India Tribe to Honour Al Gore on Global Warming
Date: 30-Aug-07
Country: INDIA
Author: Biswajyoti Das
Members of the Khasi tribe in the state of Meghalaya said
honouring Gore -- who became a climate crusader after losing a
presidential race against George W. Bush -- would help
highlight the problems their tiny region faces as a result of
global warming.
"We are hoping that the association with Gore would bring
global attention to the predicament facing the people of this
remote corner of earth," said Robert Kharshiing, a member of
parliament representing the tribals.
The chieftains have invited Gore to their remote village
for the award ceremony on Oct 6 where they expect 300,000 local
people to attend. The award will consist of some traditional
gifts and a "small amount of money".
A spokeswoman for Gore said he was "very humbled" to hear
of the award but did not know whether he would be able to
attend the ceremony.
Meghalaya -- meaning 'Abode of the Clouds' in Hindi -- is
home to the towns of Cherrapunji and Mawsynram, which are
credited with being the wettest places in the world due to
their high rainfall.
But environmentalists said these areas are now witnessing
less rain due to climate change and this was affecting the
livelihoods of thousands of villagers who cultivate paddy and
maize. Some areas are also facing water shortages.
"Meghalaya will lose the very meaning of its name because
of global warming," said Peter Lyngdoh, a local
environmentalist.
Villagers are also concerned that rising sea levels will
submerge neighbouring low-lying Bangladesh, resulting in an
influx of refugees into Meghalaya -- which has few resources to
handle such a situation.
Al Gore's Oscar winning 2006 documentary "An Inconvenient
Truth" illustrated the dramatic change to the environment due
to human activities.