The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : “Global warming can cause displacement in city”

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 06, 2011
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

“Global warming can cause displacement in city”

Staff Reporter

Government should plan well in advance to decongest coastal areas

Conference on 'Climate Change, Agriculture, Sustainable Development and Public Leadership'

CHENNAI: The displacement of human population due to global warming may be massive in Chennai as 70 per cent of the population lives along the coast, said R. K. Nayak, Executive Chairman, The Environmental and Consumer Protection Foundation, citing a study by a professor at IIT-Madras. Hence, the government should plan well in advance to decongest the coastal areas, he said.

Prof. Nayak was delivering the keynote address at the third round table meet on ‘Climate Change, Agriculture, Sustainable Development and Public Leadership' organised by The Environmental and Consumer Protection Foundation in association with M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation at Satyabhama University here on Friday.

Two degree-rise predicted

“Scientists predict a two degree Celsius rise in temperature by middle of the century and estimate a reduce in crop yield by 20 percent,” he said referring to a research. The two-day conference will have sessions on food security by increasing the dependence on sea food and in expanding and strengthening agriculture that would mitigate the impact of global warming.

Decline in yields

The impact of climate change on agriculture is leading to a decline in crop yields which would cause India a loss of 125 million tonnes of food grain, equivalent to 18 per cent of the country's rain-fed production, Governor Surjit Singh Barnala said in his message. In the absence of the governor, the message was read out by R. V. Rama Rao, Director, Institute of Development and Policy Studies.

Consolidated programme

Sathyabama University Chancellor Jeppiaar emphasised the need for a consolidated programme by policy makers that focus on developing the agricultural and industrial sectors simultaneously.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu