Department of Information and Public Relations

Press Release No. 116/12

CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION WORKSHOP CONCLUDED

Meghalaya Chief Minister, Dr. Mukul Sangma today attended the closing function of the Operational Planning Workshop on Climate Change Adaptation in North Eastern Region for the State of Meghalaya, Sikkim and Nagaland at Ri Kynjai Resort, Umiam. The closing function was also attended by Minister for Forest and Environment, Mr. P Tynsong, Principal Secretary, Planning, Mr. R M Mishra, Programme Director Climate Change Adaptation, North Eastern Region, (CCA-NER), Dr. Helga Fink, Programme Manager, GIZ-Delhi, Dr. Neun Hansjoerg beside others.

It may be mentioned that the two day workshop is being organized by the GIZ that is the cooperation of Republic of India and Federal Republic of Germany in partnership with the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER). The main aim of the workshop is to ensure that rural people in NER enhance their livelihood and adaptive capacities, to the impacts of climate variability and change.

In his speech as the chief guest, Dr. Mukul Sangma lamented that climate change has emerged as one of the most serious threats to the development of human societies with impacts on natural resources, economic activities, food security, human health and physical infrastructure, adding that threats is greater in communities and areas that have high dependency on agriculture and natural resources for their lives and livelihoods. He therefore added that adapting to climate change is of high relevance for livelihood resilience of rural people and overall sustainable development of such areas. Dr. Sangma further asserted that the fundamental demographic disparity between the developed and developing nations presents extremely difficult cultural, technical and moral challenges to any attempt to manage global climate change. He also added that it is indisputable that human combustion of fossil fuels for energy is causing global climate change that that threatens the very survival of our civilization. Dr. Mukul Sangma further said that climate change is real, the actions of mankind are the origin of climate change, and there is no way to reverse climate change and can only hope to slow the rate of change for the next several thousand years.

Others who spoke on the occasion were Minister for Forest and Environment, Mr. P Tynsong, Programme Director Climate Change Adaptation, North Eastern Region, (CCA-NER), Dr. Helga Fink, Programme Manager, GIZ-Delhi, Dr. Neun Hansjoerg