Parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are worst hit by recent heavy rains and floods. More than 4,000 villages were flooded, rendering people in lakhs homeless, in Karnataka alone. For those affected this Deepavali turned out to be a festival of darkness.
After traveling in a few affected areas, one question has been bothering me very much. Is flooding and unprecedented rains also signs of climate change?
It is difficult get a satisfactory answer to this question.
In August, I attended a media briefing workshop on climate change organised by Centre for Science and Environment based in Delhi. Sunita Naraian of the Centre, said she too had come up with similar questions, whenever Bihar faced floods and other calamities struck the nation. She said though it was difficult to attribute such disasters to climate change scientifically, nobody could argue that they had nothing do with change in climate.
The most serious issue in the efforts to counter climate change is that a section of the globe is facing hardship because of the mistakes committed by others. The countries which undertook industrialisation in a major way contributed to climate change liberally. But, when it comes to act upon the crisis they are too rigid. They do not want to minimise the emissions. Certainly, this is the serious issue involving - economics, industrialisation and development - at the present moment.
"If Maldives can't be saved today, we do not feel that there is much of a chance for the rest of the world".
Source: Reuters
By Maryam Omidi MALE, Oct 17 (Reuters) -
The Maldivian president and ministers held the world's first underwater cabinet meeting on Saturday, in a symbolic cry for help over rising sea levels that threaten the tropical archipelago's existence.
Aiming for another attention-grabbing event to bring the risks of climate change into relief before a landmark U.N. climate change meeting in December, President Mohamed Nasheed's cabinet headed to the bottom of a turquoise lagoon. Clad in black diving suits and masks, Nasheed, 11 ministers the vice president and cabinet secretary dove 3.8 metres (12 feet, 8 inches) to gather at tables under the crystalline waters that draw thousands of tourists to $1,000-a-night luxury resorts.
As black-and-white striped Humbug Damselfish darted around a backdrop of white coral, Nasheed gestured with his hands to start the 30-minute meeting, state TV showed. "We are trying to send our message to let the world know what is happening and what will happen to the Maldives if climate change isn't checked," a dripping Nasheed told reporters as soon as he re-emerged from the water.
The archipelago nation off the tip of India, best-known for luxury tropical hideaways and unspoiled beaches, is among the most threatened by rising seas. If U.N. predictions are correct, most of the low-lying Maldives will be submerged by 2100. "SOS" MESSAGE Nasheed and the ministers used a white plastic slate and waterproof pencils to sign an "SOS" message from the Maldives during the 30-minute meeting. "We must unite in a world war effort to halt further temperature rises," the message said. "Climate change is happening and it threatens the rights and security of everyone on Earth."
World leaders will meet in Copenhagen to hammer out a successor agreement to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, and industrialised nations want all countries to impose sharp emissions cuts. "We have to have a better deal. We should be able to come out with an amicable understanding that everyone survives. If Maldives can't be saved today, we do not feel that there is much of a chance for the rest of the world," he said. The developing world wants rich countries to shoulder most of the burden, on the grounds they contributed most to the problem. Nasheed and the cabinet trained for two weeks and were assisted by professional divers to pull off his latest eye-catching move related to climate change.
Nasheed, barely a month after entering office last year, declared he would establish a sovereign fund to relocate his country's 350,000 people if sea levels rise, but later admitted it was not feasible given the state of the Maldivian economy. Earlier this year, he vowed to make the Maldives carbon neutral within a decade by switching to renewable energy and offsetting carbon emissions caused by tourists flying to the Maldives. (Writing by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Bryson Hull and Alex Richardson) (shihar.aneez@thomsonreuters.com; +94-11-237-5903; Reuters Messaging; shihar.aneez.reuters.com@reuters.net))
Parts of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are worst hit by recent heavy rains and floods. More than 4,000 villages were flooded, rendering people in lakhs homeless, in Karnataka alone. For those affected this Deepavali turned out to be a festival of darkness.
