After the 2004 tsunami, many scientists believed that the possibility of a tidal wave could be predicted with the help of technology in the future. But, nobody could predict the recent tsunami in Indonesia.
Citing this as an example of the nature of calamities caused by climate change, T.V. Sajeev, Principal Scientist, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Thrissur, said here on Tuesday that such disasters had extreme impacts too. He was delivering a lecture on people’s participation in rebuilding flood-hit Kerala.
“For the first time in history, a cyclonic storm crossed over the Western Ghats this year. Gaja, the result of a depression over the Bay of Bengal, crossed over to Kerala over the Western Ghats and entered the Arabian Sea. The theory that the Ghats will protect Kerala from natural disasters may not be valid any more,” he said. Also, it was believed that only one cyclone would develop at a given time. This time, as many as three cyclones were found when Gaja was making a landfall, Mr. Sajeev pointed out.
He claimed that the burning of fossil fuels — petrol, diesel, etc. — was the main reason for climate change as it had affected the greenhouse gas cover around the earth, leading to a rise in atmospheric temperature. “People living on islands such as Maldives and Andaman and Nicobar have reportedly purchased land in Sri Lanka. It has been reported that these islands will be submerged if the water level in oceans increases as a result of melting of ice glaciers in the Arctic. Residents of Sunderbans in West Bengal, one of the major delta regions in the subcontinent, are being evacuated,” he said. In Kerala, Kuttanad would be a vulnerable point as it was below the sea level. Towns such as Kochi and Kozhikode too were at risk.
“Conserving the existing ecosystem is the best way to counter climate change. We need to conserve our rivers, mangroves and other natural hotspots and strengthen the local communities too as they have a better understanding of nature,” he added.
The event, organised by the Puzha Samrakshana Samiti, also recalled the efforts of A. Latha, environmental activist, who passed away in November last, in the agitation against the Athirappilly hydel power project.
Published - November 21, 2018 12:24 am IST
