Experimented methods to moderate the impact of climate change in Auroville
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.19040/ecocycles.v4i1.90Keywords:
Climate change, sustainable landscaping, reforestation, TDEF, India climate prediction, Coromandel CoastAbstract
The city of Auroville was founded in 1968 on the Coromandel Coast of South India. It has gone through exemplary landscape rejuvenation during the past decades. The once heavily eroded area has become a green biosphere. Conscious water management, reforestation, coastal protection, sustainable agriculture, a holistic urban plan and the use of alternative energy have been thoroughly researched and implemented in Auroville.
Recent natural disasters have highlighted that the rehabilitated landscape and the conscious town planning of Auroville can offer certain protection from the impact of climate change. Auroville and its bioregion have experienced several natural disasters. A tsunami hit the coast in 2004, Hurricane Thane struck in 2012, a flood occurred in 2015, and a severe drought occurred in 2017. Over the last two decades, sea level rise and the disappearance of the coastline have been significant, as well as the intrusion of the seawater into the groundwater. Throughout these events Auroville environment remained noticeably more safe and healthy than its surrounding bioregions. Decades of cooperative projects with the villages in the bioregion have enabled Auroville to quickly act after disasters, avoiding aggravated situations such as outbreaks of epidemics. The achievements of Auroville can be a good example for cities of the Coromandel Coast and around the world.
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