Stake-holders ignored in climate change consultations |
http://www.hindu.com/2010/05/19/stories/2010051956230800.htm
BHUBANESWAR: Even as the State government is getting closer to finalise its action plan on climate change, environmentalists have expressed concern that important stakeholders have been ignored during consultation process.
“Though the climate change action plan will become operational in June, no worthwhile consultations with farmer groups, environmentalists or fishermen bodies have been held so far. About 75 per cent of the State's population is engaged in farming and yet this most important group has been left out,” said Biswajit Mohanty, an environmentalist, here.
Draft plans
He said the draft plans had not satisfactorily dealt with issues like impact of climate change on forest fauna and fish resources. “There has been a major change in the flowering of mango and mahua trees which have started flowering early. Climatic change would put severe pressure on the forests, change in species and distribution of forests,” Mr. Mohanty said.
He said the rising sea surface temperature would affect the distribution and production of particular fish species
The climate change action plan process was hijacked by World Bank and DFID and the bureaucracy was willing to dance to their tune, Mr. Mohanty alleged, saying “We doubt if the state will frame plans that actually control climate change. In no democratically elected government can such policies be decided without involving people.”
At a time when the State was pursuing mind-boggling expansion of thermal power plants which was one of the key drivers of climate change, appointment of energy secretary, who had a clear mandate from the government to promote such thermal power plants, as chairman of the working group raised eyebrows, he said.
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