Bhubaneswar, Dec. 9: Climate change is a reality and is happening now with human activities hugely contributing to the phenomenon, eminent environmental scientist and former Chairman of the Odisha State Pollution Control Board, Prof. M.C.Dash said on Friday.
“The International Panel on Climate Change has agreed that climate change is happening now and our activities are responsible for the situation,” Prof. Dash, also former Vice-Chancellor of Sambalpur University, said while addressing a conclave on sustainable development goals and climate change at the Institute of Business and Computer Studies (IBCS), the faculty of management of SOA University.
Carbon compounds, Prof. Dash said, were going into the atmosphere triggering the change in climate with Carbon Dioxide alone accounting for 63 per cent of it causing heat to get trapped.
“We urgently need to act and issues of sustainable development are important. Resources being limited, the thrust should be on green technology, another instrument to ensure sustainable development,” he said.
The impact of climate change was being felt significantly in India at present in two natural resource fronts—water and energy, Mr. Prafulla Dhal , Mentor and State Manager, The Climate Reality Project (TCRP), Odisha, said.
Climate change has been responsible for extreme weather conditions, triggering water instability, shortages, inequality and conflicts, he said.
“India with 18 per cent of world’s population but only four per cent of global fresh water is facing a disastrous situation with water wars being witnessed betweens states,” Mr. Dhal said adding traditional dry regions were receiving more rains while wet areas were going dry even during the monsoon.
Summer rains were on the rise and the severity of floods and droughts had increased with most Indian cities facing the challenge of floods and water shortages together, he said.
Mr. Dhal said that the situation could be fought through life style changes at the individual and community level. The conclave was an endeavor to sensitize teachers and students about climate change and the need to include it in the education system, he added.
Mr. Aditya Pundir, Country Manager of TCRP, Prof. Srikant Mohapatra, Founding Vice-Chancellor, Odisha State Open University, Sambalpur, Prof. Arun Pattnaik, Head, Centre for Development Studies, Central University, Hyderabad, Dr. Sailabala Padhi, Director, Centre for Environment Studies and Prof. Anup Samantaray, Dean, IBCS, also spoke at the event sponsored by The Climate Reality Project, UNESCO, The Climate Project Foundation, The Analytics Odisha and SOA University.
SOA Cafe 