Global warming would pose a major challenge to biodiversity and water conservation, affecting agriculture, horticulture and forestry but its impact would be much more in Himalayan region, Director General of Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) Ashwani Kumar said.
"Global warming would change the cropping pattern, conservation of water would be a major problem and agriculture yield could drop by 15 per cent," he said while talking to mediapersons and called for intensive research for developing and cultivating new varieties, resilient to higher temperature and requiring less water to grow.
The DG Indian Council of He said "global warming is a slow process and so far an increase of 1. 75 degree has been recorded but it is a continuous process and advance preparations are required on several fronts to mitigate its negative impact."
WHERE ARE WE HEADED?
Climate change was witnessed when the Uttarakhand disaster occurred. The same disasters have been seen worldwide. There will be new infections and diseases. But not all is lost, much can be done by moving towards reducing carbon footprint. We can cut down on emission by stopping use of fossil fuels in the energy sector and transport sector. India needs to move away from coal to renewable energy sources. Also, we need to manufacture energy-efficient appliances to cut down on energy loss.
Divya Raghunandan, programme director, Greenpeace
It is time to reduce the use of fossil fuels by switching from personal vehicles to the use of the metro or any other mode of public transport. There is a 2-3 fold reduction in the number of vehicles when we use public transport. We can cut down on emissions by restricting the use of fossil fuels and vehicles. It is time people cycled their way to finishing errands. In fact, even the government should make it mandatory for people to ride bicycles.
Environment expert, Bengaluru
MAIN GREENHOUSE GASES
Nitrous oxide: Impact on climate 298 times greater than CO2. 40% emissions through human activities
Methane: 40% emissions by natural sources, 60% through human activities like cattle breeding, agriculture and biomass burning
CO2: Accounts for 80% of increase; emitted through fossil fuel burning, deforestation. Remains in air for hundreds of years
Global annual mean CO2 level set to cross 400ppm in 2015-16.
The last time CO2 levels were this high was 3-5 million years ago
WHAT WE CAN DO TO REDUCE THE EFFECTS
When the movie 2012 on doomsday was released, people took it lightly. But it looks like a similar scenario will take place sometime in the future. At this rate, we are headed for bad times. We have known this for a long time, but have done little to counter it. As humans we have not done enough. Since Gen Y is aware, we use public transport – so our carbon footprint is not high. Let us use car pools and different forms of public transport in a bigger way. In fact, even the government can pitch in to improve transport facilities for the public.
Adithi Sundaresh, student, DPS North, Bangalore
We're headed for ominous times. Unless we do something about it we are moving towards annihilation. We need to start from scratch – switch off lights, segregate waste, and begin working at the ground level.
Varsha Suresh, student, Presidency School, Bengaluru
Yes, we're headed towards an environmental catastrophe. Humans will be badly affected by it. There will be illness, diseases and disaster. Important steps need to be taken at our homes. We need to begin with small steps, like reducing the use of geysers, switching off lights, closing taps and so on. They make a huge difference on our resources.
Keertana Chamarti, student, Presidency School, Bengaluru
We have already seen how pre-monsoon showers affect crop and onion prices. An environment crisis will lead to many other problems. We are definitely headed towards dangerous times!
Pratik Mohapatra, student, NPS-Koramangala, Bengaluru