South Asia’s rivers should be a source of uniting peoples, not dividing them

22 April 2010, New Delhi



New Delhi: A workshop organised yesterday on the sidelines of a South Asia civil society gathering under the banner of Assembly of a Union of South Asian Peoples at Jawaharlal Nehru University came up with a set of recommendations to address the question of conflict over shared rivers in the region. The key message from the meeting, which addressed issues pertaining to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and India, was that South Asia’s rivers should be a source of uniting peoples, not dividing them. The Assembly is being organised as a civil society counter to the official SAARC meeting to be held in Thimpu from 28-29 April 2010.

The workshop organised by groups under the banner of India Climate Justice Group (ICJG) was of the view that current water technologies adopted by governments such as big dams, diversions and hydro projects have not met their stated objectives but have instead created discord in situations where harmony existed between communities across borders. Further these projects are witness to serious, long-term and widespread negative ecological and livelihood impacts. Climate change has brought further challenges such as glacial melting, flash floods, landslides, droughts, forest fires, intermittent rainfall, increased sea levels and risk of salinity ingress in absence of freshwater flows. Moreover, Governments have not shown any use of basic values like equity, transparency, accountability, sustainability and participation of the people in intra and inter governmental processes

Participants asserted that if Governments continue with their myopic and cavalier business as usual approach several flashpoints such as the Himalayan region, Indus Basin and North East region will unravel in the future with disastrous consequences.

Given the current challenges that the region faces, it was felt that we cannot confine water issues to nation states and only a regional approach that brings peoples perspectives to the centre stage can help create accord over rivers.

Ways identified to move forward include creating civil society mechanisms to share vital information about rivers. The experience of people driven flood forecasting by River Basin Friends in Assam to downstream communities in Bangladesh was especially highlighted. Others include ensuring transparency and participation in river governance. Given the vital importance and the common heritage of the Himalayan region, a regional policy should be worked out through a credible participatory process based on the needs of the people and the environment. The current race to the bottom by constructing hundreds of large hydropower projects in the region needs to be stopped. The guidelines of the World Commission on Dams Report, released by the eminent world statesman Nelson Mandela a decade back can provide a useful starting point for future water resources development in the region.

The workshop felt that the way to stop conflicts over rivers is to treat rivers as endowments, to be sustained for future generations rather than merely as short term resources to be simply harnessed and degraded in one or two generations.

Groups that co-organised this workshop include South Asia Network on Dams Rivers and People (SANDRP), National Forum of Forest Peoples and Forest Workers (NFFPFW), New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI) Intercultural Resources, Focus on the Global South, Delhi Platform, Delhi Forum and Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha

For more information contact: Himanshu Thakkar: ht.sandrp@gmail.com

Rivers, People and Climate Change in South Asia

Workshop ‘Rivers, people and climate change in South Asia’ held on 21 April 2010 at Indian Social Institute.


This workshop organised by the India Climate Justice Group (ICJG) was privileged to have interventions on Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India. Though we did not have speakers on Nepal and Bangladesh, the overview session on South Asia did touch on aspects related to these two countries.

Statement from the workshop:

South Asian countries share a number of rivers with each other and with other nations beyond the region. It is evident that current water technologies adopted by governments such as big dams, diversions and hydro projects have not met their stated objectives but have instead created discord in situations where harmony existed between communities across borders. Further these projects are witness to serious, long-term and widespread negative ecological and livelihood impacts. Climate change has brought further challenges such as glacial melting, flash floods, landslides, droughts, forest fires, intermittent rainfall, increased sea levels and risk of salinity ingress in absence of freshwater flows. Moreover, Governments have not shown any use of basic values like equity, transparency, accountability, sustainability and participation of the people in intra and inter governmental processes.

If Governments continue with their myopic and cavalier business as usual approach several flashpoints such as the Himalayan region, Indus Basin and North East region will unravel in the future with disastrous consequences.

Given the current challenges that the region faces, we cannot confine water issues to nation states; only a regional approach that brings peoples perspectives to the centre stage can help create accord over rivers.

