Seminar on impact of climate change in Northeast India held in national capital
The seminar was jointly organised by the South Asian Climate Change Journalist's Forum and the North East Media Forum.
Northeast region is considered to be one of the sensitive ecological zones in the eastern Himalayan foothills. The region is highly vulnerable to climate change, experiencing frequent floods, landslides, earthquakes, and droughts.
Speaking at the seminar, Dr Kiranmay Sarma, Professor in the School of Environment Management, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, highlighted several of his climate-related studies carried out in the northeastern region and beyond, painting a broader picture of climate-induced events and their cascading effects on the community.
Dr Sarma, who specialises in geospatial technology applications for environment and disaster management, made a presentation at the seminar, touching upon various remote sensing tools that can help study environmental impacts.
Dr.Sarma also underlined the pivotal role of the indigenous knowledge system in mitigating climate change and in the conservation of biodiversity.
Responding to a query about whether remote sensing can identify aquifers in water-scarce areas of the northeast, he said, 'Yes, remote sensing technology can help identify aquifers. In Meghalaya, aquifers have been identified through this technology.'
Souparna Lahiri of Forest and Climate Policy of Climate Land Ambition and Rights Alliance, as part of his intervention, touched upon various facets of climate change, and how society as a whole can mitigate its impact.
Climate change, according to Lahiri, is a natural response to all anthropogenic activities.
He suggested that all northeast states must come up with their climate action policies.
'The climate action plans are usually prepared by consultants, not the people from the community. A climate action policy is supposed to be a bottom-up approach, involving the community, their knowledge and experience, so that we can formulate a proper action plan,' said Lahiri.
During the seminar, a journal named 'NE Climate 2025 - documenting the changing climate of North East India' was also released, which was edited by Ashish Gupta, President of the South Asian chapter of the Climate Change Journalists Forum and a senior journalist, along with CK Nayak, General Secretary of the forum's India chapter.
In his address, CK Nayak said the Northeast is grappling with a complex set of climate challenges that demand a holistic approach to both adaptation and mitigation, not fragmented or piecemeal efforts.
'Understanding the specific impacts across the region and addressing root causes such as deforestation and unsustainable land use and practices are critical steps toward building a climate-resilient future,' he quipped.
President of North East Media Forum, Sanjib Kumar Baruah, in his address, said the time to combat the scourge of climate change is to 'act now'.
General Secretary of North East Media Forum, Pranjal Pratim Das, offered the vote of thanks. The seminar drew a diverse audience, including journalists, researchers, environmentalists, government officials and students. (ANI)
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