Climate change: Pachauri to help out Maharashtra

Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Friday announced the
formation of a committee under the guidance of Nobel laureate Rajendra
Pachauri to combat problems arising from climate change. Dr. Pachauri,
director-general of The Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi,
congratulated Mr. Chavan on addressing the grave issue of global
warming at the policy level. The move would throw up business
opportunities for the State if it came up with exportable
technologies. The committee would ensure that climate change did not
come in the way of economic welfare and output, thereby making the
economy "climate proof," Dr. Pachauri said. Mr. Chavan said a State
Action Plan would be evolved on the lines of the National Action Plan
already chalked out to address climate change. The policy would be
applied at the regional, sub-regional, block and taluk levels, and
also to different sectors of the economy. Dr. Pachauri said the
State's long coastline put it at risk from rising sea levels.
"Maharashtra's Vidarbha and plateau regions depend on rainfall, which
will become erratic due to climate change."

The Hindu, June 21