[Reader-list] "Follow Gujarat's lead in fighting climate change"

[anupam chakravartty]

http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/editorial_narendra-modi-s-green-thoughts-may-not-clear-his-image_1484882

Excerpts:

"His supporters are likely to see this as another feather in the cap of this
unapologetic right-wing politician. But this is something that is likely to
drive his critics — most of them from the other end of the political
spectrum — into a paroxysm of anger. They are sure to see this saffron
attempt to go green as a conspiracy against secularism."

On Wed, Dec 22, 2010 at 10:27 PM, Bipin Trivedi <aliens at dataone.in> wrote:

>
>
> December 22, 2010
>
> "Follow Gujarat's lead in fighting climate change"
>
>
> Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi
> and TERI Director-General
> R.K. Pachauri (left) release a book " Convenient Action: Gujarat Response
> to Challenges of Climate Change"
> written by Mr. Modi, in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
>
>
> MANAS DASGUPTA, Ahmedabad
>
> The former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and the chairman of the
> Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), R.K. Pachauri, on Tuesday
> recommended that climate change should become the centre of all
> developmental policies and actions, and advised other States to follow the
> lead given by Gujarat in this direction.
>
> Speaking at a function for the release of a book, Convenient Action:
> Gujarat's Response to Climate Change written by Chief Minister Narendra
> Modi, which details the steps taken in Gujarat to meet the challenge, Mr.
> Kalam said the problem of climate change could not be viewed in isolation,
> and that India must immediately adopted long-term programmes like the
> Integrated Water Connections and Energy Independent Mission and focus on
> renewable sources of energy to achieve the goals in the next two decades.
>
> Mr. Kalam said he was ‘inspired" by Mr. Modi's "beautiful book" and
> Gujarat's programme on linking rivers, which helped rejuvenate the Sabarmati
> river and solve many of health and other problems in Ahmedabad.
>
> Mr. Kalam said he had always believed that State-wise linking of rivers was
> a must, and had given detailed proposals to States like Andhra Pradesh and
> Kerala. He said this would not only solve perennial water problems, both for
> drinking and agricultural purposes, but also arrest the flooding of large
> areas every year and save over $500 million, which the government was forced
> to spend for short-term relief measures for the flood-affected.
>
> Appreciating Gujarat's agricultural growth — which he said was three times
> higher than the national average, despite it being a drought-prone State —
> Mr. Kalam said that the construction of a series of check-dams, village
> bunds and other water conservation methods had largely contributed to
> achieving the goal.
>
> Dr. Pachauri, who is also director-general of The Energy and Resources
> Institute (TERI), said the world had no time to waste and wait for
> cent-per-cent scientific proof that climate change was affecting the earth.
> "Our future generation is moving towards destruction every minute; climate
> change is a reality and what is happening around us already is enough to
> compel us for actions."
>
> Mr. Modi — who was acclaimed as only the second political leader in the
> world, after former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore, in writing a book on
> climate change — said that Indian scriptures written thousands of years ago
> had mentioned possible climate change and had given solutions, but not many
> people had the intention to follow the same. He said his inspiration came
> from Mr. Gore's book An Inconvenient Truth, which highlighted the resistance
> that people usually develop for any inconveniences caused by the problems
> arising out of climate change.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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