Ways to move forward include creating civil society mechanisms to share vital information about rivers (such as the experience of people driven flood forecasting by River Basin Friends in Assam to downstream communities in Bangladesh) and water resources projects and ensuring transparency and participation in river governance. Given the vital importance and the common heritage of the Himalayan region, a regional policy should be worked out through a credible participatory process based on the needs of the people and the environment. The current race to the bottom by constructing hundreds of large hydropower projects in the region needs to be stopped. The guidelines of the World Commission on Dams Report, released by the eminent world statesman Nelson Mandela a decade back can provide a useful starting point for future water resources development in the region.

The crux of the contemporary challenge lies in creatively recovering imaginations about South Asia’s rivers as being implicated in complex relationships with regional histories, cultures and ecologies. The idea is to treat rivers as endowments, to be sustained for future generations rather than merely as short term resources to be simply harnessed and degraded in one or two generations.

South Asia’s rivers must be seen as a source for nourishing and uniting peoples, not dividing them (ENDS)

CO-ORGANISERS:
Groups that co-organised this workshop include South Asia Network on Dams Rivers and People (SANDRP), National Forum of Forest Peoples and Forest Workers (NFFPFW), New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI) Intercultural Resources, Focus on the Global South, Delhi Platform, Delhi Forum and Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha

South Asia: One of the worst hit regions on Food, Hunger and Poverty

South Asia supposed to one of the worst hit regions in food crisis, hunger and poverty in the world. South Asian State Heads will meet at Bhuthan this May and will discuss the issues pertaining to the citizens in their countries.
Climate change would be one of the agenda in this years SAARC summit. There will be number of issues related to the citizens in the region as FAO emphasis, SA supposed to be the highest number of hungry populations in the world. According to them it is over 540 million people goes to bed in hungry at every night.
In Sri Lanka, some estimates says, plantation areas and war affected areas are the most vulnerable communities living in the country.
We, as citizens of South Asian region need to emphasis these issues and focus the attention of the state heads for an effective actions immediately.

Herman Kumara,
14.04.10

Climate issue to discuss at SA summit
PEOPLE'S DAILY | April 13, 2010
http://www.southasianmedia.net/index_story.cfm


THIMPHU: Climate change will be the burning issue at the 16th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in two weeks in Thimpu, Bhutan, local media reported on Monday. The summit, which has the theme "Towards a green and happy South Asia," expects to see a regional mechanism proposed by Nepal to counter the effects of climate change, reported The Kathmandu Post. According to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, Nepal will push for an effective regional mechanism to cope with climate change. Also, Bangladesh and Maldives are likely to support Nepal' s effort to set up a regional body, as both the countries will face the most drastic effects of climate change…

PEOPLE’S MEMORANDUM TO THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ON THE COCHABAMBA CLIMATE CONFERENCE ORGANISED BY THE PLURINATIONAL GOVERNMENT OF BOLIVIA &

Our Indian comrades at People's Movements in India has taken very important step to push Indian government to take side with Evo Morales, when he convenes an Earth Summit at Bolivia call Peoples’ World Conference On Climate Change And Mother Earth’s Rights’to save the earth at Cochabamba, next week.
We congratulate Evo Morales to take such bold step to save all the organisms in the planet with these actions. Also, we expect the largest democratically elected government like India will support to this with attending the highest possible authority will make a difference to the world.
The Copenhagen summit has done nothing to save the earth though there was a very big campaign and high hopes all over the world.
Some scientist and environmentalists recently raised some voice saying the information which released to media and to the world high lighted some cooked data to suppress the development of the developing countries. What ever the said and done, we feel the changes to our climate, the increased air temperature, increased of insects, wider spread of weeds all over. And also we experienced so many years now, there are some climatic variations such as rains when the time we need sun and warm sun when we need the rain. So, how many seasons we lost our paddy cultivation alone in the country.
So, we need to think what environmentalists says and what we experience in our day to day life. So, we should strongly support the global attempts such as Evo Morales's in the world.

Herman Kumara,
13.04.10
10th April 2010

Dear Dr. Manmohan Singh,

We, the undersigned people’s organisations, social movements, trade unions, and concerned citizens of India, submit this Memorandum to you as the head of the Government of India to draw your attention to the Call and Invitation to the ‘Peoples’ World Conference On Climate Change And Mother Earth’s Rights’ to all Social Movements and Organisations, and Governments, of the World by the Evo Morales Ayma-led social movement Government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia; and to ask you to unequivocally respect and support this Call.

