Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala on Monday decided to give a momentum to its ambitious Action Plan on Climate Change to prepare the coastal state to face the adverse impacts of the phenomenon. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced the decision while inaugurating a workshop here on ‘Climate Variability in Kerala: Climate Change Perspectives’, organised by the

Institute of Climate Change Studies.

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Stating that climate change is not just an environmental issue now-a-days, he said it should be viewed as a matter posing threat to people’s life, health and economy. He also said the government would take steps to rectify earlier lapses in implementation of projects for conservation of paddy and wetlands in view of climate change.

“Water scarcity, power crunch, falling prices of agricultural products are the after-effects of climate change. “To face these challenges, the government will make the State Action Plan on Climate Change more efficient,” he said. The activities of state-run Institute of Climate Change Studies would be expanded to carry out more studies in this regard, he added.

Urging people to consider environment conservation as their moral responsibility and part of culture, Vijayan said the government would make people, as well as social outfits involved in its ambitious environment campaign drives. Unseasonal rains, deficit monsoons and high atmospheric temperature have caused the spread of many diseases, including chikungunya and malaria in recent years, he said, detailing the impact of climate changes in the state.

The government would take stern and effective steps to conserve water resources, reclaim polluted water bodies and promote rainwater harvesting as the state was facing severe drought, he said. Government would intensify its afforestation drive to

check the impact of climate change to some extent, he added. Dr Bahulayan Thampi, Deputy Director General, Indian Meterological Department, said the world is getting warmer and for the last 100 years, average global surface temperature has risen by about 0.74 degree Celsius. Regional climate changes had already started affecting biological systems in many parts

of the world and Kerala is no exception, he said.

The burning of fossil fuel is one of the major reasons contributing to increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. “It has been accompanied by various types of climatic changes, including warming up of oceans, rise in sea level and so on,” the expert added.

Science Advisor to Kerala CM, M Chandradathan and State Disaster Management Authority member secretary, Dr Sekhar L Kuriakose were among those who took part in the event. Organised with the support of IMD and State Disaster Management Authority, the workshop was attended by a number of scientists and experts from across the country.

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