Though it is difficult to link calamities like the June 2013 floods in Uttarakhand and last year’s floods in Jammu & Kashmir specifically to climate change, such disasters are similar to the output of climate change models of recent decades. John Firth, the CEO and co-founder of Acclimatise- a specialist consulting, communication and digital application company with expertise on climate change adaptation and risk management- said this while talking to The Pioneer on the sidelines of the two-day workshop at WII.
Firth said, “The outputs of climate change models of the past couple of decades are similar to the disasters being experienced like increased flooding and anomalies in monsoon patterns.” Stressing on the need for preserving traditional knowledge he said, “There is the danger of us losing sight of traditional knowledge due to factors like continued migration from rural areas where farmers and villagers have learnt from traditional knowledge based on their experiences.
Traditional knowledge links society and we need to use modern science to enhance traditional knowledge and its use,” he said.
Referring to the global scenario, Firth said that learning to understand climate change adaptation is a common feature shared by most countries. It is possible to grow in a sustainable manner while simultaneously facilitating climate change adaptation, he added. On the status of India in this field, he said that science is a major strength of this nation. However, to capitalize on it, science needs to be integrated into policy, stressed Firth, who was named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world on environmental investing and policy making by the Journal of Environmental Investing in 2013.