A science city will be developed in the State. A conference of the Chief Ministers of Himalayan States and Union Ministers will also be organised in Dehradun in the near future, said the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. He said while speaking at a workshop on "Connecting Science with Practices and Policy for Resilience towards Climate Change Risks in Uttarakhand" organised by the Central Himalayan Environment Association (CHEA) at Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST), Vigyan Dham.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said that the masses must come forward themselves for environmental protection to mitigate climate change. He also said that people should be self-sufficient so that they can recover themselves from the disasters and other problems. Climate change in the Indian Himalayan regions is not only a matter of grave concern in the country but also for the world. He said that though India contributes less to global emissions, the impact of climate change will first affect the Himalayan regions. Climate change is a major challenge affected various spheres including agriculture, forestry, sea level, water level and weather among others. While climate change is decreasing agricultural production, the rise in rate of glaciers melting has increased the risk of low lying coastal areas being submberged by the sea. On the other hand, the consistent rise in population has also impacted the environment negatively. Rawat said, “Tree plantation has been considered meritorious and beneficial even in our scriptures. Our tribals and forest dwellers have been traditionally conserving the forests and we need to learn from them. One cannot rely only on the government for environmental protection for which active public participation is also vital.”
Addressing the workshop, Karnprayag MlA Surendra Singh Negi expressed concern over the impact of climate change on agriculture and water level and said that the direct impact of climate change is being seen on the water sources, the water level is declining and seasonal fruits are also getting ready before time.
Devprayag MlA Vinod Kandari also expressed his views on the occasion while also stressing on the need for tree plantation and protection of forests.
Speaking on the occasion, CHEA president professor SP Singh also highlighted the climate change data in different years through convergent presentation on climate change in Himalayan regions and also spoke on the future effects of this. He stressed on the need for systematic development of urbanisation.
Earlier, the UCOST director general Rajendra Dobhal welcomed the gathering and said that people associated with politics should also cooperate in efforts aimed at tackling the growing influence of climate change. later, during the technical sessions, scientists and subject experts made presentations on various aspects of climate change including its impact on Himalayan forests and the impact of glacial lake and climate change in Uttarakhand.