Bhubaneswar: Union Environment, Forest & Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav underscored the importance and need for environmental conservation at the ‘Earth Again’ Conference organised by the Sambad Group here. The conference commenced today and is scheduled to conclude on October 4.
Joining the event as the Chief Guest, Yadav highlighted the Government of India’s efforts and initiatives towards minimizing the negative effects of development on the environment.
“At the Paris Agreement, India had set a target of reducing carbon emissions by 45 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030 and increasing the capacity of renewable energy by 40 per cent by 2030. We achieved the target in 2021, nine years before 2030.
India has submitted revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to increase renewable energy capacity to 500 gigawatts and reduce carbon emissions, the Union Minister said.
Remembering Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Yadav said there should be mindful utilisation of resources rather than mindless consumption to ensure sustainable development.
Raising the issue of growth and development being harmful towards the environment, the minister said, “Energy is essential for living in the modern world. However, we can adopt such lifestyle that saves energy.”
“Reuse and recycling of waste is the need of the hour. We should also ensure the ban on single-use plastic and use alternative methods,” said Yadav.
In recent years, climate action programmes have started in the nation. India formed the International Solar Alliance as renewable energy will be necessary in the future, the minister added.
Surama Padhy, Speaker of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, attended the event as guest. “We should work together to reduce carbon emission and prevent climate change,” she said.
Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, DG of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), also joined the conference and spoke about the consequences of climate change.
“The rise in global warming can be attributed to human activities. Due to global warming, the frequency of heatwaves, heavy rainfall, floods, and drought conditions have increased. While the total amount of monsoon rainfall remains the same, the variability of monsoon rain from year to year is increasing, which can cause floods as well as drought,” he said.
The rise in lightning strikes and thunderstorms can be attributed to climate change, he added.
Professor Chetan Solanki, Founder, Energy Swaraj Foundation, joined the conference as guest and highlighted the urgency of taking steps towards addressing climate change.
“Climate change started after human beings accelerated energy consumption on this planet. Flood situations, heat waves, cold waves and other changes in the environment are growing across the world due to climate change. Energy consumption and carbon emissions are major factors for climate change,” said Solanki.
“Every person is responsible for climate change and they should resolve it. The time left to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is around 4 years. The root cause of climate change should be identified. Importantly, carbon emissions must be reduced to ensure that human beings live sustainably,” he said.
“Avoid the usage of energy as much as possible to resolve climate change. Either avoid energy consumption, or minimize energy consumption, or generate energy to tackle the issue of climate change. If we don’t take action towards resolving climate change, the global temperature may rise by 6 degrees Celsius by the end of the century,” he added.
Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, Chairman, Sambad Group, thanked the guests for their presence and termed the ‘Earth Again’ initiative of the Sambad Group as a commendable one.
“We have to find an alternate way, in which growth and environmental conservation can co-exist. We have to teach our children about the importance of environmental conservation,” said Patnaik.
Tanaya Patnaik, Editor, Sambad Group, spoke about the journey of the ‘Earth Again’ initiative and its objective.
“In 2021, the ‘Punascha Pruthibi’ campaign was launched. The aim was to raise awareness about the environment and climate in simple language in order to reach the people,” she said.
“Climate Panchayat is a unique initiative. Through this, there was an effort to openly discuss climate-related issues with legislators in each constituency. Within just 50 days, we successfully conducted Climate Panchayats in 140 constituencies,” she added.
“Many initiatives are undertaken by the Sambad Parivar to connect people with each other, but the ‘Punascha Pruthibi’ initiative aims to connect the entire world. Joining the campaign is an opportunity for all of us,” said Monica Nayyar Patnaik, MD, Sambad Group.