Living Planet: Environment Matters Around the Globe

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DATE : Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:30:00 GMT
Entered in Database : 2009-12-31 16:30:00
length : 14575166
Link to the Show / Show Notes

On this week's Living Planet, India's Ganges delta residents struggle to cope with the impact of climate change, Russian scientists scoff at global warming and why schoolchildren in Ghent are changing their eating habits.
Ganges delta residents bear the brunt of climate change

A few months ago, tropical storm Aila swept across the Ganges river delta in India. Meter-high tidal waves flooded many islands, destroying houses and turning the land brackish. Hundreds of people died and thousands lost their livelihood and had to leave their homes. They are being described as climate refugees.

The fragile ecosystem in the world’s largest river delta is regarded as a hotbed of climate change in Asia. Extreme weather events like storm tides, droughts and floods have been increasing measurably for years in India. And experts say the country faces crop failures, famine and floods of refugees in the years to come.

Because of widespread poverty in the country, the emission of greenhouse gases per capita is still very low. But motor vehicle traffic is growing by ten percent a year and the government plans to double energy production in the next five years. Climate-damaging emissions are expected to increase annually by 10 to 20 percent as the government takes tentative steps to reduce such emissions.

Meanwhile, vulnerable communities like the residents of the Ganges delta region are struggling to cope with the effects of climate change.

Supported by German Agro Action and the European Community, experts are now developing a Disaster Control Program. In four high-risk villages, they have already set up early warning systems and storm and flood shelters. Villagers have formed task forces to repair and maintain the dikes, administer first aid, implement early-warning measures and rescue the old and infirm.

Report: Rainer Hörig / Darren Mara

In Russia, hardly anyone doubts that the climate is indeed changing. But Russian scientists say they have no evidence that the changes will be for long, nor that they are the result of human activity.

The warming-up of the Arctic was one of the key topics at the recently concluded Copenhagen climate summit. Experts believe rising sea levels could be a direct result of the melting of ice at the North Pole. All around the Arctic, the effects of temperature rise are visible.

Native inhabitants of the tundras in Europe, Asia and North America are finding it difficult to cope with the new reality. That also holds for the Saami reindeer herders on Russia’s Kola peninsula, an area bordering on Norway and Finnish Lapland.

Report: Geert Groot Koerkamp

One group of people that believe in the long-term threats posed by global warming are the residents of the Belgian city of Ghent. What’s more, they’ve decided to stop complaining and do something about it.

Ghent now calls itself Europe’s vegetarian capital. In the summer, the city launched an initiative to eat less meat with a campaign called “Thursday Veggie Day”. On that day of the week, public canteens serve mostly meat-free meals.

The organisers of the campaign have got all the city schools on board too. Since September, once a week school children don’t find meat on their plates any more. Why? Well, eating less meat reduces the risk of obesity in children, say campaigners and it’s good for the environment too.

Report: Nina Haase

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