Shimla: In the eye of changing climatic patterns being observed in western Himalayas, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal let an International Conference on Environment and Climate Change organized by World Bank at San Jose, Costa Rica know that the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh would be setting up a State Centre for Climate Change, Disaster Management and Snow and Glacier Studies for chalking out climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and to enhance state’s preparedness for natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, glaciers lake outbursts and flash floods.
The chief minister said that a State Resource Information Centre to serve as a central repository for all databases on environment, natural resources and climate change would also be established.
Dhumal let the conference know that an Environment Master Plan formulation in assistance with World Bank was nearly complete wherein spatial vulnerability assessment, sectoral guidelines for environmental protection formulation and other such measures had been incorporated.
The Himalayan state was working in developing tools and methodologies for green accounting in the budget processes. We are in the process for inventing upon Green House Gases emissions for assessing Carbon Footprints, said Dhumal.
The Shimla Declaration on Sustainable Himalayan Development, adopted at a national level conclave on glaciers had spoken of Livelihood and Climate Change wherein Establishment of a Himalayan Sustainable Development Forum, Setting up State Councils for Climate Change, Payment for Eco-System Services, Managing Water Resources for Sustainable Development, Green Transportation, Green Industry and Green Job Creations, said the chief minister.
An integrated and comprehensive approach towards building a sustainable and climate resilient economy had been developed, he added.
The chief minister alongwith forest minister JP Nadda, additional chief secretary forest Avay Shukla are part of a delegation from Himachal participating at the international conference organized by World Bank in the central American nation of Coast Rica.
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Himachal Public relations department website shows Costa Rica as part of USA. What a shame! Their CM is in a country and they don’t even know where exactly. This state is governed by bunch of officials who even don’t know general basic knowledge.
who are we kidding !!! An International Conference on Environment and Climate Change ???
All that i see here is squeezing out money from the western sources and meeting the corrupt demands of the corrupt ministers.Do we really need to prepare for natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, glaciers lake outbursts and flash floods?Why are we looking for cure rather than looking for preventive method?
As pointed out in that meet, the government has launched various community-driven plantation schemes to increase the green cover and protect the environment. Is it for real? All that I have seen is destruction,exploitation, encroachment and the government abetting in it.
The real issue here should be in preserving the forest cover, but because our dear ministers want to increase their “vote-bank” they take things for granted and heavily plough down the cover.Instead they should look for alternative source of energy such as solar or wind energy, reforestation, afforestation etc. all this will reduces the carbon footprint.