Srinagar: Two-week long summer school on Climate Change and Biodiversity started here at University of Kashmir on Monday.
The summer school which was inaugurated by Vice Chancellor University of Kashmir Prof Talat Ahmad is being organized by Bangalore based research institute and think-tank ATREE in collaboration with University of Kashmir.
Presiding over the inaugural session of the program Prof Talat said “Climate change is a reality we are faced with today and it has to be tackled on a mass level and such programs would go a long way in educating young minds on the efforts to be taken in this regard.”
Delving on the significance of climate change in the Himalayan region Prof Talat added “Increase in the temperature has altered biodiversity. I hope that there will be various deliberations and discussions that may help in framing the climatic policies on national and international levels with special focus on Himalayas.”
Speaking on the occasion Dean Research KU Prof Zaffar Reshi said “Climatic changes are obvious and we need to take remedial measures. Young people are being made aware of these issues and this will surely initiate change.”
He also proposed the co-supervision in various research pursuits and academic collaboration with universities from outside to make programs more diverse and meaningful.
Prof AH Wani Head Dept of Botany also presented his views on the occasion while as Dean Academic Affairs Prof Akbar Masood, Registrar KU Dr Nisar A Mir and Director EMMRC KU Dr Shahid Rasool were also present on the occasion.
Earlier one of the organizers of the program Dr Manzoor Shah of KU welcomed the participants and resource persons of the summer school from the state and outside.
Bringing into focus the relevance of the theme of the workshop, ‘Adapting to Climate Change: A Focus on Biodiversity in Western Himalayas’, Dr Shah said that the region has a huge biodiversity and cultural diversity, “Disruptions in the climate of the region will not only affect the biodiversity, it will cause disruptions in the socio-economic conditions of the region and the cultural diversity as well. It is imperative for us to be aware of these changes and be equipped with necessary remedial measures.”
Organizer of ATREE-KU summer school Ankila Hiremath briefed the participants with the details of the two-week long course while as Co-organizer ATREE-KU summer school Dr Soubadra Devy presented vote of thanks on the occasion.
30 participants for the summer school have been selected from about 200 applicants from three states including Uttrakhand, Himachal and J&K. The participants are current students (post-graduates and graduates), early-career scientists, as well as practitioners involved in government and non-government institutions from Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand.