Why Manipal Needs to Act upon Climate Change

Dr. Anish Warrier, Coordinator and Dr. Dhanasree Jayaram, Co-Coordinator (Centre for Climate Studies, Manipal Academy of Higher Education)

Climate change has emerged as a defining global and national problem, the response to which needs to be supported and informed by scientific knowledge. For the past 4.7 billion years, our planet Earth has seen large-scale climatic variations on different timescales, which has led to mass extinction of different flora and fauna. There have been several external and internal forcing(s) like incoming solar radiation and volcanic eruptions, which play an important role in these fluctuations. However, during the past few decades, there has been an upward trend in the average global temperature, which has caused widespread changes in the global climate system. This exponential rise in the global temperature is mainly attributed to anthropogenic activities and has several disastrous effects on our environment.Realizing the threat posed by climate change, the Government of India has initiated an ambitious and sustained response through the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC); and its missions cover different goals, including harnessing of renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, and waves, and increasing the extent of green cover among others. 

Although climate change is a global phenomenon, its effects are more or less localized. Factors like vulnerability vary from region to region depending on the location and the resources/capacity to deal with climate change. Manipal has equally been affected by this phenomenon, by ways that may not necessarily be the same as other parts of India and/or the world. With the Arabian Sea to the west and Western Ghats to the east, Manipal virtually lies in one of the most climate-vulnerable regions of the country. On the one hand, the effects of climate change on Western Ghats – its biodiversity, resources and communities – are estimated to be disastrous, with these effects already unfolding themselves gradually; and on the other, according to recent studies, port cities like Mangalore – not very far from Manipal – are known to be extremely vulnerable to climate change-driven sea-level rise. A decrease in the precipitation trend and increase in maximum temperature have also been observed in Udupi District during the past few years. The unpredictability associated with the Southwest Monsoon, known to be influenced by climate change, has also led to annual spells of water stress – sometimes acute water scarcity. Manipal, with its vibrant community of students, academics, researchers and other conscious human beings, provides the apt environment to generate scientific knowledge, help translate this knowledge into policy and drive climate action at local, national and international levels. 

It is in this context that the Centre for Climate Studies (CCS) was conceptualized by the top leadership of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE). Even though climate change discourse is not new to MAHE, the centre was officially established on May 1, 2018, in order to make a concerted effort to integrate activities related to climate change and accelerate research on this topic, which deserves a lot of attention. One of the eight missions of the NAPCC is the Strategic Knowledge Mission on Climate Change (SKMCC) that seeks to generate the appropriate knowledge to inform, guide and support national actions in a dynamic and uncertain environment. The CCS aims to contribute to national efforts to address climate change by going beyond the doomed narrative of trade-off between environment and development, and cost-benefit analysis of climate action. At the same time, it would also strive to make a difference on the ground through innovative and widespread outreach activities in the region as well as implementation of practical steps within MAHE, by which it could be a pioneer or leader in climate action. India needs to upscale its climate research in all sectors manifold, particularly in terms of building region-specific models, in order to devise the appropriate climate change policies; and Manipal has the potential to contribute significantly to this endeavour with its state-of-the-art research, academic and resource infrastructure. 

Another aspect that the CCS is looking to address is the urgent need for interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration to connect the scientific understanding of climate change and its impacts with effective responses. MAHE could use this opportunity to spearhead co-production of knowledge through its active research platforms that already have a strong base within disciplinary borders. Hence, along with strengthening the agenda on climate science research specifically, developing infrastructural facilities and training human resources to move beyond disciplinary boundaries becomes a priority. MAHE has by now set foot on this path, steered by its Interdisciplinary Research Advisory Group; and the CCS can be seen as a step in this direction, as the team includes researchers from varied backgrounds. 

Manipal Academy of Higher Education has been at the forefront of environmental conservation and has been awarded the prestigious Golden Peacock Environment Management Award in 2012, 2013 and 2014. In terms of global environmental standards, it is ranked second in India and 42nd in the world. It has already set the standards as far as promotion of “community welfare, environmental protection and efficient energy use” are concerned, so much so that these are to a level of performance that moves “beyond compliance”. Through its existing initiatives on solid waste management, wastewater management, rainwater harvesting, air quality monitoring, and solar (water heaters and roof top systems), MAHE – which was ordained an “Institute of Eminence” recently – therefore has a solid base for stimulating a movement for robust climate action and global sustainability both locally and nationally.