On the occasion of World Environment Day, a discussion on “Climate Change and Our Environment” was organized at the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) in collaboration with the Society to Save Rocks, Hyderabad, on 5th June 2025, First Floor, Main Building. The event was chaired by Prof. E. Revathi, Director of CESS, and the discussion was initiated by Prof. Fatima Alikhan, Member, Board of Governors, CESS and Member, Society to Save Rocks.
Prof. E. Revathi welcomed all the attendees and gave a brief overview of CESS and its research activities. Ms. Frauke Quader Secretary of Society to Save Rocks elaborated on the rock eco-system. The efforts of the Society to Save Rocks in Hyderabad has resulted in conservation of rocks and also enlisting of 25 rock formations as heritage sites.
Prof. Fatima Alikhan initiated the discussion. Climate is the long-term statistical average of weather conditions in a particular location or region, typically over a span of 30 years or more. Present-day climate change includes both global warming—an ongoing increase in global average temperatures—and its broader impacts on the Earth’s climate systems. Climate change is largely driven by human activities such as fossil fuel burning since the Industrial Revolution, deforestation, and certain agricultural and industrial practices that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Prof. Fatima Alikhan highlighted that the Himalayan glaciers and rivers of India, including the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra, are vital for the country’s water supply, agriculture, and hydropower. These glaciers, often referred to as the “Third Pole,” are retreating rapidly due to climate change, impacting millions of people who depend on these rivers. She mentioned that the Geological Survey of India has documented 9,575 glaciers in the Indian Himalayas.
She also shared the contributions of Wladimir Köppen, who began a systematic study of the climate and conducted experiments using balloons to collect data from the upper layers of the atmosphere. In 1884, he published the first version of his climatic zone map, in which he plotted seasonal temperature ranges.
The discussion saw the participation of several geologists, geographers, environmental researchers, faculty, and scholars who engaged in conversations about rocks, the Earth, ecosystems, and the environment, and the need for community involvement in preserving rocks and our environment.