Enterprises should adapt to climate change: R.K. Pachauri

Kolkata, April 6 (IANS) Stressing on the need to "mitigate the emissions of greenhouse gases as part of the overall solution", renowned environmental scientist Rajendra K. Pachauri Saturday said management of enterprises across the globe will have to adapt to impact of climate change.

"The management of every enterprise across the globe will have to adapt to these impacts of climate change, because with inertia in the system, climate change and its impacts will continue for several years even if we were to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases on a stringent basis," said Pachauri at the 48th annual convocation of the prestigious Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta.

Pachauri also chairs the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), that researches climate change and its potential consequences, which was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 during his tenure.

"But limits to adaptation and resilience will be faced when thresholds or tipping points associated with social and/or natural systems are exceeded. Hence the world would need to mitigate the emissions of greenhouse gases as part of the overall solution," said Pachauri, the director general of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

Shedding light on the long-term effects of climate change, he said there is a possibility of increase in heavy rainfalls associated with tropical cyclones with continued warming.

"It is likely that the frequency of heavy precipitation or the proportion of total rainfall from heavy rainfall will increase in the 21st century over many areas of the globe. This is particularly the case in high latitudes and tropical regions, and in winter in the northern mid-latitudes.

"Heavy rainfalls associated with tropical cyclones are likely to increase with continued warming," he said, but also clarified mitigation and adaptation together could "significantly reduce the risks of climate change".

"Neither adaptation nor mitigation alone can avoid all climate change impacts; however, they can complement each other and together can significantly reduce the risks of climate change," said Pachauri.