Lecture series seeks to promote dialogue, create awareness

“Did you know that India imports most of its oil and pulses to meet consumption at home?” asked R. Jagannathan, founder of Nalla Keerai, an organisation for natural farming.

Speaking at the We4Climate lecture series at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation here on Tuesday, the organic farming expert said India grew more sugar and paddy, both water-intensive crops, but did not produce enough oil seeds or pulses, which have high demand and require less water. Fixing this anomaly alone could help address India’s water crisis to a large extent, he said.

“It takes 2,000 litres of water to process 1 kg of sugar. Why can’t people switch to eating jaggery, which is healthier and doesn’t require so much water to produce?”

V. Selvam, executive director at MSSRF cited international studies to show that by 2050, 20 cm of average sea-level rise (SLR) was predicted globally.

“In India, tidal gauge readings at various ports have shown SLR of 4.8 cm on the coast, with a steady rise of 3.2 mm per year. Sea surface temperature is increasing as well, because of which storm surge height of 3 to 6 m along the Tamil Nadu coast has been predicted during cyclones,” he noted.

Creating awareness

Kirtiman Awasthi, senior policy adviser of the German development organisation GIZ, said the lecture series aimed at bringing together scientific communities, practitioners and policymakers to promote a dialogue, raise awareness and encourage action on climate change.

The event was jointly organised by GIZ, the Department of Environment, Tamil Nadu, Centre for Environment Education, Anna University, and the MSSRF.