India needs to pad up to deal with climate change, says expert

India needs to adapt itself to deal with the adverse effects of climate change, says Ashwani Kumar, director-general, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE).

"Adaptation and mitigation are two keys that need to be adopted to maintain the stability. It will help nations cope with climate change," said Kumar. He was speaking at the inaugural session of a training programme on 'climate change vulnerability and adaptation strategies' for scientists and technologists at the Forest Research Institute (FRI) here on Monday.

Kumar also said India was most vulnerable to climate change. Climate change mitigation can be attained at cheaper cost through forestry activities such as afforestation and reforestation. He urged all scientists to join hands in this regard. Globally, 30 percent of land is covered with forest. Forests in India are contributing a lot towards climate change mitigation.

With its focus on sustainable management of forests, India has been successful in improving carbon stock in its forests by as much as 10 per cent, amounting to about 600 million tonnes of carbon for the decade ended in 2004, Kumar said. He further said ICFRE was playing an important role in global climate change negotiations.

ICFRE is organising a five days training course from February 2 for scientists and technologists working in government sector on climate change.