Step up to beat climate change in Kerala

KOLLAM: The Kerala Shasthra Sahitya Parishad, the pro-CPM science movement has warned about the perils faced by the state on account of climate change in its 53rd state conference held here on Friday. G. Padmanabhan, UNDP disaster management head after inaugurating the conference at the Kollam district panchayat IT hall here said the public should be given awareness about disaster management activities as natural calamities are ever increasing due to drastic change in temperature.

“Awareness on climate change should also be given to the public for preparing them to overcome natural disasters including cyclones. The coordination of various government departments is inevitable to achieve this,” he added. KSSP state president Dr. K.P. Aravindan presided over the function.

“According to the 2015 statistics with the United Nations Organisation, India stands in second position in the list of nations that suffer heavy loss due to natural calamities all over the world. Loss incurred in the country a year due to climate change amount up to $1,000 crore.

Of this, over $ 700 crore was used for calamities caused by floods alone, according to statistics from the last 10 years. Only long-term programmes can defend the country from climate change,” Mr Padman-abhan added. A representatives meeting, with as many as 480 members participating is also taking place as part of the state conference.

On the second day of the conference, P.T. Bhaskara Panicker memorial speech will be held. The meeting which will be presided over by Dr B. Ikbal will have a lecture on ‘science and secularism’ by Dr T. Jayaraman of Tata Institute of Social Science in Mumbai. In the public session on Sunday, Dr. K.N. Ganesh will lead a class on the topic ‘the politics of knowledge’. The three-day meeting will conclude on Sunday.