Calcutta is to have a "detailed, scientific plan' to combat the effects of climate changes, courtesy a World Bank initiative. A three-member team from the bank was in town recently to kick off the project, which will use a simulated model to predict Calcutta's vulnerability to climate changes till 2050 and prepare a survival roadmap. "Calcutta is among the 10 cities in the world that are most vulnerable to climate changes. The Bengal government has okayed a World Bank proposal to launch an initiative to predict the changes,' said state environment secretary K.L. Meena.

The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute will evolve mitigation strategies for marine fisheries and develop an ecosystem-based fisheries management technique for sustaining fishery resources, according to its director N.G.K. Pillai. Speaking to The Hindu here on Tuesday, he said the mitigation plan would highlight the impact of climate change on fish species and the shift in the distribution of commercially important varieties like oil sardine that had started migrating in large numbers from the Kerala coast to the northern areas in search of cooler water.

As it hurts agricultural productivity and environment, climate change could also have an adverse impact on the quality of life of farmers and tourism industry, particularly in the developing countries. Climate change will have a telling impact on the farmers. It will be harder for them to carry on in the increased temperatures, Mr M.V.K. Sivakumar, Chief of Agricultural Meteorology Division, WMO (World Meteorological Organisation), told Business Line. Recognising this, the WMO and UN Habitat (the UN body on human settlements) have started working to address this issue, he said.

In future, climate change is likely to be the single most significant cause of biodiversity loss, writes Sanjay Gubbi, assessing its overall impact.

Carbon dioxide has a bearing on food supply. For example, some cereals are specifically adapted to low concentrations of carbon dioxide. Pascal-Antoine Christin and colleagues from the University of