Global warming: Report warns of displacement

Mumbai, Mar 25 (UNI) The South Asian region could face a massive crisis if global warming is not contained below the two degrees tipping point with more than 125 million people getting displaced in India and Bangladesh alone, according to a report.

The report by Dr Sudhir Chella Rajan, Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Madras and a climate expert said the temperature would rise by 4-5 degrees by 2100 A D, if the business continued as usual and the South Asian region could face a wave of migrants owing to the climate change.

The rise in temperature may lead to a rise in the sea level thereby submerging many areas surrounding the seas which are in the low elevation coastal zone, it added.

Climate Campaigner of Greenpeace Brikesh Singh, while addressing the media here today, said the change in temperature was affecting the wild habitats, human beings and the industries.

''In the last couple of decades, one-fifth of the region where tigers and other wild animals lived, has gone under sea level in Sunderbans district in Bengal alone, thereby bringing the number of tigers to 274 from more than 5,000.'' Greenpeace has launched a campaign called ''Blue Alert'' in five of the most vulnerable coastal cities in the country Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Goa and Kochi to spread awareness about the magnitude of the problem.

Mr Singh said, ''There is a lack of political will to address the issue and we have appealed Members of Parliament to take up the cause in the session on April 14, this year.'' Greenpeace has suggested many ways to reduce global warming in the country in order to bring down the level of carbon in the atmosphere that includes ban on incandescent bulbs and use of CFL, and fuel-efficient and better public transport system.

The report mentioned that the green house emission by India and China was four per cent and eight per cent respectively of the total emission in the world.

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