New Delhi, (IANS) India and China must enlarge their cooperation to fight global warming as its coastal cities of Kolkata and Shanghai were among the most vulnerable to climate change, says R.K. Pachauri, chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
“If the Himalayan glaciers start melting at a faster pace, these cities could face serious flooding due to a rise in the sea level,” Pachauri, who heads the panel that has been named for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, said here Monday.
“India and China will also face serious water scarcities if global temperatures continue to increase at this pace,” he told a seminar held by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham).
Pachauri welcomed the recent initiatives of European countries like Germany for targeted reductions in the carbon emission levels through implementation of programmes to raise the share of renewable sources in their energy mix.
This was his first public address after the IPCC was named winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, jointly with former US president Al Gore. Pachauri also heads the New Delhi-based think-tank The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
Addressing the conference earlier, Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde reiterated India’s commitment to support the global effort to fight the menace of greenhouse gas emissions.
He said although India was not in a position presently to cut its dependence on coal as fuel for power generation, measures were being taken to make coal-fired power plants more environment-friendly by adopting latest technologies.
“The Indian government is providing cheaper funding for technology up-gradation of old power plants in order to help them improve their energy efficiency,” the minister said.
Shinde also said that the government was promoting the usage of supercritical power generation technology, which is more environment-friendly because of its higher energy efficiency.
Ambassadors, high commissioners and experts from key Western countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Canada as well as China were among the key speakers at the daylong conference.