International body to study climatic variations
Plans are afoot in India to establish an institute for conducting research on issues related to climate change. The International Institute on Science and Technology Capacity Building for developing countries of tropical Asia would be set up in collaboration with several Asian countries.
According to additional director general of the Indian Meteorological Department, S K Srivastava, the proposal will be discussed at the forthcoming Conference of Parties (CoP-8) on climate change to be held in New Delhi, this October.
The institute would initially focus on creating a comprehensive information reservoir on climate change and its impact on health, agriculture, biodiversity and water resources. "It will train scientists to trace climate change-related issues, identify the factors responsible for causing it and suggest policy measures to combat it,' explains Srivastava.
The body is also going to design communication strategies to generate awareness and educate target audiences. A formal network between countries would be decided only by October 22, 2002, a day before the climate change conference begins.