‘Inter-departmental approach needed to tackle climate change’

Gupta was delivering the presidential address at the Climate Change Education Talk Series at the Centre for Environment Education.

Professor Sushil Kumar Dash of the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences,IIT-Delhi,spoke on “Weather in the Changing Atmosphere.”

Professor Dash,who has also authored a book on the effects of climate change in India,however,said the “shift of the rain-belt from east to west” is too early to be scientifically proved,but there is now a “question mark” about the role of climate change.

Replying to a question on whether global warming could be behind this year’s excessive rainfall over Saurashtra while every other area of the country received deficient,or at most,normal rainfall,Prof Dash said “this cannot be ruled out”.

He added: “Earlier,people were saying that such freak phenomena is just a natural variation. But today,there is a question mark on this.”

He also emphasised that while the amount of overall annual rainfall has not diminished,seasonal rainfall has receded while short spells of rain lasting as short as four days,along with regional variations in rainfall received,have become more common.