The tranquil stretches of emerald green backwaters in Mumbai and Kerala are among several locales in the western and eastern coasts facing threat from the rising sea level due to climate change.  Deltas of the Ganga, Krishna, Godavari, Cauvery and Mahanadi on the east coast may also be threatened along with irrigated land and adjoining settlements, according to a Government report. 

The UNESCO has finally announced the Western Ghats as an ecological world heritage site. This paves the way for ecosystem conservation and will highlight the importance and significant role the Western Ghats plays on our climate system especially with the monsoons and create a stable climate environment. Th Ghats are the main source of water for South India and home to more than 3,000 endemic species of plants and animals .

The monsoon entered its second month carrying a big rain deficit of 31%, as on July 1, with Met officials still hopeful of good rains in July and August. The next few weeks are crucial as the monsoon’s performance in this period could dictate whether the government would need to respond with special measures. 

With monsoon yet to strike Northern parts of the country, unrelenting heat wave continued to bake the region, forcing authorities to order extension of the summer vacation of schools in several parts. The national capital recorded the maximum day temperature at 43.5 degree Celsius, six notches above normal, as authorities today ordered extension of the summer vacation of all city schools by one week.

Delayed Monsoon Extends Hot Spell in Northern Region 

Rising levels of aerosol in the atmosphere and rampant deforestation have ensured a steady decrease in the volume of rainfall every year in South Asian countries, especially in India, which is first in line for the South-west monsoons.

Worsening drought in western India is making it harder for men to find brides and pushing poor rural families to seek work in cities, as government policies to help them deal with crop failure and financial pressures fall short.

The environment department has come up with a grim picture of Kolkata and the rest of Bengal for the coming generations. Bizarre and alarming changes may begin as early as 2021 – hotter days and nights, more deaths due to malaria, less rainfall and a sharp rise in sea level that will wreak havoc on the Sunderbans. In fact, the majority of the unique mangrove forests may vanish underwater, the study says.

“We have to see beyond the collaboration of think tanks and policy makers and move to trans-boundary initiatives. They are critical because we have shared ecosystems,” said Dr Rajendra K Pachauri, an Indian scientist who heads the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC shared the Nobel Peace Prize with former US Vice President Al Gore in 2007 for their work in raising awareness of climate change.

The Rio Earth Summit or Rio+20 represents another milestone in an ongoing global effort to achieve sustainable development goals. The challenges emanating from population growth, high natural resource consumption, rising pollution and climate change can derail, or render India’s growth process unsustainable.

India will host the 45th Cocotech meeting of the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) here during July 2-6. The theme of the meeting is “Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development of the Coconut Industry”.