases. The policy and administrative
and administrative steps to be taken up by the governments, in the event
of imminent climate change, have been discussed.
The Meeting was concluded with following recommendations…..
* Public awareness need to be created about the climate change affect on
the water scarcity, and health problems, therefore, government needs to
implement schemes wherein public would be taught how to conserve the water
resources.
* Research must focus on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, how to
adapt to changes and geo-engineering.
* Research on land-use pattern, water resources and food security to be
taken up.
* Anthropological studies be taken up to characterize human-climate
interactions
* Available environmental data in India is often too short to decide
whether there has been a significant change in climate. Therefore routine
monitoring and making a large data base should be given priority
* Paleoclimate studies to focus more on high resolution changes with
quantitative approach in the Anthropocene and Holocene.
* Monitor changes in marine species diversity and ocean acidification by
deploying moorings in the Indian Ocean.
The seminar was inaugurated by Dr. Harsh Gupta, President, Geological
Society of India, and was presided over by Prof. V. Kannan, Pro-Vice
Chancellor of the University. Dr. V.P. Dimri, Director, National
Geophysical Research Institute, and V.D. Rajagopal, Director, Mines &
Geology, Government of Andhra Pradesh, also spoke on the occasion. Prof.
A.C. Narayana convened the seminar.
