Climate change creates socio-economic stress on community: Dr Assadi

He was addressing participants of state level workshop on 'climate change and possible solutions', organized by Citizens' Global Platform (CGP), Karnataka unit at Dhwanyaloka here recently.

Climate change is a cumulative result of exploitative practices of multinational companies.
Most of our forests have been destroyed by the MNCs. Climate change has badly affected the agricultural patterns and led to suicides of about two lakh farmers.

We lost several seed varieties forever and 27 bio diversity species have been disappearing per day, he cautioned.

Though several meetings have been held on climate change, he questioned why indigenous population is not allowed to express their concern.

America consumes energy 200 times more than India does. However, Indian population is blamed for the carbon emission.

It is true that Indian middle class, which is 30 per cent, has moved to consumerism as a fancy.

Much focus is not given to alternative energy as MNCs are interested to make money from fossil fuels like oil, petrol, diesel etc, he noted.

While making presentation on 'depletion of Himalayan glaciers', Mukesh Bahuguna, National Coordinator of CGP India said that climate change is very much visible in Himalayan region. Land slides, snow floods have been devastating the community life in the belt. This has damaged the socio-economic fabric of the Himalayan population, he said.

State Convenor Roy David and State Co-ordinator P P Baburaj were present.

No to nuke plant

Citizens' Global Platform (CGP), Karnataka unit has resolved that the government should immediately stop all the activities related to the proposed nuclear plant at Jaitapur in Maharashtra.

The government has to listen to the people's protests against the proposed plant. In the wake of Fukushima nuke disaster, government should not victimize people in the name of development.

The workshop, attended by social activists, academics, NGO representatives, college teachers from various districts of the state, urged the government to back out from the proposal to mine uranium in the village of Gogi in Yadgir district.

There are several evidences of serious health consequences of nuclear technology all over the world.

It is one of the technologies that contribute the climate change and therefore, government should not go ahead with its proposed nuclear programs.

The workshop also resolved that the state government should take serious steps to replicate the Kolar model of solar electricity generation in all the taluks of the state as a step to mitigate climate crisis.

This would help generate electricity in an eco friendly way and decentralize electricity production and distribution, the workshop observed.

An action plan was made in the end of workshop to generate awareness among the public about the consequences of climate crisis.

The film made by Mr K  P Sasi, 'A climate call from the coast' was screened in the workshop.

Prof Ramasesha, T R Anantharamu, Dr Ramalingam, Film Maker K P Sasi, Vasanthakumar Mysoremath, Dr Muzaffar Assadi, Prof Hi Shi Ramachandregowda, Prof K C Basavaraj of KRRS, Dr Sanjeev Kulkarni, Dr Arun Kumar, alternative energy specialist, Mukesh Bahuguna presented various issues related to climate crisis. 40 participants from various districts attended.