Brainstorming session to protect coastal ecosystems Sundara Narayan Patro| president, OES post news network Bhubaneswar, Jan 3: A webinar was organised on the theme ‘Coastal ecosystems of Odisha: Human impacts and changing scenario’ by Odisha Environmental Society Sunday. Experts said that while global warming and climate change are gaining momentum as the off shoot of unsustainable developmental practices, scientists are warning about the vulnerability of the coastal regions to such detrimental alterations. Under such circumstance, mitigation and adaptation measures are required to be undertaken in right earnest to protect the coastal resources and the flow of benefits from them. Coasts are very sensitive to sea level rise, increase in frequency and intensity of storms, higher level of precipitation and warmer ocean temperatures. Further, rising carbon dioxide concentration is making seawaters more acidic, which has significant impact on coastal ecosystems and the species of animals and plants inhabiting these habitats. Odisha, blessed with a coastline of 482 km, should rise to the occasion by designing and implementing a comprehensive, robust climate policy to limit the magnitude of risks posed by the climate change and adapt to its expected impacts.