Sustainability

Term Path Alias

/topics/sustainability

India's experience with drought management: Changed perspectives and challenges

Drought is a natural disaster. Nearly 200 million ha land in India in 135 districts of 13 states are severely affected by drought four times in every 10 years.

Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation

Government of India

Posted on 29 Aug, 2009 02:43 PM

This document describes the drought situation in India over the years, the earlier perspective at drought management and the gradual change in perspective at managing droughts that evolved over the years.

Efficiency of water use in Indian agriculture - Madras Institute of Development Studies

This working paper by the Madras Institute for Development Studies informs that the increase in the demand for water in all sectors especially in agriculture, and dwindling nature of the per capita availability of its supply in recent decades has induced scientists and researchers to focus their attention more on efficient use of available water. However, informed discussion of the problem and its solutions is impeded by the lack of adequate and reliable knowledge of how much water is used, where, for what purpose and how efficiently. This paper is a modest attempt to fill this gap.

K.Sivasubramaniyan

Prof. A. Vaidyanathan

Posted on 29 Aug, 2009 01:10 PM

This paper by the Madras Institute for Development Studies presents estimates of the ‘consumptive use’ of water in crop production; the ratio of consumptive use to gross water utilization; and productivity per unit of consumptive use.

Water as the hidden export: Exploring the concept of virtual water for growing intensive commercial crops in water scarce areas

"Water: the hidden export", is a report by Shama Perveen, written in August 2004, on the concept of virtual water. The author argues that this concept must be seriously considered in India, because when water intensive commercial crops are grown in water scarce areas and the produce exported, it amounts to a virtual export of water, even as water availability in the home country becomes scarcer.

Shama Perveen

Posted on 29 Aug, 2009 10:51 AM

Click here to read more: Read the report

The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice: A subsidiary body to the UNFCCC

The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) regularly undertakes work on methodological and scientific matters as they relate to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol process.

Rama Mani

Posted on 29 Aug, 2009 10:37 AM

Some of the issues the SBSTA is currently dealing with are land use, land-use change and forestry, adaptation, mitigation, research, systematic observation and bunker fuels.

Extensive online resource base on the System of Rice Intensification: Homepage on the CIIFAD website

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) homepage on the CIIFAD website, setup in collaboration with Association Tefy Saina Madagascar, is an extensive, continuously updated online resource base on SRI.

rajshekar

Posted on 29 Aug, 2009 10:31 AM

The site has sections detailing the methodology of SRI, its advantages, origins, current status in countries across the world, videos, articles, research papers, extension information, conference outputs, discussion communities, update series, newsletters and more.

See the homepage: Here

The Kyoto Protocol: Mandate, mechanisms and revisions

The Kyoto Protocol is a landmark agreement reached at the Conference of the Parties (COP 3) in Japan. It derives its name after the city, Kyoto, in Japan, where the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference - COP 3 was held in December 1997. Industrialized countries agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as per levels specified in the treaty.

Rama Mani

Posted on 28 Aug, 2009 04:57 PM

Mandated Quantified GHG Emissions Reduction

Quick reference: Climate change impacts on freshwater ecosystems in the Himalayas (CCIFEH)

Climate change impacts on freshwater ecosystems in the Himalayas (CCIFEH) is a joint initiative of WWF-India and WWF Nepal, funded by WWF-The Netherlands.

Rama Mani

Posted on 26 Aug, 2009 04:01 PM

The programme entails a panorama of actions working towards understanding future climate change impacts on Himalayan river ecosystems and vulnerable communities for the development of adaptation strategies; implementation of pilot sites; and raising the awareness of climate change impacts on Himalayan river basins, in addition to urging specific adaptation strategie

Impact of climate change on the Himalayan glaciers

40% reduction has occurred in the Himalayan glaciers in the last 40 years. 67% of the glaciers have retreated in the last decade. Gangotri is retreating at the rate of 28 m per year. Global warming and its consequent melting of glaciers would result in floods, fast and furious run-offs, erosion of the topsoil and sedimentation of the rivers. This could also lead to changes in the course of the rivers in the region.

Rama Mani

Posted on 26 Aug, 2009 03:30 PM

The Himalayas' permanent ice cover is around 97,000 sq.km. with 12,930 sq.km. volume of ice and snow: 10-20 % are covered by glaciers and 30-40% are seasonal snowfalls. The Himalayan streams and rivers are fed by the melting of snow and ice of approximately 500 sq.km / year.

Impact of climate change on water resources

Sea-level rise and coastal delta flooding will result in large-scale migration, affecting traditional fishing communities, agriculture, tourism as well as industries and urban agglomerations along the coast. The stress on water resources will impact agriculture, especially rain-fed agriculture; as well as health; changing temperatures and moisture levels will affect insects and plants; and also our forests and pasture lands. Livelihoods will be at stake for the millions.
Can we do something about these impacts? Is something already happening? Yes, on both counts.

