"Water: the hidden export", is a report by Shama Perveen, written in August 2004, on the concept of virtual water. The author argues that this concept must be seriously considered in India, because when water intensive commercial crops are grown in water scarce areas and the produce exported, it amounts to a virtual export of water, even as water availability in the home country becomes scarcer.
The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) regularly undertakes work on methodological and scientific matters as they relate to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol process.
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) homepage on the CIIFAD website, setup in collaboration with Association Tefy Saina Madagascar, is an extensive, continuously updated online resource base on SRI.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Convention of 1992, as ratified, was a statement of principles and intent. Though it committed governments of signatory nations to reduce emission of GHGs into the atmosphere, it was non-binding. It only committed states to voluntary efforts to reduce greenhouse gases.
At Berlin there was great apprehension that the abilities of countries to meet the commitments under the Convention were inadequate. These were expressed in a U.N. ministerial declaration, known as the "Berlin Mandate".
A short compilation of resources and web-links on the Kyoto Protocol which deals with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by developed countries.
The Kyoto Protocol is a landmark agreement reached at the Conference of the Parties (COP 3) in Japan. It derives its name after the city, Kyoto, in Japan, where the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference - COP 3 was held in December 1997. Industrialized countries agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as per levels specified in the treaty.
According to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), climate change is likely to have a greater impact on India compared to other countries similarly positioned, on account of the unique combination of its geography, diverse population characteristics and extremely high carbon-related energy dependence
Considering the vulnerability of the Kosi's basin, the melting glaciers will acerbate the problem a hundredfold. The melting glaciers will release much more water than normal in a short time thus creating a flood situation.
The Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghana delta belt comprises of 105,000 sq. kms of which 2/3rds is in Bangladesh. The Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghana system has the largest catchment area of 1,100,000 km². The delta region is particularly vulnerable to seasonal floods, heavy run-offs from melting snows, and tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal. Inspite of this, it is one of the most thickly populated regions on Earth.
A one-meter sea level rise will inundate 6000 square kilometers in India, of which Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai will be the major cities being affected. This would mean losses of billions of dollars in infrastructural, social, physical assets and capital.
While global warming is a matter of worldwide concern, among the most vulnerable areas are the coastlines of less developed tropical countries such as India. The river deltas, in particular, are already facing the brunt of climate change and these adverse impacts can be expected to increase dramatically in the course of this century.