Anant National University launches India’s first undergraduate degree in climate studies – B.Tech in Climate Technologies
Ahmedabad : Anant National University (AnantU), Ahmedabad, announced the launch of India’s first undergraduate degree focusing on climate action, the Bachelor of Technology degree specialising in Climate Technologies. The 4-year undergraduate engineering degree is a super-specialisation in climate technologies and offers students the chance to be a part of the $23 trillion climate industry opportunities globally.
Aspiring engineers will learn to use engineering tools and design thinking principles to create technology driven solutions for climate change. A state-of-the-art climate lab on AnantU’s Ahmedabad campus, will be equipped with the latest softwares for running climate simulations and various instruments and technical apparatus for weather measurements, solar radiations, studying and simulating PV systems, testing and set up of renewable energy sources, and more. The job-oriented Bachelor of Technology degree specialising in Climate Technologies programme at AnantU prepares students for positions in industries that need to mitigate climate impact, roles that require climate modelling, near-term climate analysis and predictions, positions in government agencies serving to make policy, and independent laboratories conducting climate research.
While the IFC predicts $23 trillion climate industry opportunities globally, 3 million renewable energy jobs in India, and $2.5 trillion opportunities in climate resilient infrastructure in India and Bangladesh by 2030, there is a gaping lack of technically skilled people qualified for these jobs. Prime Minister Modi pledges India will move to net zero emissions by 2070 but this can only happen if people are skilled enough to work within industries and move them to net zero. The climate industry is booming and set to grow exponentially in the coming decades, but there are hardly any people qualified for these new jobs. AnantU’s pioneering Bachelor of Technology degree specialising in Climate Technologies is therefore industry relevant and the clear need of the hour.
Commenting on the launch of the programme, Dr. Anunaya Chaubey, Provost, Anant National University, said, “The reasons and implications of climate change in India and certain other emerging nations differ from those in the rest of the world. Thus there is a need for specialised climate studies programme that give regional context. It is important to train students to find and implement solutions, and develop technology to adapt to and mitigate climate change for India as well as other parts of the world”.
“Measuring, predicting, mitigating and adapting to climate change needs an influx of new technologies as well as millions of people skilled in the use of existing and new ones. We are glad to establish India’s first undergraduate degree related to climate as this will effectively move our country and the world closer to the goal of zero-emission. I invite students to become engineers who solve for climate change, and request parents to support the students in their unique choice of this job-oriented and specialised engineering degree offered by AnantU.” said Dr. Miniya Chatterji, Founding Director, Anant School for Climate Action, and CEO, Sustain Labs Paris.
The curriculum of AnantU’s Bachelor of Technology degree specialising in Climate Technologies is designed such that every semester 1 – 6 offers an incremental step across 8 climate technology streams – climate simulation, engineering mathematics, environmental engineering, climate chemistry, energy and technology, design thinking and behavioural science, technology and society – as well as applied research projects in the Climate Lab. The final 2 semesters focus on specialisation and full industry immersion such that students will be placed within the climate industry, co-guided by an academic guide and industry expert.
AnantU has been a pioneer in climate studies and technology since its very inception. Using design thinking for sustainable solutions, all programmes at the university offer students the opportunity to learn and contribute to climate action. The university’s sprawling Maker space is equipped with various tools including a hi-tech digital manufacturing laboratory and electronics workbench. The Climate Lab is being fitted out with the latest software’s, instruments, and equipment for climate related experiments. AnantU’s incubation centre, Aarambh nurtures the transformation of ideas into entrepreneurial ventures. The university’s unique one-year long Anant Fellowship for Climate Action is a highly coveted and globally acclaimed program for advanced practitioners in the field of climate action, such that it receives more than 5000 applications from over 50 countries for 20 seats each year. The Anant Fellowship for Climate Action is a member of MIT Solve.