Junior Bachchan, Abhishek and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today launched WWF’s Earth Hour 2010 at World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) office in New Delhi. The Earth Hour is being observed on March 27, 2010 from 8:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M this year.
As a concerned individuals for the planet, Abhishek along with Sheila Dikshit lit the ‘candle of hope’ encouraging citizens of India to ‘switch on’ their minds and showcase solidarity and commitment towards climate change and energy conservation by ‘switching off’ the light for one hour. They also took pledge to intensify campaign for this purpose. They were joined by Ravi Singh, CEO of WWF India. Earth Hour 2010 is expected to be a culmination of over one billion people around the globe, in more than 6000 cities and towns worldwide, turning off lights and showing support for action on climate change.
Interacting with media Abhishek Bachchan said, “as responsible citizens of this planet, it is extremely crucial for us to address the colossal problem of climate change through ensuring responsible action and adopting a sustainable way of life. It is time that we take a collective pledge to ‘switch on’ our minds and take one simple step to ‘switch off the lights’ on March 27, 2010 from 8:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M.”
According to Ravi Singh, CEO, WWF India, the campaign will be joined by 92 countries and 878 cities.

R B Singh, Senior scholar and teacher of Geography at prestigious Delhi School of Economics (DSE), Delhi University and Secretary General of National Association of Geographers, India (NAGI) has worked a lot on Himalaya region, climate and glaciers. He has been guide for several projects and researches related to glaciers too. In an exclusive and detailed interaction with fachcha.com he revealed various aspects about climate change, glaciers and Delhi’s environment. Excerpts:

fachcha.com: We are facing unusual winter this year. Is the cycle of weather or season is changing?

RBS: Whatever signals and signs we are getting indicate that it is changing. 90’s was the hottest decade in the history. It has been proved by records too. There is increasing tendency of extreme weather. Events like cloud brust, flash flood, heavy rain, drought, devastating flood etc. have increased.

fachcha.com: What is the role of global warming in it?
RBS: See, increase in such kind of trend is not limited to India only. It has no boundary. Several countries in Europe, Latin America, Asia and other continent are affected by these developments. This is a clear sign that global warming has a big role in it.

fachcha.com: How would you describe the changes in weather and climate?
RBS: One thing is very clear that it is extending further. In other words it is moving forward. For example, there were 2-3 Western disturbances in Delhi and surrounding areas few years ago but it has increased upto 5-6 Western disturbances. Last year, the Western disturbances were appeared till May and caused rain. But earlier it used to appear in December, January and February only. I would like to use the term ‘climatic variables’ for these. These ‘variables’ have been increasing.

fachcha.com: There are four seasons in India – Summer, Monsoon, Winter and Spring. With the extended winter do you think that spring or India’s favourite ‘Basant’ has been vanishing slowly?

RBS: It needs a long time to predict about such kind of change in climate or season. We need at least 30 years’ observation to reach to some concrete conclusion. But yes, on the basis of observations for last six-seven years I can say that the span of spring has reduced by at least six to 10 days. We start facing hotter days much earlier after winter. On the other hand span of winter has increased.

fachcha.com: Would you say that it is again related to global warming?
RBS: Certainly. It relates to global warming. Global warming has some relation with extreme weather and uncertain behaviour of nature.

fachcha.com: What would you say about recent controversy on the issue of global meltdown?
RBS: This IPCC controversy is unnecessary and unwarranted. The situation of climate, glaciers are changing so the assessment too. We are lacking infrastructure to get accurate conclusion. Even, we are unable to do exact forecast of daily weather despite having such a huge infrastructure. The approach of research and availability of infrastructure too influence it.

fachcha.com: But the prediction was made that glaciers would disappear by 2035?
RBS: It is true that glaciers are melting but its speed and life depend upon region to region and place to place. It can not be said that it (glacier) will be totally disappear but you must remember that the report was made in few years ago when the situation was very bad. Lot of changes have been made through human or say government’s efforts.
As far as glaciers are concern one part of the Himalaya is different from the other part of the Himalaya. The central part of the Himalaya is more fragile while western part of the Himalaya is comparatively in better position in terms of meltdown. Though the exact figure is not available but there are about 8000 glaciers in the Himalaya. Glaciers at the central part are melting fast than the other part of the Himalaya.

fachcha.com: Is it in the defence of the mistake (made) about the prediction of meltdown?
RBS: First thing it is just a small part of global meltdown. The conclusion of complete meltdown of glaciers like Gangotri etc. may be wrong, as IPCC head R K Pachauri has already accepted but you must remember that there are chances of human errors also in the findings. That is the reason that some get meltdown speed of 130 meters per year of a glacier while other gets 12 meters. Some find that there is no meltdown in western part of the Himalaya. Moreover, there are some other factors also work in it like research tools, methodologies, available infrastructure and others. But it does not mean that for this a larger cause should be ignored due to undue pressure. And, one thing you must remember that efforts bring positive changes in environment and climate. You can just compare Delhi’s present environment with 15 years’ old environment. It does not mean that the prediction, plans and researches were done 15 years ago about Delhi’s future were wrong. In fact, efforts have changed the situation.

Over 120 institutions including several central universities and research institutions have been engaged to study climate change.
The Ministry of Environment is currently engaged in the preparation of India’s second national communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change. According to a reply, given by Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh today, a network of 127 institutions has been engaged countrywide belonging to Research and Development Institutions, Universities, autonomous bodies of the government, NGOs and private institutions for studies on various aspects of climate change.
These include greenhouse gas emissions of anthropogenic origin from sectors such as Energy, Industry, Agriculture, Forestry and Waste, Assessment and impact of projected climate change on key sectors such as Agriculture, Water, Natural ecosystems, Health, Extreme climate events, etc.

After few hours the longest poster on the climate change is going to be unveiled in Delhi on Friday. On the occassion of the World environment day on 5th June the poster will be unveiled by the Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit and British High to India Commissioner Sir Richard Stagg on the wall of a luxury hotel in the capital. The hotel, Ashoka hotel is one of the biggest luxury hotel in the country run by the government’s agency Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).