INDIA PROPOSES AN INTERNATIONAL
CENTRE FOR CLIMATE RESEARCH
India
has proposed the setting up of an international centre for climate
research, as a first step towards S&T capacity building to
understand and meet climate change. An international conference
in this regard opens here on Sunday. Twenty-two countries will
be taking part in the meeting to deliberate on the importance
and relevance of the same. Proposals thrashed out at this meeting
will be placed before the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change’s Conference of Parties being held in New Delhi
next week. This was disclosed by the Minister for Science and
Technology Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi at a press conference here
today.
Dr.
Joshi said, India has been deeply concerned over less attention
being paid, particularly in tropical Asia to build up scientific
and technological capacity to meet the climate change. He said
our understanding of the impact, particularly at regional and
micro levels is inadequate and needs further strengthening. As
the phenomenon of climate change does not see national territorial
boundaries, capacity building has to be at regional level supported
by international linkages.
The
Minister also said that the Department of Science and Technology
has been instrumental in promoting climate change agenda and supporting
research in the area of atmospheric sciences. Recognising the
importance of climate research, the Department had been persuing
an Indian Climate Research Programme (ICRP) during the 9th
Plan (1997-2001). Understanding the climate change phenomenon
is highly important for the tropical countries, with a population
of more than 2 billion, of which one billion alone in India.
