Climate change and global warming are adversely affecting all spheres of life on the planet, specifically agriculture, health and environment. They are directly impacting human health through air pollution, diseases, malnutrition etc.; and leading to stratospheric ozone depletion; desertification and land degradation; biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation; altered precipitation; and melting down of mountain top glaciers, etc.
The indirect adverse effects include increase in pest and disease incidence, weed infestation, severe heat waves and drought, storm, floods and waterlogging, freshwater decline for irrigation, UV irradiation, impaired photosynthesis and loss of labor, etc. The global temperature has risen by 0.2-0.3°C from 1980 to 2000, with a projected increase of 1.1-5.4°C by 2100. Global warming and climate change are leading to increase in greenhouse gases also. For example, carbon-di-oxide concentration in the air has increased from 280 ppm in 1970’s to 414 ppm in 1921. Methane concentration is now 1800 ppb. In fact, its concentration has doubled over 1900 to 2000. Concentration of nitrous oxide is now 334 ppb whereas its concentration never exceeded 280 pp in the last 8 lakh years. All these interrelated factors severely impact agricultural productivity. Global warming and climate change are causing an estimated reduction in production by 12-15% in the major cereal crops. It adds to the need of 70% increase in food production to feed the projected population of 9.7 billion by 2050. The governments, policy makers and scientists all over the world are now seriously thinking over this serious challenge. But Prof. Chittaranjan Kole had foreseen this problem twelve years ago while working as a Visiting Professor in the Clemson University, USA. Here is the roadmap of his activities.
Prof. Kole Founded the “International Climate-Resilient Crop Genomics Consortium (ICRCGC, icrcgc.org)” in 2011 as its Principal Coordinator and acting as its President now. Since then, he has been coordinating the activities on genetics, genomics, breeding and participatory research towards adaptation to climate change and mitigation of its impact together with global scientists, policy makers and funding agencies and recommending action plans for the future on behalf of ICRCGC.
Prof. Kole has already organized 28 workshops (Chaired 26 and Co-chaired 2) on “Climate Change and ICRCGC” during the International Conference on the Status of Plant and Animal Genome Research since 2012 to 2024. He has monitored speech of about 180 speakers from nearly 20 countries including Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa, UK, and USA; some of them representing the leading CGIAR organizations (IRRI, CIMMYT, ICRISAT, IITA, ICARDA), funding agencies (BMGF, Eversole Associates, IAEA, USAID) and policy making bodies (BecA-ILRI Hub).
Prof. Kole also co-chaired the workshop on “Global Problems Require Global Solutions” with Dr. David Bergvinson of BMGF during the International Conference on the Status of Plant and Animal Genome Research in 2012 and monitored speeches of 4 speakers from USA, Philippines and China.
Prof. Kole chaired a Special International Workshop on “Genomics and Breeding of Climate Resilient Crops for Future Food Security” in the 6th International Crop Science Congress held at Bento Gonsalves, Brazil, in August 2012 and monitored speeches of 4 speakers from Australia, Italy & USA. He acted as the Theme Leader of Climate Change in the FAO Symposium on “The Role of Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition” and chaired the 1st Parallel Session on “Facing the Challenges of Climate Change: Adaptation of the Crop and Forestry Sectors” held at Rome during in February 2016. He monitored speeches of 6 speakers from USA, Canada, France, Italy, Kenya, and Philippines [http://www.fao.org/webcast/home/en/item/4032/icode/]. In these workshops the scientists from different countries deliberated on the use of genetic resources to develop plant varieties for adaptation to climate change scenarios by using different genomic resources and biotechnological strategies, techniques and tools.
Prof. Kole led a group of 40 scientist members of ICRCGC from 13 countries including Australia, Brazil, China, Columbia, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, Sweden, UK and USA to draft the White Paper on “Application of genomics-assisted breeding for generation of climate resilient crops: Progress and prospects” (Frontiers in Plant Science 6, 563; 2015; Citation 71) as guide to scientists, policy makers and funding agencies for preparation of action plans on future research and its funding on climate change.
Prof. Kole has acted as Plenary Speaker, Key Note Speaker, Chair Person for a large number of International and National Symposia in India and abroad and created awareness on global warming and climate change and recommended means for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
As an individual scientist Prof. Kole pioneered researches on genetics and genomics of climate resilient crops. He mapped climate-smart genes controlling white rust, winter survival, freezing tolerance, flowering time and 22 abiotic and biotic stress related heterologous cloned genes in oilseed Brassicas followed by their comparative genetics; late blight in tomato; green leafhopper in rice, and blackleg resistance in canola, etc. for developing genome plasticity.
As an academician, Prof. Kole edited two books on “Genomic and Breeding for Climate-Resilient Crops” (ISBN 978-3-642-37044-1 and ISBN 978-3-642-37047-2) with 26 chapters authored by 84 member-scientists of ICRCGC from 16 countries including Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, Netherlands, Philippines, Sweden, UK, USA and Zimbabwe published by Springer in 2013 with foreword by 5 legendary scientists including Prof. M. S. Swaminathan. These books are being used by scientists, policy makers and funding agencies as text book or references copies. Later on he has edited 5 books on “Genomic Designing of Climate-Smart Crops” (ISBN 978-3-319-93381-8, ISBN 978-3-319-93536-2, ISBN 978-3-319-96932-9, ISBN 978-3-319-97945-8, ISBN 978-3-319-97415-6) for Springer Nature with chapters on cereal, oilseed, pulse, fruit and vegetable crops.
Prof. Kole has introduced a number of new concepts in a number of international conferences on behalf of ICRCGC since 2012 such as C5 (Combating Climate Change: Call of the Century), I3 (Innovation-Incubation-Implementation), FNEE (Food-Nutrition-Energy-Environment) Security, Genomic Designing; Translational Genomics, Shuttle Genomics, Designed Agriculture, etc.
Prof. Kole was Vice Chancellor of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswa Vidyalaya during 2012 to 2015 and presently Chairman of the Prof. Chittaranjan Kole Foundation for Science and Society.