In the absence of any significant public position by your government so far on this extremely important initiative by a government of the global South, we write to you today, to demand that you now, without delay, go beyond political compulsions, technocratic understandings, and the polemics of ‘Climate Change’, and that you affirmatively respond to this Call and to the invitation extended to you by Sr. Evo Morales Ayma; and that the government of India take part in this Conference at the highest level.

We attach here for your convenience a copy of the Call and invitation issued by Government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia.

You may recall that many mass organisations, citizens and movement groups had submitted a detailed Memorandum with demands and clear proposals to you and the GoI prior to the Copenhagen Summit, in order to raise our concerns, positions, and demands to you to represent the people of India and our interests at the Summit. (We attach a copy of the Memorandum here, for your information) On the one hand, we understand that the GoI subsequently took meaningful positions vis-à-vis placing demands on the developed world to reduce emissions, pay up, and not compare the emerging or the least developed worlds with itself; and that Indian government has also played an important role in bringing together the major emerging economies to form BASIC.

On the other hand however, when seen in terms of the concerns we had raised to you in our people’s Memorandum regarding the key issue of equity, the government of India’s position was also seen by many as ‘hiding behind the poor’. And the government of India’s position was easily exposed because of this very aspect and as a result, the government of India could not play any substantive leadership role among those countries that have traditionally expected us to take a lead from within the developing world.

We therefore reiterate here our understanding that at this crucial juncture in world history, and given the profound crisis that climate change represents, India’s efforts should be focussed in taking the lead among and on behalf of the interests of the majority of the world’s nations – the least developed and the emerging economies - and not jockeying for a position among the club of elite nations. And that most fundamentally, the Indian position should be proactively addressing issues of equity – within countries and between countries.

We firmly believe that the economic and political issues of inequality and inequity, both within and between nations, grievously impact distribution and consumption and are at the core of the crisis of global warming and of responding meaningfully to it. The crisis is also about a few - both globally but also within countries and regions - usurping the rights and access of the vast majority of the disempowered over the commons – air, water, land, minerals, and forests. Unsustainable economic development and inequitable growth based on an economy dependent on the use of fossil-fuels and extractive industries — all of which have greatly intensified in the last 60 years — have led to the sharp rise in carbon emissions, way beyond what the Earth can absorb. The global annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have reached about 35 billion tonnes a year from the burning of coal, oil and gas, and from deforestation. This is much more than the net absorption capacity of the Earth, estimated to be 16-17 billion tonnes a year or roughly 2.5 tonnes per person, and which is also declining due to a gradual warming of the oceans.

It is in this context of a planetary crisis that we see an extraordinarily important opportunity in the Call sent out by the Bolivian Government, to host a summit that will deliberate not on the rights of human beings over the planet and its resources, but on the Rights of Mother Earth herself; and that will assert not the rights of governments and corporations over the planet and the resources it shares with us all but will deliberate on and forcefully assert the rights and responsibilities of humanity itself.

As you must surely know, this profound idea of a Mother Earth – here, articulated by the indigenous peoples of the Andean region of the Americas - is also deeply rooted in our own cultures of this region of the world, such as in the term dharati mata that is so widely respected and practised in their own ways both by Adivasis and by peasants in India. As we see it, we as humanity are therefore indeed already linked together across the planet – and indeed, bound together - by this fundamental concept; and it is our responsibility as human beings to at all times respect, protect, and promote this concept. We ask you, and your government, to pay heed to and adopt this concept.

At a time in history when every country and every negotiator is talking the technocratic language of ‘climate’, ‘carbon’ and ‘ppm’, it is vitally important to also acknowledge that it is only an indigenous community representative and a government led by such peoples that could have initiated a Call that so radically widens the perspective : To protect and nurture the Rights of Mother Earth herself. And we should have no doubt about what a fundamental challenge this Call poses to the rich nations and to their over-dependence on an unsustainable development paradigm.

We therefore urge the government of India to second this Call.

Beyond convening a Conference however, the Government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia has – in its Call - also put forward four vital instrumentalities for protecting and nurturing the Rights of Mother Earth :
· A Universal Declaration of Mother Earth’s Rights
· Proposals for new commitments to the Kyoto Protocol and projects for a COP Decision under the United Nations Framework for Climate Change
· The organisation of the Peoples’ World Referendum on Climate Change; and
· Developing an action plan to advance the establishment of a Climate Justice Tribunal;
aside from more generally defining strategies for action and mobilisation to defend life from Climate Change and to defend Mother Earth’s Rights.

