Category Center for Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development

M.S. Swaminathan: A Legacy of Food Security and Sustainability

MS Swaminathan was a remarkable scientist who changed the course of the history of India through contributions to India’s food security in a very difficult time of frequent famines, hunger and poverty. He was born on August 7, 1925, in Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, went for higher studies in England and completed his PhD from Cambridge University in the year 1952. After his studies, although he was offered a position at Wisconsin University (USA), he chose to return to his motherland where he had no job, to serve the country on the back of famines, poverty and hunger due to food shortages and crop failures.

International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer 

The brittle gas shield known as the ozone layer, shields the Earth from the sun's destructive ultraviolet rays, preserving life on the planet. In addition to protecting the ozone layer for current and future generations, the phaseout of controlled uses of ozone depleting substances and the resulting reductions have made a significant contribution to global efforts to combat climate change. By preventing harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching Earth, these actions have also protected human health and ecosystems. Scientists first noticed a huge hole in the layer in 1985. Two years later, the Montreal Protocol was ratified by 46 nations, who pledged to gradually phase out the dangerous substances.

Climate Change and Its Implication for the Economy in Pakistan

In a captivating and intellectually stimulating session led by the distinguished Dr. Jabir Syed, an accomplished Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan, a comprehensive exploration of the dire and far-reaching consequences of climate change on Pakistan's economy and its multifaceted sectors unfolded. Pakistan, a nation ranked among the top five most vulnerable to the ravages of climate change, has found itself ensnared in the clutches of an intensifying climate crisis over the past two decades. This crisis has manifested through a litany of harrowing events, including cataclysmic floods, meteoric temperature spikes, and erratic weather patterns, all of which have wrought havoc upon the country's socioeconomic tapestry.

Climate Change Assessment and Economic Impacts

Professor Rekha Nianthi, a distinguished academic from the Department of Geography at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, delivered an enlightening presentation that meticulously examined the multifaceted dimensions of climate change and its profound economic implications, with a special focus on the Indian subcontinent and various Asian nations. Her insightful discourse commenced with a clear definition of climate change, characterizing it as a protracted shift in long-term temperature and weather patterns primarily driven by the burning of fossil fuels, which releases greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere.

Climate Change and Economic Opportunities in South Asia

In a world where the profound challenges posed by climate change cast a long shadow over our future, the wisdom and expertise of scholars like Professor Joyashree Roy become invaluable. Professor Roy, holding the prestigious Bangabandhu Chair Professorship and serving as the Director of the Centre on South and South East Asia Multidisciplinary Applied Research Network at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand, offers a sweeping and insightful perspective on the complex interplay between climate change and the economic opportunities that emerge within the dynamic region of South Asia.

Just Transition to Clean Energy: Experiences of Bangladesh

Session ReportMansi Garg Understanding the Nuances of Climate Change in the Indian Subcontinent: Impact and Way Forward was an Online International Monsoon School Program, a Six-Week Immersive Online Introductory Certificate Training Course from August-September 2023 by IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute.  Dr.…

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