Climate Change-Centric Research and Development need of the hour – Third and final segment of the CAN 2022-23 workshop inaugurated at IITGN
Gandhinagar: The third and final segment of the mega workshop series ‘Climate Action Now (CAN) 2022-23’, themed on “Climate Change-Centric Research and Development”, was inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) today in the presence of Mr P K Taneja, IAS (Rtd), Director General, Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management (GIDM); Dr J R Bhatt, Advisor, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India; Prof Rajat Moona, Director, IITGN; Mr R K Sugoor (IFS), Director, Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation; and Prof C N Pandey, Earth Sciences, IITGN.
Speaking during the inaugural session as the Chief Guest, Mr P K Taneja, IAS (Rtd) and present Director General of GIDM, defined disaster risk understanding as the topmost priority and urged young scientists to come up with more innovative and technology-based solutions, “Climate change and related risks are increasing faster than anticipated, and as a result, the climate in many parts of the planet will become unbearable in the next few decades. Climate change and disasters cannot be separated in any manner, and similarly, their mitigation strategies i.e. SFDRR, SDGs, and COP’21. In our quest to mitigate climate change, understanding disaster risk is the number 1 priority globally, followed by understanding disaster risk governance. We should remember that climate change has human and social dimensions, and hence, we need to take issues hands-on. Through this apt platform of the CAN workshop series, I urge the young scientists and professionals of our country, who have immense potential and scientific rigour, to develop more innovative and technology-based as well as nature-based solutions to address various challenges related to climate change.”
He also mentioned that the G20 presidency assumed by India also promotes the theme of ‘One Earth. One Family. One Future.’, and a working group on disaster risk reduction has been formed for the first time to undertake multidisciplinary research in this area. Hence, the theme of this workshop is very apt and timely to help us understand things better and take initiatives.
Emphasising the need and desire to innovate to address the challenges caused by climate change, Dr J R Bhatt, Advisor, MoEFCC, Government of India, and Guest of Honour for the event, said, “Climate change is now here. It is going to stay with us, and extreme events are likely to rise in duration, frequency, and intensity. So there is an urgent need and desire to step-up innovation. Our actions as a country to combat climate change are tremendous, and our youth, engineers, entrepreneurs, industrialists, women and elders are eager to innovate and move ahead. We must also remember that this is a global collective action problem, so we must integrate dealing with climate change into our way of life. Solutions for climate change will not only emanate from the government, but every person from the country has to rise to the occasion to address it with innovation.” He also shared important insights from India’s climate policy and initiatives and that the country is now being acknowledged by the world as the voice of ambition on climate action.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof Rajat Moona, Director, IITGN, said, “Since the last several years, we are being pulled through several unprecedented climatic conditions. The weather has increasingly become unpredictable, and seasons have shifted. The effects of climate change are being felt globally, which calls forhumanity to understand and devise innovative techniques to mitigate them. I am happy that the CAN workshop series is discussing several technological aspects of climate change, including energy, water, health and so on, to address this pertinent global concern.”
The five-day workshop, scheduled from January 27 to 31, 2023, will delve into various aspects of Climate Change and ways to mitigate its effects, including the Science of Climate Change; Geopolitics and Climate Change; Solar Energy and Climate Change; Air Pollution and Climate Change; Vulnerable Areas and Communities; Climate Change Driven Disasters; Climate Resilient Agriculture; Decarbonisation Strategies; Fuel Technologies and Alternative Energy; Paleoscience Research in the Scientific Understanding of Climate Change; Role of Forest and Biodiversity in Combating Climate Change; Traditional Indian Wisdom in Context of Climate Change; and so on. It will also discuss the need for scientific and technological innovation to realise sustainable development objectives and how cutting-edge research and technologies can be utilised to tackle global climate change.
Nearly 70 national and international participants from institutes across the country are attending the event. Over the next five days, several technical deliberations by subject experts will provide the participants a comprehensive understanding of climate change hazards, vulnerabilities, capacities, and disaster risk management.
CAN 2022-23 workshop series is being co-organised by IITGN and GEER Foundation and supported by IITGN’s Dr Kiran C Patel Centre for Sustainable Development. The event has brought together policymakers, industry, academia, and climate experts from across the country to deliberate on seminal issues of climate change and how they can be tackled.