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Climate Change
The Impact of Climate
Change on Coastal Regions
Global warming and climate change pose People now use 1.5 °C as the reference point
threats to the entire humanity and yet the - this would also result in increasing sea level,
concerns are not turned into actions to floods and extreme weather events which we
ensure sustainable development globally. are already seeing.
Dr. Sajitha Bashir, Adviser – Science and
Technology Education Global Practice, “Global warming at 2% or higher annually will
World Bank delivered a talk on “The Impact result in increasing sea level, floods, reduced
of Climate Change on Coastal Regions” food production, health challenges etc.’ The
at Vakkom Moulavi Foundation Trust Hall, Paris Agreement’s long-term temperature
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 21 December goal is to keep the increase in global average
2019. temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-
industrial levels; and to pursue efforts to
The presentation included i) risks and limit the increase to 1.5 °C, recognizing that
vulnerabilities of climate change in coastal this would substantially reduce the risks and
areas, ii) the steps taken globally, nationally impacts of climate change.
and state level and iii) involvement of local
communities in protecting coastal areas. She Kerala is the first state to bring Climate
showed evidences of climate change across Action Plan in 2014. The awareness of
the globe and established high risks faced people still remains at lower levels. Estuary
by India. The presentation emphasised that as a joining point of lake and sea, plays a
coastal settlements have to be more resilient vital role in balancing the environmental
and some districts of Kerala are highly changes. Muthalapozhi (Perumathura) in
vulnerable. They are Alappuzha, Idukki, Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala is the
Palakkad and Wayanad. Thiruvanathapuram largest estuary in the district. According to Asian
is as vulnerable as any other coastal or hilly Development Bank Study, the excavations as
areas in the state. part of port construction caused soil erosion in
the estuary area. Constructing sea wall is not
The Paris Agreement’s long-term temperature advisable and environment friendly measures
goal is to keep the increase in global average needs to be identified. She proposed
temperature to well below 2 °C above pre- citizenship monitoring and involvement
industrial levels; and to pursue efforts to of local people in protecting the coastal
limit the increase to 1.5 °C, recognizing that areas and presented a model approach for
this would substantially reduce the risks Muthalapozhi Estuary in Kadinamkulam Lake
and impacts of climate change. The IPCC’s of South Kerala. The collaboration of scientific
subsequent Special Report of 2018 on Global institutions, local panchayaths, NGOs, and
Warming of 1.5 °C indicates that even with residents can create citizenship monitoring,
global warming of 1.5 °C there would be collection of data analysis, evaluation and
increased risks to “health, livelihoods, food protection. Awareness can be built among
security, water supply, human security, and school children with their involvement in data
economic growth.” collection and analysis.
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VMFT NEWSLETTER JANUARY-MARCH 2020
