Science must reach climate-hit coastal communities: Earth Sciences Secretary

Kochi, Nov 6 (IANS) The Union government is focussing on ensuring that scientific research and technological advances benefit ordinary people, particularly coastal and marginalised communities bearing the brunt of climate change, Union Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr T. Srinivasa Kumar, said here on Friday.

Addressing the valedictory session of a three-day international symposium on fisheries and remote sensing at the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), he said the government was taking steps to turn scientific research into practical solutions to address the growing challenges posed by climate change.

Highlighting the ministry’s major initiatives, Kumar said the Deep Ocean Mission focussed on exploring the deep sea, developing indigenous technologies and strengthening ocean observation services.

The Prithvi Vigyan programme brings together research on the atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere and solid Earth to improve weather, climate, ocean and disaster-related services.

He also highlighted Mission Mausam, which aims to make India a weather ready and climate smart nation by strengthening observation networks, weather modelling, high performance computing and Artificial Intelligence based forecasting.

The initiative seeks to improve forecast accuracy and ensure timely warnings about monsoons, cyclones and extreme weather events. Kumar said the government’s Blue Economy framework sought to ensure that ocean research and observation services supported sustainable fisheries, coastal livelihoods and marine conservation without compromising ocean health.

Meanwhile, the symposium adopted the Kochi Declaration, calling for a coordinated international effort to monitor changing ocean conditions and protect marine ecosystems.

The declaration proposed an integrated multinational ocean observation system and free, open and timely access to marine data to strengthen climate resilience and sustainable management of ocean resources.

It also called for treating ocean data as a shared global resource and ensuring the proper preservation of historical datasets.

The declaration was handed over to Kumar for consideration and policy level action.

He also moderated a panel discussion on the use of emerging technologies, including drones and artificial intelligence, for sustainable fisheries.

The symposium was jointly organised by the Trevor Platt Science Foundation, CUSAT’s Department of Chemical Oceanography, CMFRI and the Marine Biological Association of India.

It featured around 250 scientific presentations and brought together more than 300 delegates from 30 countries.

–IANS

sg/rad