The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Focus on impact of climate change

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Sunday, Apr 05, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Focus on impact of climate change

Caroline Howe

A silent revolution is happening in college and corporate campuses where nearly three lakh youth are being trained to be youth leaders to change and empower the next generation against climate change.

This is being systematically carried out by the Indian Youth Climate Network (IYCN), a non-Governmental organisation. The year-old organisation, which started out with three members, has today grown in leaps and bounds. The IYCN Climate Leadership programme aims to produce strong youth leaders who will lead eco and climate groups in schools, colleges, offices and community at large.

The programme enables forming of groups as campus climate changers to encourage creation of climate solutions on campuses, said Caroline Howe, Climate Solutions Co-ordinator of IYCN. She was on a visit to the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, as part of the leadership programme.

Speaking to Amutha Kannan, she said the organisation was looking constantly to connecting students and young professionals across the country to make them realise the impact of climate change.

Once a group is formed in a college, university or corporate, the group chooses to take up a green project from something simple like banning of motorbikes and plastic bags on the campus, to something large like designing and setting up solar water heaters, bio-gas plants, implementing waste recycle management systems, etc.

“It is basically to give students a chance to be involved in change. When they become local messengers of climate change they will step out into their workplaces carrying the same message. Nowadays corporates are going green by creating many green jobs, green buildings and coming out with green initiatives in the company,” she said. Asked about the response the organisation has got from the institutions, she said that though it was true that many colleges and universities did not have courses in energy or environment, they were eager to make the institution get involved in the activities of IYCN. “It is encouraging to note that the Vice-Chancellors and Principals are doing their bit for climate change,” she added.

Though she admitted that the last one year had been a struggle, the response in terms of membership and activities held in institutions does sound encouraging.

Now the IYCN was looking at taking the reach to form a triangle of campus to corporate to community. Marathons, concerts, road shows, etc., are being planned to take the concept of climate change to the community.

Youth representatives would also be initiated into local, national and international policy changes, she said.

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