TERI chief says Indian Army's biggest enemy is climate change

Sify News: Dr. R.K. Pachauri, Director General of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has warned the Indian Army that climate change could prove to be their biggest enemy, as melting snow could open a new passage for terrorists.

"Climate change poses new threats to India. Melting snows in the north open up passages for terrorists, just as melting glaciers affect water supply in the subcontinent's northern part, sharpening possibility of conflict with our neighbours. Changing rainfall patterns affect rain fed agriculture, worsening poverty which can be exploited by others," Dr. Pachauri said while delivering the keynote address at the convocation ceremony at the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering, Mhow.

He cautioned that climate change might force millions of 'climate refugees' across India's border, posing a new challenge to nation's armed forces. "Our defence forces might find themselves torn between humanitarian relief operations and guarding our borders against climate refugees, as rising sea-levels swamp low-lying areas, forcing millions of 'climate refugees' across India's border," he added….

Gaumukh (Cow's mouth), the end of Gangotri glacier, start of Bhagirathi River in Uttarakhand, India, shot by Atarax42, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0, Attribution ShareAlike 2.5, Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 and Attribution ShareAlike 1.0 License.