Disregarding ecological and livelihood concerns, the Parbati hydroelectric project in Himachal Pradesh is moving forward. Experts warn that diverting water from the Parbati and its tributaries for

India sent its first team to the Arctic recently. Two of its members have returned with a variety of samples, some dating back to millions of years. ARCHITA BHATTA spoke with them "We found round

This study investigates the impact of climate change on glaciers and glacial lakes in two major glacial hotspots in the Himalayas: the Dudh Koshi sub-basin in the Khumbu-Everest region in Nepal, and the Pho Chu sub-basin in Bhutan. The focus was on changes in the number and size of glacial lakes forming behind exposed end moraines as glaciers retreat, and the resulting potential threat of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). The report aims to demonstrate methodological aspects of monitoring and potential GLOF hazard assessment using a case study approach.

The contemporary trend of global warming is aptly highlighted in the IPCC report 2007. There is a strong consensus amongst scientists and planners today that the earth's climate is entering a warm episode, nudged primarily by human activities of fossil fuel burning and land use changes that inject steadily increasing amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. It is also quite possible that the increased concentrations of atmospheric CO2 will also have a direct influence on productive systems of plant species in view of increasing rates of photosynthesis and improved water use efficiency.

This report presents several case studies from selected natural and cultural World Heritage sites around the globe in order to illustrate the impacts of climate change that have already been observed and those that can be expected in the future. For each of the featured sites, ongoing and planned adaptation measures are reviewed, to give an indication of what may be possible by way of management responses to the different situations.

Low-elevation coastal zones (leczs) are areas at an elevation of 10 metres or less above sea level. Although leczs account for just 2 per cent of the world's total land area, they contain

global warming is for real, say researchers at Ohio State University, usa. They have presented startling evidence of global warming affecting the tropics at the annual meeting of the American

on february 2, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (ipcc) released its much awaited Fourth Assessment Report. With an unprecedented confidence of 90 per cent, it asserted that climate

The International Polar Year (IPY) 2007

On the Brink? A Report on Climate Change and Its Impact in Kashmir documents the disappearance of many small glaciers from the region's mountains, the western Himalayas. The report warns that receding Himalayan glaciers could jeopardize water supplies for hundreds of millions of people. Other climate-related changes include rising sea levels that could threaten Indian cities such as Mumbai and Kolkata, more floods and droughts, more disease, and lower crop yields.

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