NEWS FEATURE
by Anuradha Nagaraj, dpa
New Delhi (dpa) - As the world debates climate change and agrees to disagree on how to control it, the eastern Indian state of Orissa is ''reeling under climate chaos''.
According to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), in 2001 Orissa was inundated by the worst-ever flood recorded in the state in the past century. The same year, about 11 million people were hit by one of the worst droughts in the state.
The 30 million inhabitants of Orissa may not comprehend the nuances of climate change negotiations at the ongoing U.N. climate conference in New Delhi, but they can tell that the environment they live in is fast changing.
Reiterating that the poor will be the most adversely affected by climate change, environmentalists add that increasing pollution in South Asia is also a contributing to changing weather patterns.
A United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report in August stated that a haze (a mass of ash, acids, aerosols and other particles) hangs over the region and has become an environmental hazard.
''The haze is a result of forest fires, the burning of agricultural wastes, dramatic increases in the burning of fossil fuels in vehicles, industries and power stations, and emissions from millions of inefficient cookers burning wood, cow dung and other bio-fuels,'' said Klaus Toepfer, executive director of UNEP.
The UNEP report also stated that the haze was altering monsoon patterns, affecting farming and had a direct impact on health, causing more respiratory problems.
''Studies indicate that wet areas are going to get wetter and dry areas will get drier,'' explained Professor Mohan Munasinghe, member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Scientists say that the haze is reducing the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth's surface by up to 15 per cent and that it was also warming the lower atmosphere.
The UNEP study further suggests that the haze may reduce rain and snow over northwest India, Pakistan and Afghanistan by 20 to 40 per cent.
The impacts are already being felt. Earlier this year, most of northern India reeled under drought conditions because of delayed monsoon rains. But when it rained, it poured and suddenly state governments were knee-deep in flood control.
It is estimated that a 1-metre sea level rise will displace about 1.7 million Indians living in coastal areas, and vast tracts of land in coastal states of West Bengal, Maharashtra and the Andaman and Nicobar islands will go under water.
Despite the damaging pollution records of the region, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said that India barely contributed a fraction to bad air quality.
And, at the climate conference Vajpayee again pointed a finger at industrialised countries and their energy-intensive lifestyles.
India, with 1 billion people, has more than three times the population of the United States, but consumes only 22 per cent of its energy.
Environmentalists agree but warn of worsening hunger and flood situations if the debate doesn't end and global action to combat climate change doesn't begin. dpa an vb
AP-NY-10-31-02 0639EST
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