12-14 September, 2011, Lucknow - Earth Science India

National Conference on Science of Climate Change and Earth’s Sustainability: Issues and Challenges ‘A Scientist-People Partnership’
12-14 September, 2011, Lucknow
yields may result not only in measurable economic losses, but also in malnutrition and
even famine. According to scientists, some positive effects of climate change may also
be expected because of increase in CO 2 in the atmosphere, which may have fertilizing
effect on crop growth and yields. Ecosystems that cannot move northwards at a rate
dictated by global warming will be most at risk. These include, glacial ecosystems,
coral reefs, atolls, forests and Himalayan systems. Indian winters may experience a
decline of 5-25% in rainfall. More intense rainfall spells are expected in a warmer
atmosphere. If rainfall decreases, water flow of rain fed rivers will decrease affecting
ground water recharge. Increase in rainfall might aggravate flood situations, bringing
destruction and disease. India is expected to lose 125 million tons (about 18%) of its
rain fed cereal production potential. If agriculture production goes down, the price of
staple food commodities will increase. According to a World Bank study, a 2°C rise in
temperature along with a 7% increase in rainfall will reduce net agriculture revenues by
12.3% for the whole country. With the right policies, the rise in the level of greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere can be slowed and ultimately stabilized. Cleaner technologies
and energy efficiency can provide solutions, allowing economic growth and the fight
against climate change to proceed hand in hand.
GREENING THE BUILT-ENVIRONMENT:
THINGS TO DO NOW
LEARNING THROUGH A CASE EXAMPLE
Richa Sharma 1 and Amrut Deshpande 2
1 Pillai’s College of Architecture, Navi Mumbai.
2 YCMOU, Rachna Sansad, Mumbai.
email: richa18179@gmal.com, amrut19756@gmal.com
The construction industry is one of the highest energy consuming sector. In most
developing nations, CO 2 emissions have been relatively constant over the past 25 years.
The increase in global emissions has been largely driven by increased emissions from
India, China and other growing economies of the Asia-Pacific region. These areas have
seen a spectacular spurt in economic growth which has resulted in large scale
urbanisation subsequently followed by construction activity spanning all spectrums.
Alternative building technologies and sustainable design has been limited to the
academic and experimental domains, with extremely few examples, especially in India.
Public awareness of these practices, therefore, is low.
It is generally assumed that minimizing the use of energy impact of architecture
would require a real breakthrough in the building industry. For example, cement is
recognized as an energy intensive material; but so thoroughly has it been assimilated
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