The entire Western Ghats must be considered as ecologically sensitive, especially to ensure the sustainability of the rivers of the Indian Peninsula, the Madhav Gadgil Committee report has said. Peninsular rivers such as the Krishna, Godavari and Cauvery that drain the Deccan Plateau and flow eastwards originate in the Western Ghats.

Efforts to secure land ownership for tribal people in one of India’s poorest states are bolstering their economic security in the face of climate-induced hardships, and helping conserve farmland and forest.

 

Land ownership boosts climate resilience in India 

The impact of climate change is unfolding at a pace that is much quicker than predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), stated a new research study released here in the Capital recently.

 

It rains in the village, but fields remain dry 

Farmers will need 19 percent more water by 2050 to meet increasing demands for food, much of it in regions already suffering from water scarcity, according to a United Nations report. “In many countries water availability for agriculture is already limited and uncertain, and is set to worsen,” according to the fourth United Nations World Water Development Report published today. “Concerns about food insecurity are growing across the globe and more water will be needed.”

 

Farmers to Battle Water Scarcity as Food Demand Grows, UN Says 

Even as union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee readies to present economic vision of India in 2012-13 general budget, greens have sounded a note of caution saying ‘economic stability cannot be achieved without ecological sustainability’.

Recent reports illustrate how climate change is requiring farmers to alter their harvest methods. A recent Agence France-Presse report illustrates how climate change requires farmers to alter their harvest methods. Rooibos, a long-popular South African tea that has recently been introduced as a sweet, calorie-conscious beverage option in the West, is grown in the extremely dry and hot conditions of western South Africa, where temperatures can reach 118°F (48°C) in the winter. Tea estate Groenkol Rooibus owner Willem Engelbrecht says rising temperatures and hotter winters have necessitated harvesting changes.

A prominent Indian NGO was on Friday presented the US’ first Innovation Award for the Empowerment of Women and Girls in recognition of its efforts in training and organising wastepickers and eliminating child labour from recycling. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented the award to Indian NGO Chintan along with two others from Kenya and Tanzania.

Andre Dzikus, chief of water and sanitation at the United Nations Habitat agency, is one of the key coordinators of the UN’s ‘I Am A City Changer’ campaign, focussing on how to make cities a better place to inhabit. Dzikus spoke with Pratiksha Ramkumar on cities that are ‘green’ in shade but not in substance, factors making a city ideal – and how India can still get there.

 

Indian cities have hidden wealth – they just have to be well-planned 

 

The current climate of natural resource supply-demand imbalance and aspiration-affordability imbalance create a unique opportunity for the government to usher in a plethora of new game-changing programmes and ensure a sustained growth of the economy. The implementation of a few ideas listed here, some of which are already in the pipeline, could provide the required momentum.