Consortia to study impacts of climate change in Asia, Africa

A study on the impacts of climate change in Asia and Africa will be conducted by four new multi-partner research consortia and it will include case studies in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal.
The study which will find ways to adapt in some of the most vulnerable regions in Asia and Africa will be funded under a 7 year research initiative -- Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA).
The programme will cost Canadian dollar 70 million.
The CARIAA will focus on three types of "hot spots" of the world, namely, semi-arid regions in Africa and South and Central Asia, major river deltas in Africa and South Asia, and the Himalayan River Basins.

The purpose of forming the consortia is to contribute to effective policies and action on the ground that would minimise the climate change impacts.
The announcement of the consortia was made yesterday during a conference organised at the joint initiative of Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the UK's Department for International Development (DFID).

The eighth Conference on Community Based Adaptation that concluded here called for action to reducing the impacts of global warming and climate change.
The consortia is led by ICIMOD (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) headquartered in Kathmandu.
Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in India and the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council are its partners in Asia.

The Consortium working in deltas include the Bangladesh University of Technology and Engineering, and Jadavpur University in India and include research on the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and the Mahanadi deltas.
Other two consortia working in semi-arid regions include the Indian Institute for Human Settlement and the Sustainable Development Policy Institute of Pakistan.
CARIAA will provide key insights into future water supply and into effective adaptation options available at a local, national and regional scale in the countries dependent on the Hindu Kush Himalayan glaciers," said Dr David Molden, director general of ICIMOD.
Collaboration on adaptation research holds large scale mutual benefits to both Africa and Asia.

It will enrich our knowledge on options available to help the most vulnerable populations in wide range of countries and regions, according to Dr Rajendra K Pachauri, CEO of TERI, India.