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----------------------------------------------------------------------- Documented by Goa Desc Documentation Service & circulated by Goa Civic & Consumer Action Network (GOA CAN)<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------- Goa sea level will rise, fears expert --------------------------------------------- The Tata Energy Research Institute director-general, Dr R K Pachauri, has warned that the effect of climatic change could cause considerable damage to life and property in Goa unless the authorities take steps to control the damage that would result from global climatic changes. Addressing reporters at the International Centre Goa, this afternoon, Dr Pachauri said the sea will rise to a level where it completely submerges the land adding that even before that due to storm surges and weather related extreme events there would be enormous danger to life and property in the state. The effect of changes in climate, Dr Pachauri said, would be quiet serious on flora and fauna as well as bio-diversity as a result of climatic changes and Goa was a vulnerable state, where the sea level was rising by 1 cm per decade. The changes would have impact on agriculture because of changes in temperature and changes in precipitation levels. He said that several parts of the country would have to adopt to these changes adding that several crops that were grown today would not be able to survive in the future and we need to look for bringing about shift in agriculture to suit the kind of impact that climatic changes would have in the region. He said that Goa with rich bio-diversity, and a coastline of over 100 km, was a highly vulnerable region. Besides, he said that there was already a pressure on the ecology of the region making it more vulnerable to damage than other areas. He also said that there were threats to Goa from industrial growth and unsustainable tourism and all of these would add to impact of climate change. The authorities need to take a future view of what was likely to happen, though there is no perfect certainty into it but there was high level probability. The policy makers and public at large should look at some of the options that were available. Dr Pachauri, who is also the current chairman of the Geneva-based Inter-Government Panel for Climatic Change, said the IPCC has produced three major climatic change assessment reports and the study for the fourth report, which is expected to be completed in 2007, is being started. Besides these, the IPCC has brought out special report on technology transfer and impact of climate change on bio-diversity, he said adding that fourth assessment report would be able to provide sharper focus on regional impact, which would help the local authorities to take corrective steps to minimise the damage that would be caused due to the climatic changes. Later answering a specific question on whether the sea level was actually rising in Goa, Dr Pachauri said that it was a fact and that the rise was gradual but in next few decades it might accelerate thereby by affecting the water supply. The rising sea levels would lead to intrusion of saline water in land near the coast. Explaining how the climatic changes were taking place, he said that high concentration of gases and blanket formed by them was affecting the outflow of heat that we got from Sun resulting in it returning to the atmosphere of the Earth. This has affected the evaporation from the oceans and the movement of air was also affected, he said adding that this had impact on specific regions. Besides, melting of polar ice caps would also play a crucial role in rising of water level in the sea. ---------------------------------------- The Navhind Times 22/9/02 ---------------------------------------- ======================================= GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE Documentation + Education + Solidarity 11 Liberty Apts., Feira Alta, Mapusa, Goa 403 507 Tel: 252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] website: www.goadesc.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Working On Issues Of Development & Democracy ======================================= =================================================================== To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e-mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead! ===================================================================
