Kendrapara, October 18 ( Odisha.in) The Greenpeace ‘s ship “Rainbow Warrior”will anchor on Friday for two days in the deep sea near the Paradeep port of Orissa located at a distance of 100 kilometers from State Capital, Bhubaneswar to highlight the extreme vulnerability of this ecologically sensitive region to climate change.
The ship will carry Greenpeace’s message to Bali in Indonesia where in December World Governments will meet to strengthen the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, said Somyabrata Rahut of Greenpeace Climate and Energy Expert .
Greenpeace is campaigning globally as well as in India for a clear mandate and timeframe to reduce emissions and combat climate change. The sinking Satabhaya areas of Kendrapada district and other coastal areas of the state are one of the important climate hotspots in India.
It sets a precedent for the impacts of sea level rise for which poor populations in low lying coastal Orissa including other coastal states of India will face displacement.
Increased displacement of people due to loss of habitation and land will also increase in India’s count of climate refugees and add to the burden of poverty under which we are already reeling. At this critical juncture where we only have eight years to act, strong and time bound mitigation measures must accompany measures for adaptation, added Rahut.
Millions of people of Orissa including other coastal states are under the risk of losing their habitat permanently due to sea level rise, increased cyclone intensity and flooding by the year 2030.
Mangrove planting will arrest the rate of coastal erosion, making these coastal pockets survive longer.
This is an immediate adaptation measure, and the people for the sake of their lives and livelihoods are taking this action collectively.
However, it is evident that unless large scale measures to stop climate change by means of emission reduction are taken globally, a substantial part of the coastal areas might disappear from the map , added Rahut.
Soumyabrata added “a country like India cannot afford the costs required to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Moreover, with a whopping 823 million poor population, India is one of the most vulnerable to climate change.
While developed countries must take a much larger step to combat climate change, in our own interest we need to take definite measures to reduce CO2 emissions. We must de-carbonize our development. It is an energy revolution now or climate stability never situation”
The Greenpeace is also highlighting the threat that coal burning poses to the climate. Three years back, the ‘Rainbow Warrior” had anchored in Paradeep to highlight the environmental problems in Orissa coast including the mass-killing of the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles.
Odisha.in