Asking you to keep in mind that it was Bolivia that made the historic demand at the Bangkok preparatory meeting of COP prior to Copenhagen - that developed nations must now pay up for their historical debt –, and that this was a demand that your Government supported at the Bangkok meeting, we demand today of the government of India that it unequivocally support the government of Bolivia’s proposals.

In this connection, we also however wish to make clear to you and to the Government of India that we consider it a gravely wrong and mistaken position by GoI that the failure that took place at Copenhagen works in the interest of countries like India (such as in the remarks made in the Lok Sabha by Mr. Jairam Ramesh, MoS (MoEF), that “the interest of developing countries like India remains protected in the decisions taken by the Conference of Parties at Copenhagen”). We believe that only a reversal or undoing of the harm already done by climate change at the earliest alone can serve the interests of the worst impacted peoples of the developing world – of whom we continue to be an integral part. We therefore demand that the Government of India must stand united with and protective of progressive efforts of other developing countries – such as Bolivia -, the G-77, the least developed countries (LDCs), and the Association of Small Island States (AOSIS).

In conclusion, we demand the Government of India join the Cochabamba Climate Conference and meaningfully participate in it at the highest levels. We have also specifically drawn your attention to the instrumentalities put forward by the Government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia to demand that you and your government specifically recognise, address, and support these instrumentalities. We believe that doing so will help build a new international alliance and global order – not only between nation-states but also, and primarily, among the peoples of this planet, and that this will moreover help us in India to review and revise our own unsustainable development trajectory of several decades – where we have so blindly followed the European and US American model of growth. It is glaringly evident that this model has, just as in Europe and North America, directly resulted in the massive over-exploitation of natural resources, the massive displacement of Adivasis and other forest dwellers, the intensified exploitation and continued pauperization of the urban labouring poor – all in the interests of the promotion of consumption by and production for rich. This is a present and a future that we surely now all know is totally unsustainable. It is therefore time that the Government of India stood up clearly and unequivocally for Mother Earth – for dharati mata –, and it can and must do so by unconditionally supporting the initiative that has been created by the Call issued by the Government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia.
END.

They have Attached two documents to the memorandum which are missing here.
But, it is worth to mention what they have attached to send to Hon. Manmohan Singh, the PM of India.
1. The Call and invitation issued by Government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia
2. Memorandum To The Government Of India On The UNFCCC’s 15th Conference Of The Parties At Copenhagen’, dated November 24 2009.

Climate Change: the effects, Issues, Adaptation and mitigation in the fisheries sector

In the last decade the world has seen a sharp increase in food prices, moving many millions of people below the poverty line and dramatically increasing the number of people being undernourished and dying of hunger. Especially developing countries where the population spends a large proportion of their income on food (50-90%) are vulnerable for even the slightest increase in food prices. In ever greater detail it becomes clear that the damages of climate change will be disproportionately concentrated in developing countries (Cline 2007). While Developing Countries are not at the base of the causes of climate change and at the same time least equipped to mobilize the means to adapt to the climate change effects. The secondary effects of climate change (like famines, social unrest over rising food prices, conflicts over water resources, refugees, migration, health related effects, etc) make sure the developed world cannot close it’s eyes for the global impacts of it’s carbon heritage but will be confronted with it’s actual cost.

• 1.1 billion people go to bed on hunger every night, 750 million from Asia
• More than 1.5 billion people live without electricity
• More than 1 billion have poor access to fresh water
• About 800 million people chronically undernourished
• 2 million children die per year from diarrhea
• 30,000 deaths each day from preventable diseases,
• In every 6 second, one child die due to hunger and malnourishment,
• 2 billion people without access to clean cooking fuels,
The estimation of future temperature and precipitation figures has three main components.
First the observed data until today,
Second the projected green house gas emissions that cause climate changes,
And third the way these emissions will affect future temperature and precipitation.
Where the first is gathered by several thousands of weather station around the world, the second and third are based upon several assumptions. Population growth, economic development, energy intensity, domestic energy use, share of renewable energy, new energy technologies among many other factors all influence future atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. Basically all climate research focuses on systematic application of a set of emission assumptions on a set of systematic climatic model assumptions. Therefore it should at all times be kept in mind that climate research and impact assessments over several decades is highly speculative and should be treated as well with caution but also with a high sense of urgency.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published in 2000 in its third assessment report a new set of emission scenarios to explore future developments in climate change.

