Sri Sri Academy on Tuesday celebrated its second Founder’s Day by organizing the annual exhibition, Prithvi Prayas – II, which focused on environmental concern. Dr Nirupam Bajpai, director of Columbia Global Centers and senior development advisor at the Earth Institute at Columbia University, New York, graced the occasion as the chief guest and inaugurated the two-day programme. He also delivered a speech on “Sustainable Development in India – How can we grow and develop in the midst of climate change”, explaining how every individual can contribute towards fighting global warming and climate change.

As India turns its focus on skill development to make good on the demographic dividend, it would do well to take into account the priorities identified by the Foresight Process of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Among the top priorities is retooling the global workforce for a green economy.

 

India would do well in retooling its workforce for a green economy 

India cannot renounce nuclear energy without adverse impacts on the economy, environment, and human health, atomic energy commission chairman Srikumar Banerjee said today, amid concerns that public misperceptions may slow down nuclear power growth plans.

Despite a projected drop in the frequency of tropical cyclones, the risk they pose is likely to rise over the next two decades, with the number of people exposed to these storms increasing nearly 12 percent every year, a new study has claimed. 

India, China, the US, Russia, Brazil and another 21 nations have decided to retaliate against the EU decision to collect billions of dollars every year by unilaterally imposing a carbon tax on flights landing in Eurozone.

 

Christiana Figueres told The Associated Press that her efforts to reach out to high-profile executives from companies such as Coca-Cola, Unilever and Virgin Group represent “a deeper recognition of the fact that the private sector can contribute in a decisive way.”  Since the start of 2012, the Costa Rican head of the UN climate agency has met corporate leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos and on a cruise to Antarctica organized by Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former US Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project.

 

The European Union reiterated that it was not going to put on hold its controversial decision to charge airlines taking off and landing in Europe for emissions. India had asked the EU to consider postponing the implementation of the controversial decision in order to work out a solution acceptable to all was worked out. Instead, the EU has asked that countries opposing the inclusion of aviation in the trading scheme bring a positive agenda or an laternative plan to the table, instead of being negative. 

 

Secretary general of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), Michel Jarraud, has said that high computing power remains one of the major limitations for meteorologists engaged in monsoon prediction, despite the technological advances achieved so far.

In a consolidation of the Durban results, the environment and forests ministry has notified inter-ministerial groups that will advise on key elements of India’s stance on climate negotiations for future.

 

 

Brikesh Singh and James North, activists at Greenpeace India, an environment NGO, shared their experiences on the concluding day of the national-level media fest “Article-19” organised by the Manipal Institute of Communication (MIC) here on Saturday.