Coimbatore Taxi News

Climate champions meet begins today

Udhagamandalam: Thirty-six international climate champions from 11 countries including India, will descend on the Blue Mountains on an action trail to seek evidence, speak out, improve understanding and inspire positive action to fight climate change impacts on the mountains.

In a fitting prelude to their mission, as soon as they arrived on Saturday they planted more than 100 native trees at the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History at Coimbatore to offset the carbon footprints left by their travel.

Later, they visited the Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding to observe the newly instituted carbon sequestration project, a first of its kind in Asia.

According to the Director, Nilgiris Documentation Centre (NDC), Dharmalingam Venugopal, the Director of the Institute, N.Krishna Kumar and his team briefed the champions on the experiment.

Organised jointly by British Council and the NDC, the International Climate Champions Field Camp will go on for seven days from Sunday. The participants have come from UK, Germany, Norway, Canada, China, Libya, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and India. Five students from the Nilgiris have been included for the benefit of the host district. Three research scholars from the Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding will also form part of the team.

The Field Camp will be inaugurated on Sunday by the Nilgiris Collector Anandrao V. Patil at the Conference Hall of Salvation Army in Coonoor.

Director Programmes, India & Sri Lanka, British Council, Charie Walker, the Associate Director, The Energy and Resources Institute, Ranjana Saikia and the Head Environment, Science and Technology, British Council Guru Gujral will participate.

The Field Director, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Rajiv K.Srivastava will brief the camp on forest fire, a major carbon emitter, and its management.

The impact of climate change on soil and water will be explained at the Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute by a team headed by the Principal Scientist and Head Khola.

A team under Azeez, Director in Charge of Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History will brief the champions on the breeding habits of birds due to climate change at Long wood Shola. N. Mohanraj, Landscape Co-ordinator, WWF-India will give a talk on the Nilgiri Tahr and its habitat change at Mukurti National Park.

The champions will also visit the experimental centre of Indian Institute of Science at Masinagudi.

The champions will be accompanied by artist Gokul Gowder who will help them capture some of their learnings on canvass. The full camp is being made into an educational film.

-The Hindu