Impacts of Climate change
There are many interlinked impacts of climate change. Small changes in average temperature and
precipitation will have strong effects on already stressed ecosystems.
Many different impacts of Climate Change can be expected to occur in coming years like:
-water availability, change the quality of the water [Algal blooms etc.]
-change in precipitation
-longer or shorter dry periods or rainy seasons and irregular rainy patterns,
-more extreme water events (flash floods)
-changes in glacier run off, melting ice in polar regions,
-reduction in the quality and availability of natural water supplies,
-shoreline change, rise of sea water level and sea erosion,
-changes to fisheries habitats and damage fish stocks,
-health related impacts due to scarcity of drinking water,
-spread of infectious diseases (malaria, cholera, dengue, yellow fever)
-malnutrition due to crop failures
-respiratory disorders
-agriculture and food security
-decreasing food supplies
-land degradation, pollution of water bodies,
-change in the length and days of precipitation
-occurrence and length of droughts or other extreme weather events

Climate change effects on agricultural & fisheries production:
While at first sight projected changes seem to be in the range of just 2-4 degrees Celsius and thus
appear small, the effects however of an increase in the average temperature and precipitation will be very large. While minor increases in temperatures will initially have positive effects on agricultural production in the developed world, it will have devastating effects in regions where temperatures are nowadays already outside of the optimum temperature range for several crops. Food production in regions under stress are extremely vulnerable for small yearly fluctuations. These regions will also see an increase in the number and severity of weather extremes. Droughts will not only occur more often but will also last longer. In several African countries there already is a 50% change to suffer a drought each year, while especially these regions are very likely to see these figures.

Increase as precipitation is expected to go down and temperatures to rise. Especially rain fed
agricultural food production is vulnerable for drought. Over a period of 18 years 8 countries (all in Africa) experienced 9 or more droughts. Meaning that not even projecting climate change effects the chance is already 50% or more.
The negative impact will disproportionately be located in developing countries. While at the same time the world population is projected to grow from around 6 billion to 9.2 billion by 2050. And there are already 1.1 billion people undernourished today. In certain regions (especially Africa) cereal production could decrease as much as 50% by 2080. This is decrease in yield is only based on climate change effects and not taking into account other negative impacts like pests, extreme weather events, erosion or land degradation.

