vi
1996. Satellite data show that over the past 30 years, Arctic sea ice cover has
declined by 30%. Satellite data also shows that snow cover over land in the Arctic
has decreased and glaciers in Greenland and Northern Canada are retreating. In
addition, frozen ground in the Arctic has started to thaw. There have been reports
that the world’s northernmost weather station located at the tip of Northern
Greenland experienced warmer temperature than London and Zurich for unusual
long spells.
A growing demand for energy resources has encouraged exploitation in these
parts, raising environmental concerns. The loss of ice shelves, though differentially
in different parts of Antarctica, has increased over the past few decades. Calving of
great portions of Larsen ice shelf and disintegrating glaciers in western Antarctica
has demonstrated the impact of global warming on sensitive ecological parts of our
Earth. Himalaya – the third pole, analogous to polar regions – needs increased attention as nearly 1.3 billion people depend upon its resources, especially water, for
sustenance. Three of the world’s major rivers – the Indus, the Ganges and the
Brahmaputra – originate in the Himalaya. Any major stress on water availability
either under the climate change scenario or because of an increased demand can
only lead to conflict between countries sharing the resources. The decreasing snow
and ice cover and the impact on the regional climate due to teleconnections between
the distant parts of the earth have demonstrated that what happens in one region has
implications for other parts too.
The wide variation in the content and the geographical spread covered in the
book Climate Change and the White World demonstrate the effort put in by the
organizers, Learning in Geography, Humanities, Technology and Science (LIGHTS),
to provide a networked platform to evolve a synergy between scientists and social,
political and legal experts working in the cryosphere of three polar regions. The
volume has also covered the adaptation strategies especially for sustainability in
densely populated Himalayan region.
This book is an effort of many scientists who care for Earth and its environment
and sustainability of mankind. It is hoped that this effort will be yet another small
step towards bringing awareness amongst policy-makers, heads of states, etc. The
development at the cost of environment is already palpable in the rapidly changing
white world. The editors would like to place on record the assistance of experts in
glaciology, climate change research and geopolitics in reviewing the papers. The
help provided by the LIGHTS secretariat, especially, Rajoli Ghosh, Nilesh Kumar
and others, is gratefully acknowledged.
Bangalore, India
P. S. Goel
Goa, India
Rasik Ravindra
New Delhi, India
Sulagna Chattopadhyay
Preface
1996. Satellite data show that over the past 30 years, Arctic sea ice cover has
declined by 30%. Satellite data also shows that snow cover over land in the Arctic
has decreased and glaciers in Greenland and Northern Canada are retreating. In
addition, frozen ground in the Arctic has started to thaw. There have been reports
that the world’s northernmost weather station located at the tip of Northern
Greenland experienced warmer temperature than London and Zurich for unusual
long spells.
A growing demand for energy resources has encouraged exploitation in these
parts, raising environmental concerns. The loss of ice shelves, though differentially
in different parts of Antarctica, has increased over the past few decades. Calving of
great portions of Larsen ice shelf and disintegrating glaciers in western Antarctica
has demonstrated the impact of global warming on sensitive ecological parts of our
Earth. Himalaya – the third pole, analogous to polar regions – needs increased attention as nearly 1.3 billion people depend upon its resources, especially water, for
sustenance. Three of the world’s major rivers – the Indus, the Ganges and the
Brahmaputra – originate in the Himalaya. Any major stress on water availability
either under the climate change scenario or because of an increased demand can
only lead to conflict between countries sharing the resources. The decreasing snow
and ice cover and the impact on the regional climate due to teleconnections between
the distant parts of the earth have demonstrated that what happens in one region has
implications for other parts too.
The wide variation in the content and the geographical spread covered in the
book Climate Change and the White World demonstrate the effort put in by the
organizers, Learning in Geography, Humanities, Technology and Science (LIGHTS),
to provide a networked platform to evolve a synergy between scientists and social,
political and legal experts working in the cryosphere of three polar regions. The
volume has also covered the adaptation strategies especially for sustainability in
densely populated Himalayan region.
This book is an effort of many scientists who care for Earth and its environment
and sustainability of mankind. It is hoped that this effort will be yet another small
step towards bringing awareness amongst policy-makers, heads of states, etc. The
development at the cost of environment is already palpable in the rapidly changing
white world. The editors would like to place on record the assistance of experts in
glaciology, climate change research and geopolitics in reviewing the papers. The
help provided by the LIGHTS secretariat, especially, Rajoli Ghosh, Nilesh Kumar
and others, is gratefully acknowledged.
Bangalore, India
P. S. Goel
Goa, India
Rasik Ravindra
New Delhi, India
Sulagna Chattopadhyay
Preface