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Showing posts from January, 2021

IPCC First Assessment - What we can learn from a 30 year old report

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This is Part 3 in a series that explores the IPCC's First Assessment Report (FAR). Part 1  is about the science behind the crisis. Part 2  is about the impacts of the crisis. Working Group III (Response Strategies) The report of the Working Group III was very illuminating for me. I usually deal with literature that pertains to the science behind the climate crisis i.e. the part that explains the problem . Working Group III focuses on response strategies, or to put it more simply, solutions to the climate crisis. A refreshing change which left me a bit more optimistic! Of course, there still exists a chasm between the formulation of solutions and the implementation of solutions, but it's a start. How should we deal with the climate crisis? In 1990, there were two broad directions of thought. We could focus on mitigation of climate change or adaptation to climate change. These strategies are not mutually exclusive and in fact, work better when developed in tandem. Mitigation ...

How to talk of Climate Change post 2020

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In 2019, I resolved to write about climate change. I read a lot about climatic processes and modern climate change as context for my paleoclimatic research. My 2019 New Year resolution was to use my reading to spread awareness about what seems like a key issue for many generations. As I refresh my resolution in 2021, I want to look back at the last two years and note some key lessons I learnt in climate communication. There are several excellent articles and courses out there which teach and discuss this subject. This post is tailored to Indian audiences (and arguably, Indian audiences of similar socio-economic backgrounds as mine). And yet, I'm confident that this represents a vast enough group for this post to be of some utility. I know of many people who are aware of climate change and also aware of the vast lack of awareness about it. Their jobs or educational backgrounds may not be associated with climate change, but they read about it and sometimes, talk about it with others....