India and whole world rubber production are hard hit this year owing to unusually heavy rains in November in the rubber producing region countries of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and India. The rubber plantations in Thailand's southern region and plantations in North Malaysia have been badly affected by flooding caused by torrential rains throughout the month of November last year. The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) has pointed out that there is a substantial fall in the production for the year 2009 as a whole. The production of natural rubber in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Vietnam, China, Sri Lanka and Cambodia is estimated to have fallen 5.1 per cent during the 12 months ending October.

The ANRPC also states that climate change has become an issue of serious concern on the supply potential of natural rubber due to fall in yield, and even the traditional rubber growing regions in major producing countries have been gradually becoming unfavourable for growing rubber. The top seven rubber producing countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Vietnam, China, Sri Lanka and Cambodia account for 93 per cent of the global rubber production are at stake  as the unpredictability of climate is beginning to play a crucial role in limiting the scope for developing and popularizing region-specific new clones.

Climate refugees’ from coasts to hinter lands

Experts predicts that the rise in temperature by 1 to 2 degrees Celsius lead to large-scale influx of climate refugees from the coastal areas into adjacent hinterlands. M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) headed a meet recently in Tiruvanantapuram predicts a significant rise in temperature will threat food and water security systems near coastal regions and the raise of temperature by 2 degrees Celsius will be results in one to two meters rise in mean seal level during the current century posing serious threat to the lives and livelihoods of coastal communities.

The climate change also posed to be a serious threat to the coastal ecosystems and mineral wealth. An increase in temperature will affect production and productivity of plantation crops such as coffee, tea, spices, rubber and annual crops such as rice. The changes in precipitation regimes will cause drought, flood and soil erosion and result in decrease in soil fertility. It will adversely affect biodiversity and medicinal plant wealth, disrupting ecosystem services and enhance vector-borne diseases in plants, animals and humans.

To tackle these problems experts from different parts and various major institutions felt that the State must go in for both anticipatory research using advanced technologies and participatory research involving local and tribal communities. 

Coral reefs can recover from devastating effects of global warming

The scientists from the University of Exeter, UK, have provided the first evidence that coral reefs can recover from the devastating effects of global warming. Previously scientists and environmentalists warn that coral reefs may not be able to recover from the damage caused by climate change.

Meanwhile the new research adds weight to the argument that reducing levels of fishing is a viable way of protecting the world's most delicate aquatic ecosystems. The increases in ocean surface water temperatures subject coral reefs to stresses that lead quickly to mass bleaching and the problem intensifies by ocean acidification due to increased CO₂ and helps to decreases the ability of corals to produce calcium carbonate.

The research in ten sites inside and outside marine reserves of the Bahamas over two and half years proved to be successes which are damaged by bleaching and then by hurricane Frances in the summer 2004. At the beginning of the study, the reefs had an average of 7% coral cover by the end of the project, coral cover in marine protected areas had increased by an average of 19%, while reefs in non-reserve sites showed no recovery.

In order to protect reefs in the long-term, the immediate action is to reduce CO₂  emissions is needed and minimum population of parrotfishes has to be reserved in marine reserves as parrotfish eat seaweed so that the corals could grow freely without being swamped by weeds.

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