‘India’s Youth Manifesto for a Climate-Secure Future’
Pune International Centre’s (PIC) programme on Energy Environment & Climate Change (EECC) today released the ‘India’s Youth Manifesto for a Climate-Secure Future’. This was released at the hands of Chief Guest Adv.Vandana Chavan , Member of Parliament Rajya Sabha, at an event organised at Sumant Moolgaonkar Auditorium to mark World Environment Day 2022. Prof.Amitav Mallik, Trustee PIC, Dr.Vijay Kelkar Vice President PIC , Abhay Vaidya, Director PIC, Prithviraj Lingayat, Researcher, PIC, Pournima Agarkar, Secretary INECC and Tanmay Kanitkar, Co-founder, Parivartan , Falguni Gokhale, founder Design Directions were present on the ocassion.
The goal of this Youth Manifesto is to responsibly politicize issues like Climate Change and resource exploitation that can jeopardize the future of the coming generation. It emphasises the demands put forth by the youth and the need for rapid climate action. It notes down the foundations on which the Youth can protect their present and secure their future. The initiative of preparing a Youth Manifesto has received appreciation from Maharashtra’s Hon’ble Dy Chief Minister Shri Ajit Pawar.
Adv.Vandana Chavan said that the time is ticking, we have no planet B, we have to make sure we take care of planet earth. The theme of the World Environment Day is ‘Only one Earth’ is therefore important. At a time when the effect of climate change has reached each and every one of us, we need to talk to people, create awareness and tell about the impending dangers. Action should happen at the grass root level whether it is segregation of garbage, transportation, addressing important issues like land use, hills, carbon sequestration, reducing carbon footprint at individual level and office spaces. It will be important to sensitize Municipal Corporation officers so that they look at every project from the lens of climate change.
She added that it is a matter of pride that India has always responded to climate action conferences right from the conference at Stockholm way back in 1972, to Rio de Janerio in 1992 to Cops 26, but more needs to be done .
While presenting the Manifesto Prithviraj Lingayat, Researcher, PIC said that global warming is purely not an environmental issue but social , political and humanitarian issue. Political Will is extremely essential for climate action and this youth manifesto aims to politicize the urgent issues of global warming, climate changes and the mindless environmental exploitation .The genesis of this manifesto comes from the research we did at Pune International Centre.
Pournima Agarkar, Secretary INECC said that it is in our hands to create a sustainable future . We need to start adapting to life skills to take care of people around us. As we move towards different developmental ways, new opportunities like Green Entrepreneurships and green jobs will assume importance.
Tanmay Kanitkar , Co- Founder Parivartan said that availability of information can help in informed decision making . Free flowing information, more data points will be essential for building consensus and influencing decision makers .
Prof. Amitav Mallik, Trustee PIC in his welcome address said that this initiative is unique as this highlights what youth of today wants. Today we are at a time where what we do in the next 10 years will define what will happen in the future. Today’s youth is informed and conscious of importance of climate secure future and this initiative has given a voice to the youth.
Falguni Gokhale’s book ‘Making a World of difference’ specially for creating awareness amongst school children was also released on the occasion .
Dr. Vijay Kelkar gave the closing remarks .
