Srilanka, Nov. 29 -- Even just 10 years ago, rainfall and drought were mostly predictable events, with farmers and old-timers playing it by the ear and telling almost exactly when rains or the dry season would arrive. Our paddy farmers still cultivate in the two seasons (Yala and Maha) when they are confident of having monsoonal rains. In fact, there was usually no rain from November to December.Alas, these predictable rainfall patterns are no more. Rain can fall at any time - and droughts too can start any time. It is widely believed that Climate Change is the prime cause for this transformation that we can see with our very eyes in real time.

Climate Change is clearly a man-made phenomenon that has upended the usual climatic patterns. ...