165
countries invested $131 billion in clean energy, up by 40% from the previous
years. Developing countries are also succeeding in driving costs down further.
Indian states have procured solar energy at less than half the average global cost
(UNEP 2015). Alternate fuel i.e. electric, CNG, hybrid etc. should be given the top
priority.
(iii) Agriculture and Afforestation:
The government and NGOs should grow native saplings and distribute these
among native inhabitants to grow. Afforestation in the campaign mode by state governments would improve people’s income, health, food and energy security. The
main benefit of afforestation by the governments, with the participation of people’
would reduce vulnerability to climate change, acting as a first line of defence against
storms, cyclones and sea-level rise thereby saving exchequer on rehabilitating people affected due to the impacts of climate change. It may be taken up as peoples’
movement and not restricted only to handfuls. Separate funding should be provided
on high altitude agriculture research with emphasis on low carbon technology.
(iv) Water Resource:
All opportunities should be exploited to conserve water by erecting small dams
across valleys at as many places as possible. These may be connected with investments in High Altitude Agriculture/Horticulture. Glacier harvesting as done by
Chawang Norphel and Sonam Wangchuk in Leh should be attempted at other places
also. Surface reflectivity of glaciers may be enhanced (https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a19157724/blankets-swiss-glacier-rhone/). The channelling and storing of excess water is a requirement, which perhaps cannot be fully
met by constructing small dams. There is a need to direct this water to aquifers,
which have been depleted to lowest ever levels. Water stored dams when full and
under threat due to excess rains have to be drained, to avoid any damage downstream. A low lying and waste land area may have to be earmarked to direct this
excess flow of water away from residential areas. Alternatively, the water may be
directed in underground dried up aquifers. In case of lean seasons, water may have
to be retained in dams, which may cause problems for the people living downstream. A regulated water supply may be enforced in such cases
(v) Research:
Investments in agricultural research, infrastructure, and rural development in
Himalaya will stabilize geopolitical situation by thwarting the impact of climate
risks that may disrupt supply chains from production to processing, transport, storage and trade. An improved weather forecasting model, which is tuned to Himalayan
terrain through data assimilations, is required urgently. While scientists globally are
working on improving weather prediction models, scientists in India should be tuning it further for Himalayan Region with better terrain inputs and better physics
(nonlinear options) focussing on tipping points. There are various government and
private agencies working in this direction, but a select team is required to be created
to look into Himalayan Region exclusively. This can be augmented with Cryospheric
Implications of Changing Climatic Pattern on the Geopolitical Situation of North…
countries invested $131 billion in clean energy, up by 40% from the previous
years. Developing countries are also succeeding in driving costs down further.
Indian states have procured solar energy at less than half the average global cost
(UNEP 2015). Alternate fuel i.e. electric, CNG, hybrid etc. should be given the top
priority.
(iii) Agriculture and Afforestation:
The government and NGOs should grow native saplings and distribute these
among native inhabitants to grow. Afforestation in the campaign mode by state governments would improve people’s income, health, food and energy security. The
main benefit of afforestation by the governments, with the participation of people’
would reduce vulnerability to climate change, acting as a first line of defence against
storms, cyclones and sea-level rise thereby saving exchequer on rehabilitating people affected due to the impacts of climate change. It may be taken up as peoples’
movement and not restricted only to handfuls. Separate funding should be provided
on high altitude agriculture research with emphasis on low carbon technology.
(iv) Water Resource:
All opportunities should be exploited to conserve water by erecting small dams
across valleys at as many places as possible. These may be connected with investments in High Altitude Agriculture/Horticulture. Glacier harvesting as done by
Chawang Norphel and Sonam Wangchuk in Leh should be attempted at other places
also. Surface reflectivity of glaciers may be enhanced (https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a19157724/blankets-swiss-glacier-rhone/). The channelling and storing of excess water is a requirement, which perhaps cannot be fully
met by constructing small dams. There is a need to direct this water to aquifers,
which have been depleted to lowest ever levels. Water stored dams when full and
under threat due to excess rains have to be drained, to avoid any damage downstream. A low lying and waste land area may have to be earmarked to direct this
excess flow of water away from residential areas. Alternatively, the water may be
directed in underground dried up aquifers. In case of lean seasons, water may have
to be retained in dams, which may cause problems for the people living downstream. A regulated water supply may be enforced in such cases
(v) Research:
Investments in agricultural research, infrastructure, and rural development in
Himalaya will stabilize geopolitical situation by thwarting the impact of climate
risks that may disrupt supply chains from production to processing, transport, storage and trade. An improved weather forecasting model, which is tuned to Himalayan
terrain through data assimilations, is required urgently. While scientists globally are
working on improving weather prediction models, scientists in India should be tuning it further for Himalayan Region with better terrain inputs and better physics
(nonlinear options) focussing on tipping points. There are various government and
private agencies working in this direction, but a select team is required to be created
to look into Himalayan Region exclusively. This can be augmented with Cryospheric
Implications of Changing Climatic Pattern on the Geopolitical Situation of North…