Recent flash floods, landslides clear sign of climate change: VP

New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS) Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said there has been an increased frequency of extreme weather events in recent times which are a clear indication of changing dynamics of the climate.

"There has been an increased frequency of extreme weather events in recent times such as flash floods and landslides in different parts of the world. These are clear signs that climate change is real and it cannot be business as usual anymore," the Vice President said at a book release function.

'Nursery Rajyaniki Raraju' is a book on the life story of the late Palla Venkanna, who is credited with transforming the village of Kadiyam in Andhra Pradesh into a popular hub of plant nurseries.

To mitigate such weather events, Naidu said that, going forward, it is imperative that humans co-exist harmoniously with nature.

"We must balance our developmental needs with environmental protection and make sure everyone understands the importance of sustainable living. Meaningful development is possible only when it takes into account the cost on environment", Naidu added.

The Vice President called for a people's movement to protect the environment and urged people to voluntarily participate in various conservation activities.

In particular, Naidu called upon the youth to proactively lead environmental movements from the front and motivate others to adopt sustainable practices. "They should drive the point among people that if we take care of nature, nature in turn will take care of mankind", he said.

On the occasion, VP lauded the Telangana government for taking up plantation of trees as a movement under 'Haritha Haram'. He suggested that all the state governments should take initiative in creating awareness among the children about environmental protection and tree plantation from the school level.