By: Dr PS Goel

In July 2006, when the Ministry of Earth Sciences came into being, India was the first country to have a dedicated ministry for earth system sciences. The Ministry of Earth Sciences was mandated to generate knowledge and provide services pertaining to earth system sciences in the country: for the weather, climate, ocean and coastal state, hydrology, seismology and natural hazards; marine living and non-living resources; and the Earth’s poles (Arctic, Antarctic, and the Himalayas) for public benefit. The Ministry of Earth Sciences was created by reorganising the Department of Ocean Development vide a Presidential notification by the Government of India.

Persuaded by Professor Rodham Narsimha, citing the need to improve weather forecasts by treating the ocean and atmosphere as a coupled system and also adsorbing solid Earth and cryosphere, I agreed to spearhead the meticulous task of formulating the Ministry of Earth Sciences. Before I took charge of the Department of Ocean Development in July 2005, I was with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Satellite Centre, Bengaluru. Then, when the Ministry of Earth Sciences came into being in 2006, I was (officially) the first Secretary to execute the mammoth task of integrating atmospheric sciences into the ocean sciences component in the overall institutional framework of the ministry. At that time, the inclusion of the CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Goa and the marine wing of the Geological Survey of India into the Ministry of Earth Sciences was also on the anvil but was deferred to enhance focus on setting up of the Earth Commission on the lines of Space Commission and Atomic Energy Commission. After elaborate interministerial consultations, the Cabinet approved the formation of the Ministry of Earth Sciences and the Earth Commission on July 12, 2006. Earth Commission worked well with four successful meetings, two of which were held in the Prime Minister’s Office. Unfortunately, the Cabinet declared that the Earth Commission was not approved after one year of fruitful functioning due to a minor miss in drafting its cabinet note. Former Secretaries of the Ministry of Earth Sciences and distinguished earth sciences experts have felt the need to set up an Earth Commission to effectively address climate change and changing world order due to ice melt in the Arctic and Antarctic.

In 1982, the Department of Ocean Development was primarily created to mark India’s presence in the Antarctic. This also became the precursor to establishing the National Center for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in Goa, which is India’s sole........

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