ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CHANGE
ABSTRACT
ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CHANGE :
Understanding climate variability, change and extremes: a societal need
By Ar.shantanu P. Jagtap (asst.prof.) Faculty in architecture.,M-arch (YCMOU Nashik -last sem)
& Ar.Tejas B.Pingale (B.Arch.)
Although the focus in this talk is on climate affairs, it refers more generally to “climate, water and weather affairs.” The first and foremost goal of establishing a “climate affairs” activity is to develop an awareness among educators and trainers in a variety of disciplines on how climate affects all aspects of life in industrialized and developing countries alike. Educating educators of students at various levels and training trainers of people already in the workforce can catalyze a cascade of awareness throughout society about the growing importance of improved understanding of climate in its societal context.
Decision-makers, too, in those countries can influence the way their climate-sensitive activities are affected by variables in addition to changing climate as a result of enhancing their understanding of climate affairs. In essence, this will build the institutional as well as individual capacity of countries to deal with a host of climate-related issues (agriculture, energy, water, health, public safety, education).
If the worldwide media reports are taken as an indicator, there was a heightened interest and awareness of climate and climate-related issues during the 1990s. There was also an improved awareness of the
need for a better understanding of how climate variability and change affect ecosystems and the affairs of individuals as well as nations on a variety of time scales, from seasons to decades. Societies are increasingly coming to realize how their activities (e.g., industrialization processes and land-use activities) can alter the chemistry of the global atmosphere, which in turn can raise its average temperature by a few
degrees Celsius.
An increasing number of government, individual, and corporate decisions are being made where knowledge of climate affairs is necessary. There is, however, at the same time a lack of human and institutional capacity in developing countries to impart effectively relevant knowledge to such decision-makers now and in the future. This situation calls for national capacity-building efforts by academic institutions, international agencies and scientific organizations.
“Educating educators of students at various levels and training trainers of people already in the workforce can catalyze a cascade of awareness throughout society about the growing importance of
improved understanding of climate in its societal context”
