D.S. Pai, head of the Long Range Forecast Division at India Meteorological Department, Pune, says that compared with the previous four decades, the occurrence of heat waves and severe heat waves in the country has increased during 2001-10, the warmest decade for the country and the globe.
A significant trend of a long-term increase in heat-wave days was observed in India during the analysis period (1961-2010), he says in a paper titled “Long-term climatology and trends of heat waves over India during the recent 50 years”.
Dr. Pai told The Hindu that the use of the term “unseasonal rain” for what was witnessed in March-April was wrong, although it was an “anomaly”. He said the warming of the ocean currents, referred to as El Nino, was common and no significant long-term variations were found in its occurrence.
Carbon sinks
The Centre is planning to launch of an urban forestry programme to be funded under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) on World Environment Day, June 5, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said here on Wednesday. “The idea is to plant at least 4,000 trees in the next few months to help create more urban carbon sinks to tackle climate change,” Mr. Javadekar said.
The Union Environment and Forests Ministry has already piloted a Bill in Parliament to release nearly Rs. 35,000 crore under CAMPA to all States so they can invest in greening degraded forest areas to boost the Green India Mission.
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