Impact of Climate Change on Fisheries Sector:
“ Climate Change from dramatic alternations in ocean circulation affecting perhaps a three quarter of key fishing grounds up to the emerging concern of ocean acidification,” Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, Climate change threatens coastal infrastructure, food and water supplies and the health of people across the world. It will add significantly to pressures on fish stocks. This is as much a development and economic issue as it is an environmental one. Millions of people in developing countries derive their livelihoods from fishing while around 2.6 billion people get their protein from seafood. Half the world’s fish catch is caught along Continental shelves in an area of less than 7.5% of the globe’s seas and oceans. An area of 10-15% of the world’s seas and oceans cover most of the commercial fishing grounds.
There the 80- 100% of the world’s coral reefs may suffer annual bleaching events by 2080 under global warming scenarios. Those at particular risk are in the Western Pacific; the Indian Ocean; the Persian Gulf; the Middle East and in the Caribbean
Over 90% of the world’s temperate and tropical coasts will be heavily impacted by 2050. Over 80% of marine pollution comes from the land. Marine areas at particular risk of increased pollution are Southeast and East Asia. Climate change may slow down the ocean thermo haline circulation and thus the continental shelf “flushing and cleaning” mechanisms, known as dense shelf water cascading, over the next 100 years. These processes are crucial to water quality and nutrient cycling and deep water production in at least 75% of the world’s major fishing grounds.
Dead zones, area of de-oxygenated water, are increasing as a result of pollution from urban and agriculture areas. There are an estimated 200 temporary or permanent ‘dead zones’ up from around 150 in 2003. Up to 80% of the world’s primary fish catch species are exploited beyond or close to their harvesting capacity. Advances in technology, alongside subsidies, means the world’s fishing capacity is 2.5 times bigger than that needed to sustainable harvest fisheries
“Further evidence of this warming signal is seen in the appearance of a Pacific planktonic plant in the Northwest Atlantic for this first time in 800,000 years by transfer across the top of Canada due to the rapid melting of the Arctic in 1998,” Dr. Christian Nellemann.
It was critical that existing stresses were also addressed too in order to conserve fish stocks and coral reefs in a climate constrained world. “There was growing evidence that coral reefs recover from bleaching better in cleaner, less polluted waters”. Says Stefan Hain -UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. “With a one-degree rise in sea temperature, the Caribbean's fishing industry could virtually collapse. The coral reefs at this time are at the upper limits at which they can stay alive if no action is taken to increase the ability to withstand higher temperatures. That has negative feedback because reefs provide the habitats for all of our marine life, so if you destroy the reefs, the fish will migrate," says Kenrick Leslie –Executive Director, Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, Belmopan, Belize,
Bottom trawling is among the most damaging and unsustainable fishing practices at the scales often seen today. Alien invasive species, which can out-compete and dislodge native ones, are increasingly associated with the polluted, over harvested and damaged fishing grounds. The concentration of ‘aliens’ matches with some precision the world’s major shipping routes. For example, Piranha Spp. has been evaded the fresh water bodies in SL which are heavily polluted areas such as Bolgoda lake etc.
Some Affected fish species:
Parrot Fish, Tuna and Dolphin would not survive a one-degree rise in sea water temperature and would, therefore, Migrate to water bodies further North” according to the research carried out by Kenrick Leslie, Climatic Specialist and executive director of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre in Belmopan, Belize. The parrot fish plays a dual role, as it is one of the most effective cleaners of coral reefs.
"By foraging on the coral reef, it keeps algae growth in check, so that the algae do not overpower the coral reef and cause it to die. The disappearance of the parrot fish would, therefore, be a loss not only to the palates of seafood lovers, but to the reefs, which would be even more vulnerable to attacks from various forms of algae, which are increasing due to other bad environmental practices” says Andre Kong – Jamaica Leading Fish Expert through his research activities.
In Sri Lanka, some endemic fish species like Labeo fishery, [Gadaya] have been hardly found due to eco system degradation in the Mahaweli development area. We experience, the death of large fish stocks every year at Negombo lagoon due to bad environmental conditions and as a result of heavy algal bloom.
Fisher people at Negombo lagoon have affected with the shelled aquatic species such as Saccostrea spp. [Kavati] heavy growth after tsunami. Fishers can not caste their nets and can not walk at the lagoon due to high growth of Kavati and gradually increasing the volume and the area of spread at bottom of the lagoon.
Some other effects related to Climate Change:
• Biodiversity may decrease as plants and animals struggle to adapt to the new conditions of changed rainfall patterns, increased temperature and increased frequency and intensity of extreme events. Increased ocean temperatures would be especially detrimental to sensitive marine organisms such as corals, which may bleach resulting in overall reef degradation.
A United Nations panel of more than 2,000 scientists has predicted that average sea levels are likely to rise between 9 and 88 cm (3.5 to 35 inches) by 2100, mainly because of a build-up of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels, such as oil and coal.
• Coastal and Marine Resources will be affected by changes to the physical environment, such as increased coastal erosion and also by ecosystem changes such as bleached coral reefs. In SL, the North/Western as well as the southern coasts has been badly affected with the sea erosion. Number of families have been displaced and no where to go for resettlements. There should be a mitigation action by the government, unless people find their own ways to settle as a community. So, with the sea level rise the situation will increase rapidly and coastal communities will be the immediate victims of the sea erosion.
• Economies of the Asia and the Pacific will be affected as a result of impacts on all the mentioned sectors. Declining natural resource bases, increased frequency and intensity of extreme events, altered rainfall and seasonal patterns, and declining health in human populations will pose new challenges to almost all the economies.

