Dear friends, Greetings!
We are having our next Dialogue on Climate Change on October 22nd Saturday in Govt. IASE (Govt.Training College), Thrissur, within Govt. Model Boys Compound, Palace Road Thrissur from 10am to 1pm. S Anitha, environmental educator and researcher will speak to us on Climate Change and Oceans.Please see a note below. Please come with your friends. Spread the word. See you soon Regards K C Santhosh Kumar For Organisers(MAYA and GAIA) CLIMATE CHANGE AND OCEANS The Earth would only have to move a few million kilometers sunward or starward- for the delicate balance of climate to be destroyed. The Antarctic icecaps would melt and flood all low lying land or the oceans would freeze and the whole world would be locked in eternal winter.Just a nudge in either direction would be enough. Arthur C.Clarke Rendezvous with Rama 1973 The Oceans have held the imagination and fear of human mind since time immemorial. That life first originated in the organic aqua realm of the Earth is as fascinating a realization that we are actually a water planet with three fourths being covered by saline water. The diversity of life forms in the ocean with the multitude of wonderful and life sustaining ecosystems and habitats has been the mainstay for human life too. We have come to include the ecosystem services of oceans other than the most palapable ones like food source and livelihood security for many communities in our knowledge base. This has stemmed out of the realization that abuse of oeans by human kind has reached unprecedented proportions with far reaching impacts. Though the changes that we have been observing are at times attributable to normal and natural ones, are we really convinced that it is fine to be subjected to such changes? What do coastal erosions during each monsoon tell us? What did the fearful waves of Tsunami that rushed in unexpectedly etch in our collective memory? What do diseases and lack to access to fresh water and proper sanitation in the coastal areas that have become standard news makes us aware? How is it that after so many years of development and pouring of funds.the 222coastal hamlets along the 590 km coastline of Kerala the coastal populations remain impoverished and underdeveloped? The changes that happen now are too sudden, intense, quick and damaging. All the steady, predictable familiar elements in our world are changing.In its place we have hotter summers, less or more rains, failure of crops and violent storms…all of this has been put under a common name Climate change We know that the mighty oceans play a huge role in mitigating and controlling climate change.Can we take a cue from the coastal communities and small island people who have many a story to tell us about adaptation and mitigation.Are we willing to listen to them? People from Lakshadweep, Alapad, Valiathura and Maldives have shared their life in connection with Change and the impact on ocean world and livelihood. Can we take a cue from them and look inward ? This is an attempt in understanding Oceans as a wonderful biome and its strange and powerful role in keeping the climate of the Earth steady so that life can exist here. Let us give it a try…..to combine science, technology and human wisdom with our own observations to make the world a better place to live in! S ANITHA Based in Trivandrum since her post graduation in Ecology,Anitha has been involved in ecological education especially in Lakshadweep and other coastal areas. For more details see www.seeursea.com. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send an email to greenyouth@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to greenyouth+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB.
