Focus on a Call for Action on Climate Change on Earth Day

This year’s focus on Earth Day is ‘A call for action on Climate Change’. Addressing a Press Conference Union Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Kapil Sibal, called for a need to look into possible large scale and sudden changes in the earth’s living environment due to global warming and climate change in the coming years. India has contributed significantly, both in term of leadership and pursuit of scientific quest in the field of environmental conservation, technological development and mitigation factors, which are leading to climate change. Development of cleaner and eco-friendly technology is a priority area of the Ministry. Low Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) is one such innovation, which the scientists at the National Institute of Technology (NIOT), Chennai, an autonomous R & D Institute under the Ministry have developed. The people of Lakshdweep islands are now getting the benefit of this technology. NIOT has recently successfully tested a one million liter capacity LTTD plant and soon it will be going for a higher capacity cost effective desalination plant, which can run on commercial scale.

Celebration of ‘Earth Day’ has its beginning in 1970. The issue was raised by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, USA, in response to wide spread environmental degradation. He called for an ‘Environmental Tech-in’ or ‘Earth Day’ to be held on April 22. It is now observed each year by more than 500 million people and National Governments in over 175 countries. The main purpose to celebrate Earth Day is to promote environmental citizenship and progressive action by steering environmental awareness around the world.

Creation of the Ministry of Earth Sciences and an Earth Commission by bringing together the domains of Oceans and Atmospheric Sciences is a major step of the Government of India. Ministry of Earth Sciences has also taken positive steps to bring a greater focus on the environmental issues specially keeping in view the concerns raised by the scientists on climate change in recent times. Oceans and atmosphere together actually play a much greater role in Indian sub-continent than perceived earlier, whether it is monsoon or tropical cyclones. Efforts have been stepped up to understand the climate and climate change processes. An advanced weather prediction and forecasting will help in minimizing human misery and environmental degradation, which arises due to vagaries of weather.

Source : Press Information Bureau
Date : April 21, 2007