Some Adaptation and Mitigation measures for Climate Change in the fisheries sector
Now that climate change negotiations are closing in Copenhagen at UNFCC COP 15 we should think of how fisheries sector can contribute to improving the environment. The sector should bear some moral responsibility to reduce the impact of carbon dioxide emissions, in particular. We can concretely contribute to both mitigation and adaptation measures.
There are at least four mitigation measures that we can think of.
Firstly, we should seek support to all types of fishing vessel operations that are based on alternative sources of fuel such as wind, solar power and sea waves. We should demand improvements in design and in making available to the fisheries sector at no cost advancements in wind and solar energy. [RENEWABLE ENERGY for SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION TO CLIMATE CHANGE]
Secondly, the fishing sector should scale down use of fossil fuel and seek use of propulsion techniques that are more fuel efficient. In this context, use of natural gas, liquidified gas, etc, should be considered in fishing vessels. Fishing vessels should be granted one-time subsidy to replace all fuel-guzzling truck engines with new fuel efficient engines. We should make sure that such replacements are confined only to active fishing vessels. We should see to it that there is some energy balance between input costs in catching and supplying fish to the market and the quantum of output, independent of market price. In this sense, there should be a campaign against fish for the highest income group who can pay any price to show off their consumer power.
Thirdly, we should also reduce the total number of fishing trips and fishing days so that total fuel consumption in the fisheries sector is brought down by, say, 20 per cent.
Fourthly, we should campaign to stop indiscriminate dumping of broken pieces of nylon-webbed fishing gear at sea. The sector should also see if it can look for gear material made from non-hydrocarbon sources. Here again, we should seek subsidies to promote use of such material in the fabrication of webbing.

We should also think of how fish processing and marketing can reduce their dependence on carbon dioxide emissions. Do we, for example, need aircrafts to supply sushmi-grade tuna to the Japanese market? Are there ways to reduce the carbon footprint of the transport industry between the fishing vessel and the final consumer, wherever he or she is?

In terms of adaptation, we have to see how to ensure better protection from coastal erosion, from high rainfall precipitation leading to flooding of fishers' habitats, latitudinal shift of fishing grounds (this may involve training in new fishing techniques, travelling greater distances for fishers to fish and fish vendors to procure fish for marketing, etc).

The sector also needs to join the campaign against acidification of oceans that might have implications for bone formation of fish as well as the survival of coral reefs.

These are some of the adaptation and mitigation aspects that we could thought off.
Whether the global warming is a natural or man-made phenomenon, there could still be reduction in fossil fuel dependence. For Healing the Mother Earth Al Gore, former US vice-president and Nobel Peace Laureate says, “My country is the largest source of pollution and most responsible for creating the problem. There is need for a change in the US policy on climate and whoever comes to the White House after the November 2008, presidential polls will have to take necessary steps.” However, US did not agree to Kyoto protocol to be adopted after serious advocacy campaign of the developing countries and INGOS concerned at Copenhagen last December. What will happen next is the question today. No consensus reached at Copenhagen. What we could see is to repeatedly experience the disasters and destruction of the life of the earth. As Thomas Kocherry, the former coordinator of the World Forum of Fisher people says, the disasters come one after other like tsunami, earth quakes, floods, cyclones, ice falling in the gulf, coldest climate in china etc. are linked with climate change. All these are connected with Marine Life, one way or another. Unless we take these seriously & they go out of our hands, we become helpless, which will lead to the total destruction of the whole planet. Can we be idle any longer”? No, we need to do our part while debating and advocating others to do the right thing. We agree with Wangari Maathai Nobel prize winner from Kenya when she says “we need to plant trees all over as part of our commitment in all the nations by all, side by side with working on the causes of war”. What we do today will help to survival of the future generations of tomorrow.
Herman Kumara,
06 April, 2010

It was my priviledge to attend the conference on Agricultural Biotechnology for Developing Countries[ABDC] which was held at Gualadalajara, Mexico last 1-4 March.
We all were very careful when we engage the BT conference as FAO would promote BT with our mediation too. I was the only one member from fisheries sector attend the conference and was a rare experience on this field.
However, the farmer's organizations and the fisheries organization, of course it was only WFFP had serious criticisms over the process.
I was with my friend George of MIJARC and Thagi of WAMIP movements, as allies and we had serious dialogues within and out side the forums.
I had the opportunity to raise the concerns of Farmers and Fisheries Organizations, on role of those organizations, on research & development. How to get the traditional knowledge on R&d, the central role of fishers and farmers organiztions when designing the research and development.
Our criticism is already there on GMO and their impacts.
We need to study further on this and educate our selves.

It is bit surprize, most of the points we raised at the sessions were included and much appreciated on this.
We hope the R&D would be helpful for the better future of the humankind.

Herman