Global warming- effect in Himachal Pradesh

global warming has now a local angle too. It has been found that the Vaspa basin here has been de-glaciating at an estimated 19 per cent from 1962 to 2001. The Indian part of the Himalayas, which has about 15,000 glaciers is retreating by 30 meters per annum—a cause of serious concern among the scientists.

These were the major focus of the two-day workshop on ‘Climatic Change and its Impact on Farming Systems and Natural Resources’ at Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni.

The scientists said if the present rate of de-glaciations continues, the likelihood of the Indian glaciers disappearing by the year 2035 would be high as pointed out in a recent report of the International Commission for Snow and Ice. The report further states that the Asian glaciers may increase the water flow in several rivers, thus increasing the frequency of floods and adversely impacting agriculture.

Dr Jagmohan Chauhan, vice-chancellor, Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, while addressing the participants said the climatic changes taking place in the past 150-200 years due to human activities had been rapid. The green-house emissions have contributed to the global warming. The global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by 32 per cent where the pre-industrial level of 280 PPM has soared to 379 PPM in 2005.

As per the report of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climatic Change, the global average surface temperature may increase by 1.4 to 5 degree centigrade by the end of the 20th century while the sea level may rise from 0.18 to 0.60 meter by the turn of the century.

The participants agreed that the global warming had been brought about mainly by the human activities like rapid industrialisation, enhanced use of fossil fuels as well as intensive agricultural practices. This has led to an increased concentration of green-house gases in the atmosphere, especially carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.

The workshop concluded with various recommendations like a need for the estimation of biomass and carbon pool of trees outside forests, developing adaptation strategies which should include development of drought/heat tolerant genotype, improved farm management practices, change in land use, watershed management and agri-insurance. The thrust of the research should be on impact assessment further based on demand and supply of foods crops, plantation, agro-forestry, soils, water, pests, fish and livestock, equity and vulnerable ecosystems.