India should act to lessen impact of global warming: Ramesh
New Delhi: India needs to play a leadership
role to adapt and mitigate the adverse impact of global
warming as it is the most "vulnerable" country to climate
change, Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said today.
"We cannot afford to ignore the threats of climate
change as four areas of vulnerabilities exist only in India
and nowhere in the world. For instance, if monsoon fails our
economy will come to a standstill," Ramesh said at a function
to launch the "Climate Change Agenda for Delhi 2009-2012."
Similarly, he said the vast stretch of coastal lines,
Himalayan glaciers in the Northern regions and thick forests
in Central India were under threat.
"Without being told by the world what we should do, we
have to be very proactive and take a leadership role and show
the global communities how to adapt and mitigate the adverse
impact of climate change," the Minister added.
Appreciating the Delhi Government's effort in becoming
the first State to prepare the domestic action plan to tackle
global warming caused by green house gas emissions, he said,
it is in keeping with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's call
all the States to come out with such points.
He also appreciated the government's 'green
initiatives' such as taking solar energy in the households
through power tariffs, preparing a map for carbon footprints
of the city and greening the capital by setting up urban
forests across the city.
Bureau Report