Govt preparing second report on climate change
The government is now preparing a second "national communication" on climate change to be sent to the UN. The report will provide an updated view on possible impact as well as risk mitigation activities.
By TNN |
NEW DELHI: The government had told the UN four years ago that simulation studies show a decrease in production of both rice and wheat with increase in temperatures even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently informed the Rajya Sabha that the government was studying the impact of climate change.
While these simulation studies were done at the field level, those conducted on the regional level showed that wheat production could suffer beyond 2020 if the government did not make any adaptive changes and brought in better technology.
Although the changes were not statistically significant, they indicated a warming trend and the possible effect on crop production, it noted.
Central India could see a dip of up to 2% in wheat production, and up to 0.3% in the east. While these numbers look small, the impact on total production would be substantial when measured in tonnes of loss in the staple food.
In the Rajya Sabha, Swaminathan had asked the PM whether the government was drawing up contingency plans to deal with the impact of environmental changes on specific crops like potato and wheat.
He said there was a need for crop-specific and region-specific plans. Besides the direct impact of warming on productivity, the report also pointed out possible changes in rainfall patterns.
With roughly 60% of agriculture still dependent on rain, the impact of change in monsoon is inevitable.
While meteorological studies continue to refine the estimates of change, the increased "floods and droughts" scenario, coupled with even minor shift in onset of monsoon and number of "dry and wet days", is the main worry for the agriculturists.
The 2004 report warned of such changes in certain pockets of the country. The government is now preparing a second "national communication" on climate change to be sent to the UN. The report will provide an updated view on possible impact as well as risk mitigation activities.
While these simulation studies were done at the field level, those conducted on the regional level showed that wheat production could suffer beyond 2020 if the government did not make any adaptive changes and brought in better technology.
Although the changes were not statistically significant, they indicated a warming trend and the possible effect on crop production, it noted.
Central India could see a dip of up to 2% in wheat production, and up to 0.3% in the east. While these numbers look small, the impact on total production would be substantial when measured in tonnes of loss in the staple food.
In the Rajya Sabha, Swaminathan had asked the PM whether the government was drawing up contingency plans to deal with the impact of environmental changes on specific crops like potato and wheat.
He said there was a need for crop-specific and region-specific plans. Besides the direct impact of warming on productivity, the report also pointed out possible changes in rainfall patterns.
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With roughly 60% of agriculture still dependent on rain, the impact of change in monsoon is inevitable.
While meteorological studies continue to refine the estimates of change, the increased "floods and droughts" scenario, coupled with even minor shift in onset of monsoon and number of "dry and wet days", is the main worry for the agriculturists.
The 2004 report warned of such changes in certain pockets of the country. The government is now preparing a second "national communication" on climate change to be sent to the UN. The report will provide an updated view on possible impact as well as risk mitigation activities.
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