Rama Mani

Posted on 26 Aug, 2009 02:30 PM

India has contributed immensely to the body of scientific research and analysis that underpins the understanding of the global impacts of climate change. There is, to a slightly lesser degree, an understanding of specific regional impacts. More needs to be done here, especially understinding micro-level impacts.

Global best practices in the urban water sector

UN Habitat's best practices brief on the urban water sector across the world

UN Habitat

Posted on 26 Aug, 2009 01:02 PM

Countries around the world have tried to manage their water resources in a sustainable manner. Click here to know more about the global best practices in the urban water sector.

Subscribe to Sustainability

All Articles

July 8, 2024

पर्यावरण प्रदूषण से जूझते बुग्याल

प्रकृति ने हमें हरे-भरे जंगल व बुग्याल, बर्फीले पहाड़, कलकल करती अविरल बहती नदियाँ, झीले और प्राकृतिक सौन्दर्यता को मनोरंजन के साधन के रूप में प्रदान किया है लेकिन आज के इस मौज मस्ती भरे मानवीय क्रिया-कलापों से इन संसाधनों का अस्तित्व बढ़ते प्रदूषण के कारण संकट में आ गया है। आज ये प्राकृतिक संसाधन धीरे- धीरे प्रदूषित हो रहे हैं। इसी प्रदूषण को झेलते सुनहरे बुग्यालों का भविष्य संकट की ओर जाता दिखाई दे रहा है।

औली बुग्याल, उत्तराखंड में एक घास का मैदान। (फोटो सौजन्य: विकिमीडिया कॉमन्स, फोटो - संदीप बराड़ जाट)

July 8, 2024

क्या समुद्री खाद्य शृंखलाएं जलवायु परिवर्तन से बदल जाएंगी

तेजी से हो रहे निरंतर जलवायु परिवर्तन के कारण समुद्री पारिस्थितिक तंत्र में समय के साथ तेजी से पोषक तत्वों की कमी होती जाएगी। एक शोध का अनुमान है कि जलवायु परिवर्तन का दक्षिण प्रशांत, हिंद-प्रशांत, पश्चिम अफ्रीकी तट और मध्य अमरीका के पश्चिमी तट पर स्थित देशों की समुद्री खाद्य श्रृंखलाओं पर प्रतिकल प्रभाव पड़ने की आशंका है।

प्रतिकात्मक तस्वीर, फोटो स्रोत: विकिमीडिया कॉमन्स

July 7, 2024

दिमाग खाने वाला अमीबा - ब्रेन ईटिंग अमीबा : जलवायु संकट की देन

नेगलेरिया फाउलेरी एक अमीबा है जो जल में पाया जाता है और यह जीवाणु नहीं होता है, बल्कि एक स्वतंत्र जीव होता है। यह अमीबा आमतौर पर गरम जल के तालाबों, झीलों, नदियों और झरनों में पाया जाता है। यह जीव विशेष रूप से गरम जल में बढ़ता है और यह इंसानों के नाक और मुंह के माध्यम से शरीर में प्रवेश करता है। यह अमीबा ब्रेन में प्रवेश करके अत्यधिक गंभीर बीमारी का कारण बन सकता है, जिसे प्राइमरी अमीबिक मेनिंजिटिस कहा जाता है। इसके लक्षण में बुखार, सिरदर्द, अक्सर बदलते दिमाग की स्थिति, और अक्सर असमान्य व्यवहार शामिल हो सकते हैं। जानिए लक्षण और बचाव के उपाय

नेगलेरिया फाउलेरी, फोटो साभार - http://www.dpd.cdc.gov

July 4, 2024

बांदा, जखनी गांव : आज भी खरी है मेड़बंदी

मनुष्य को जब से भोजन की आवश्यकता पड़ी होगी उसने भोजन का आविष्कार किया होगा। किस स्थान पर भोजन उगाया जाए? फसलें पैदा की जाएं जमीन खोजी होगी खेत बनाया होगा। खाद्यान्न पैदा करने के लिए खेत का निर्माण तय हुआ होगा तभी से मेड़बंदी जैसी जल संरक्षण की विधि का आविष्कार हुआ होगा। यह हमारे पुरखों की विधि है जिन से खेत खलिहान का जन्म हुआ है एवं जिन्होंने जल संरक्षण परंपरागत प्रमाणित सर्वमान्य मेड़बंदी विधि का आविष्कार किया है जिसमें किसी प्रकार की कोई तकनीकी शिक्षा नवीन-ज्ञान, वैज्ञानिक ज्ञान की आवश्यकता नहीं होती है।