WORKSHOP ON CLIMATE CHANGE CALLS FOR MODEL FRAMEWORK ON ADAPTATION
South Asia Expert Workshop on "Adaptation to
Climate Change for Agricultural Productivity" which concluded
here today recommended that a number of countries already have
sustainable development policies built into their ongoing programmes
which should be taken as "no regret measures" and these should
be supported. These programmes are particularly in the area of
watershed development, promotion of resources, conservation of
technology, development of plant varieties suited to climate change,
the workshop said. Participants felt that since no single discipline
can address the whole issue of adaptation to climate change, it
has to be on a holistic and not a single group or single discipline
basis. They felt that institutional mechanisms need to be evolved
for strong convergence as well as inter-disciplinary addressing
the entire livelihood support systems. "In order to implement
adaptation policy there is an urgent need for development of a
model framework/guidelines on adaptation, based on experience
of the countries already engaged in this process" participants
said. They were of the opinion that the proposed framework/guidelines
should be based on the best practices and socio-economic considerations.
They also suggested that public research on adaptation, both international
as well as national, should be strengthened and international
funding support for operationalising these and other mechanisms
should be made available.
Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister
of State for Agriculture, Shri Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav said that
scientists should keep in mind the long-term impact of their research
rather than the immediate benefits. He said that in India the
tradition has been not to disturb the nature and the world can
learn from India’s experience.
Planning Commission Member, Shri Sompal, who
presided over the function, said that the promises made at WTO
Conference at Marackesh have not been fulfilled. The developed
countries have gone on increasing subsidies to their farmers thereby
making exports of agricultural products from developing countries
more and more difficult.
The recommendation of the workshop will be made
available to the Eighth Conference of Parties (COP8) of the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change scheduled to be held in
New Delhi this October.
Climate change represents a serious threat to
every part of the Globe, especially the developing countries facing
the challenge of ensuring food and nutritional security to the
growing population.
