Youth and climate change go hand in hand

At a Youth and Climate conference on Friday, Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary to the government, Environment-Climate Change and Forest Department, called the Tamil Nadu government’s Green Fellowship Programme the ‘first of its kind’ in India. The day-long conference, conducted by the environmental organisation, Poovulagin Nanbargal, and Don Bosco Arts and Science College and Don Bosco Youth Ministry, witnessed participation of students from schools and colleges and covered themes such as climate change and the way forward and its relationship to health.  

Dr. Sahu listed four simple activities that anyone could follow and they would be a step towards mitigating climate change. “I believe that by restricting our use of plastic, not wasting food, segregating garbage and by ensuring we don’t litter, we can see an immediate change in the environment”, she said.  

G. Sundar Rajan from Poovulagin Nanbargal remarked that almost every month there has been a natural disaster. “I belong to a generation that destroyed this earth and I have no qualms in admitting it”, he said.

Siva V. Meyyanathan, Minister, Environment-Climate Change and Youth Welfare and Sports Development, cited recent disasters such as the landslide in Uttarakhand and the floods in Bengaluru as effects of climate change. “These are all man-made disasters and preventing their repetition is a priority”, he said.  

Rev. Fr. Migual Angel, general councilor for youth ministry, Rome shared his vision of a better world built by human hands. “An integral ecology needs social and moral revolution and we must strive to live in a more just and sustainable world”, he said.

The conference included performances by popular Tamil rapper Arivu and Buddhar Kalaikuzhu, a folk and dance group.