Raise your voice, not the sea level World Environment Day Celebrations -2014 NLC, Neyveli - June 5, 2014 Dr. K. Kumaraswamy Chairman, School of Geosciences.

Raise your voice , not the sea level World Environment Day Celebrations -2014

NLC, Neyveli - June 5, 2014

Dr. K. KumaraswamyChairman, School of GeosciencesBharathidasan UniversityTiruchirappalli – 620 024E-mail :[email protected]

Dynamic EarthLand – Water Boundaries

• Plates of the Earth – 14 + 14• Dynamic – Space and Time • Natural and Anthropogenic Activities• Natural movement and sea level rise• Anthropogenic Activities and Sea level Raise• Small Island Developing States (SIDS) 52 • Action : Global to Local / Local to Global

Relative size of Earth ! ?

Big, Bigger, Biggest

Small, Smaller, Smallest

The Universe…..!? Where are we…..?

WHAT IS THE LESSON ?

Physical evidences of global climate change :

Record-breaking global average temperatures for air, land surfaces, lakes, and oceans;

Ice losses from mountain glaciers and from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets;

Declining soil-moisture conditions and resultant effects on crop yields;

Changing distributions of plants and animals;

Global impact of global sea-level rise, which threatens coastal populations and development.

CAUSE AND EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

Rise in

Atmospheric CO2

Methane..

IncreasedGreenhouse Effect

Melting of Ice Sheets

Altered Biomes

Temporal Changes

Rise in sea level

Loss of coastal habitat

Extinction ofSome species

Global warming

Increased rainfalland evaporation

Flooding

Breeding pests Disease

Antibiotics ?

2Carbon dioxide emission China took the lead in overall carbon dioxide

emissions (29%), with the United States second (16%), and the European Union third (11%).

On a per capita basis in 2011, China, with 19.5% of global population, produced 7.2 tonnes per person, on par with the European Union (at 7.5 tonnes per person). The United States, with 4.5% of world population, produced 17.3 tons of CO2 emissions per person. Among the world’s major industrialized countries, Australia had the highest per capita CO2 output at 18.3 tonnes per person in 2011.

Climate Change Science :

It is an interdisciplinary study of the causes and consequences of changing climate for all Earth systems and the sustainability of human societies.

Climate change is one of the most critical issues facing humankind in the twenty-first century

Multidisciplinary Involvement in Environmental Studies

Nature

SocietyCulture

BiologyChemistry

Engineering

Physics

Mathematics

Religion

Art

Literature

History

Law

Sociology

Political Science

Human Environment

• There is still a considerable lack of awareness about the interrelated nature of all human activities and

the environment.

• It is due to inaccurate and insufficient availability of information, especially in developing countries.

• Sensor based in situ data collection, remotely sensed data products, Geographical Information

System based analysis etc., would enhance the precision and quality of environmental analysis.

• Besides, there is an urgent need to increase the public sensitivity to environment issues and involvement of various disciplines in solving

environmental problems.

Thank You ? !