Initiatives must come from us to address climate change: Principal

Alternatives to Copenhagen seminar enlightens students

Principal of SJC, Fr Ambrose Pinto SJ has said that initiatives must come from ordinary people to find solutions for the crisis of climate change.

He was speaking after inaugurating the seminar ‘Alternatives to Copenhagen’, a students’ initiative of the PG Department of Communication, here on Friday.

He said, “Capitalist countries want profit. They are not interested in reducing global warming. They tried to fool us through Copenhagen. So it is up to us to must reflect, point out and think of the solutions and respond accordingly.”

He further added that people must denounce the whole system that was exploiting the environment. “We can heal this planet only by denouncing such system,” he said.

Chief Guest Ms Janaki Murali, Principal of Education and Research, Infosys, spoke about a ‘Sustainable tomorrow’. She said, “Without profit there are no companies and no sustainability. But what is more important is our planet earth without which we cannot survive. So its health is the responsibility of us all.”

Madhu Kumar Bopanna, Manager, Corporate Communications for Vestas India, the principle sponsor of the seminar said that wind energy was a viable solution for green energy. “Wind energy is a solution to climate change. We are facing global energy shortage and there is a lot of energy demand for cities. There is a dilemma between producing more energy with less carbon dioxide emission. Wind energy will surely provide a better alternative,” he said.

Another speaker, Marianne De Nazareth, Fellow member of UNFCC, who had taken part in the Copenhagen summit in December last year spoke of the implications of the COP15 and the Copenhagen Accord. “Instead of blaming everybody, can we make a start to save the planet,” she said.

- Menuka Chhetri I MS Com