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The media has been buzzing about the IPCC’s Himalayan glacier controversy.

Burning Earth

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The international climate panel headed by Dr. Rajendra Pachauri won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for a ground-breaking report on climate change. Several small errors have now surfaced in the 3,000-page report.

If you’re wondering what the news reports mean for climate change, here are some answers. Please spread the word to your family, friends, and co-workers.

1. Do the U.N. climate panel’s errors mean there is no threat from climate change?

No, the dire threat from climate change is not in question. The panel’s errors were only related to the intensity of climate change. There are in fact only two real mistakes that have been found so far and neither point to any change in the basic premise of human induced climate change. [1]

For over two decades, scientists have consistently found that climate change is happening, and it’s caused by human activity. [2]

2. Why is there so much furore about these errors?

Over the past 20 years, the U.N. climate panel has been attacked again and again by the fossil fuel industry and by politicians who are determined to discredit climate change science and continue on an unsustainable development pathway which would ensure dire consequences for this earth. [3]

3. Are the Himalayan glaciers melting or not?

In 2007, the U.N. climate panel reported that Himalayan glaciers might vanish by 2035. The specific year turned out to be based on a flawed study, and the panel has corrected the error. [4]

The Himalayan glaciers are retreating, but the exact rate of retreat is still uncertain. India’s Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh was one of the first to argue that the 2035 forecast was “not based on an iota of scientific evidence,” but he confirms the Himalayan glaciers “are indeed receding and the rate is cause for great concern.” [5]

4. Who will be impacted by climate change?

Everyone. Lesser developed countries and small island states will be hit hardest and fastest. [6]

But rich nations are not immune to the violent weather, drought, disease, famine, mass migrations, and wars that will be caused if we don’t stop climate change. [7]

5. What is Greenpeace’s call on climate change?

The science is clear. Climate change is real, is happening now and is caused by people. The solution is clean energy, smart use of our power and forest protection.

If enough of us take action, we can stop climate change. Sign up to help by clicking here:

http://greenidol.in

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Since lots of people are wondering about the media stories, please forward this mail to your family, friends and co-workers.

Alibaug Taluka, India – Close to a thousand villagers stood for hours in the formation of a life-size human windmill near Khidki village in Alibag, in what could well be the largest protest for renewable energy in India to date.

They were demanding that the Maharashtra Government drop plans to build 10,000MW coal-fired thermal power plants in the region and explore renewable energy instead. The villagers said they were committed to fight the acquisition of their fertile land for coal-based power plants.

“We believe that the energy planned from these coal plants is dirty. It can come instead from clean alternatives like wind and solar energy, and by using energy more efficiently. We will not give up our land and our future to these mega power plants that will pollute our air, land, and water. We will not allow them to ruin our children’s future by adding to the problem of climate change,” said Dr Vishnu P. Mhatre of the Naugaon Sangharsh Samiti, one of the organisations fighting for clean energy here.

The community is opposing plans to set up thermal power plants over 8,500 acres of fertile land. The companies involved are the Tata Power Company Limited (1,200MW) and the Maharashtra Energy Generation Limited, a Reliance subsidiary, (4,000MW) at Shahpur in Alibag. The Patni group (500MW) and the Ispat group (2,000MW) want to set up their plants in the adjacent Medekhad Khadi.

For more than four years, the villagers have been resisting attempts by the government and the companies to acquire their land. “We do not oppose production of energy. But, we strongly demand that the Government of India change its energy pathway and move towards decentralised renewable energy, which will be used locally for agro-based industries and domestic needs,” said Satish Londhe, a resident of Alibag and state coordinator of the Shramik Mukti Dal.

To prove their solution-oriented approach, the citizens later joined in setting up a wind station. Admiral Ramdas, a Magsaysay awardee and a resident of Alibag, inaugurated the “Citizens’ Wind Monitoring Station” where the residents would record the area’s wind potential through an anemometer. This would show that the region has huge potential for wind energy, and challenge the government’s inaction in investing in alternate energies.

“Policymakers in the central and state governments need to explore the possibility of renewable resources like the wind, the sun, and other agents before rushing to coal for energy. In the current environment of global concern over climate change, we must also look critically at the operational efficiency of our power plants and increase energy efficiency in all sectors. This will ensure a dramatic reduction in our energy demand,” Ramdas asserted.

Maitree Dasgupta, Climate Campaigner with Greenpeace India, said: “This protest is a sign of popular opposition fomenting against coal in India, which will only grow. This not a fight against growth or development. It is just the opposite. It is a fight for building energy infrastructure for the future instead of relying on dinosaur technologies. India can get 35% of its power from renewable energy by 2030. We have the ability and technical capacity; we only need the political will.”

Greenpeace India is demanding that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh put in place a National Renewable Energy Bill no later than 2010, which would enable a shift towards a more sustainable energy pathway. This implies that the draft bill be made public this year for debate before placing it for parliamentary approval. It would also provide a framework for the Solar Mission and show that India is serious about the mission. More than 50,000 Indians have already signed Greenpeace India petitions demanding a response on this from Manmohan Singh.

Source : http://greenidol.in/news-blog/biggest-demo-in-india-for-clean-energy/