Kerala is preparing to log on to the global information network to build resilience to climate change. The government has initiated efforts to create a knowledge portal on climate change and establish a mobile laboratory and automatic weather stations for long-term monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions and other climate indicators in Kerala. The five-year project will be taken up by the Institute of Climate Change Studies (ICCS) in Kottayam, under the National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC).
While the mobile lab will be equipped to collect and analyse samples for greenhouse gases caused by human activities, the automatic weather stations will generate data for scientists to assess the impact of climate change on the ecosystem, develop reliable climate models, and come up with adaptation and mitigation strategies. The network will cover five districts representing the mountainous regions, midlands, and coastal lowlands.
In-principle nod
Director, ICCS, Keshav Mohan told The Hindu that the Rs.4.28-crore project had been approved in principle by the Union Department of Science and Technology (DST). The portal, he explained, would be a one-point information source on climate change issues specific to Kerala. “It is expected to provide critical inputs for researchers and policy planners. The data generated by the mobile laboratory and weather stations will help us keep the information updated.”
The NMSKCC seeks to identify the challenges and responses to climate change through research and technology development. It envisages the creation of knowledge networks for sharing data on climate change and a technology watch system for key sectors likely to be affected by climate change. It also aims at developing new technologies for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
The ICCS has initiated a State-funded programme to train functionaries of local bodies in climate change disaster risk reduction. A research project to study the link between climate change and vector-borne diseases has been piloted in Kottayam and Alappuzha districts.
