Tag Archives: South Asia

Erratic monsoon keeps a parched Sri Lanka guessing

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COLOMBO (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Warm April weather is nothing new in Sri Lanka. Over generations, Sri Lankans have become accustomed to temperatures of up to 34 degrees Celsius during this month, when the sun moves directly overhead. They also know from experience that the baking heat will soon be eased by the arrival of the monsoon in May. But this once-predictable cycle is changing. Weather experts, government officials, farmers and ordinary people seem unsure as to what the monsoon season is likely to bring this year. http://www.trust.org/item/20140424080217-ofdz5/?source=hptop

Climate-resilient traditional rice poised for comeback in Sri Lanka

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New research by the Colombo based economic think-tank, the Institute of Policy Studies says that traditional rice varieties that went out favor in the last 60 years with the advent of hybrids, are much more reseilient than their successors. My story for the Thomson Reuters Foundation http://www.trust.org/item/20131010112839-bhdna/?source=hptop

The Urban Jungle: Small steps to a big Solution

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This week, the World Bank released a report, Turn Down The Heat: Climate Extremes, Regional Impacts and the Case for Resilience, which is a scientific analysis of climate change on specific regions. While the report gives a clearer picture of how climate change will affect each of the Sub-Saharan, South East Asian and South Asian region, there’s one interesting thing the report mentions.

It says: “Climate change poses a particular threat to urban residents and at the same time is expected to further drive urbanization, ultimately placing more people at risk to the clusters of impacts outlined above.”

Read more: http://forbesindia.com/blog/economy-policy/the-urban-jungle-small-steps-to-a-big-solution/#ixzz2WovMmyBz

Climate Change to Determine Economic Growth – Inter Press News Service

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A new World Bank report  entitled ‘Turn Down The Heat: Why a 4°C Warmer World Must be Avoided’, detailing how global warming could affect sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia shows “the likely impacts of present day two-degree and four-degree-Celsius warming on agricultural production, water resources, and coastal vulnerability for affected populations.” [http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/climatechange]

South Asia with a population expected to at 2.2b by 2050 is at a particularly high risk. Here is one example – ““With a temperature increase of two to 2.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, by the 2050s reduced water availability for agricultural production may result in more than 63 million people no longer being able to meet their caloric demand by production in the river basins (of the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra),”.

Read more at http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/06/climate-change-to-determine-economic-growth/

In Sri Lanka, the Tempest Comes Unannounced – Inter Press News Service

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Early warning lags in Sri Lanka have proved fatal twice in the last 20 months for fishing communities along the south and western coasts. Twice, in November 2011 and June 2013, shallow water fishermen found themselves battling for their lives when the seas turned nasty suddenly. Like one survivor described, when the waves rose up and the sea howled   like a deranged monster. The latest tragedy at least has made the government take note and may be some good will come about. – http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/06/in-sri-lanka-the-tempest-comes-unannounced/

The Sri Lankan Monsoon, Better Prepared Than Sorry – Inter Press News Service

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After suffering flash-flooding and ensuing damages, Sri Lanka is now taking at least some measures to meet   the challenges thrown up by an erratic Monsoon. Experts say, it is just as well and more needs to be done. My report for IPS – http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/05/the-sri-lankan-monsoon-better-prepared-than-sorry/

South Asia in Search of Coordinated Climate Policy

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KATHMANDU, May 16 2013 (IPS) – With a combined population of over 1.7 billion, which includes some of the world’s poorest but also a sizeable middle class with a growing spending capacity, South Asia is a policymaker’s nightmare. The region’s urban population is set to double by 2030, with India alone adding 90 million city dwellers to its metropolises since 2000. Over 75 percent of South Asia’s residents live in rural areas, with agriculture accounting for 60 percent of the labour force, according to recent statistics released by the World Bank.

South Asia has always been a climatic hot spot. According to Pramod Aggarwal, South Asia principal researcher and regional programme leader for agriculture and food security for the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), over 70 percent of the region is prone to drought, 12 percent to floods and eight percent to cyclones.

“Climate stress has always been normal (here); climate change will make things worse,” he said. Experts like Aggarwal say that the region needs to collaborate on research, agriculture and importantly, water management to be better prepared for rapidly varying climate patterns – http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/05/south-asia-in-search-of-coordinated-climate-policy/

Cross-border collaboration can help improve conservation, spur uplift in South Asia

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KATHMANDU/ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation and International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development have joined hands to put a regional framework in place for cooperation on important transboundary landscapes, said a media release.

Recognizing the global and regional significance of transboundary landscapes, the Government of Nepal through its Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation has been working closely with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and partner institutions from Bhutan, China, India, and Nepal to facilitate the development of a regional cooperation framework for developing Transboundary Landscape Conservation and Development Initiatives.

Cooperation across borders for the management of landscapes will help preserve the Hindu Kush Himalayan region’s unique biological diversity, valuable ecosystem goods and services, and value-based cultural and natural heritage while enhancing livelihood opportunities of the local communities of the most revered and sacred transboundary landscapes in the world, namely Kailash and Kangchenjunga.

In this context and for future cooperation in other landscapes, the Secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation (MoFSC), Dr. Krishna Chandra Paudel, and the Director General of ICIMOD, Dr. David Molden, signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in an official function held today at Hotel Himalaya. Prior to the ceremony, MoFSC held the 2nd National Coordination Committee Meeting for Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative, in which several key decisions were taken for the implementation of the programme on ground.

This MoU envisages areas and modalities of cooperation based on the understanding reached and broad areas identified for focusing the collaboration by both parties.

The implementation of this MoU will be effected through agreements with key Nepalese institutions that share the common vision of long-term conservation initiatives based on regional transboundary cooperation and ecosystem management approaches.

The Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative is the pioneer programme supported by UK Aid and the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through German International Cooperation (GIZ).

This initiative will go a long way in forging transnational cooperation between China, India, and Nepal by proactively engaging them in ensuring the sustained management of ecosystem services and protecting the welfare of millions of people living both upstream and downstream.

The story published first in Lahore Times on May 3, 2013.

Weblink: http://www.lhrtimes.com/2013/05/03/cross-border-collaboration-can-help-improve-conservation-spur-uplift-in-south-asia/