Let’s talk climate change

CHENNAI: At the end of a speech delivered at the Symposium on Climate Change at MOP Vaishnav College recently, a student asked: “We all speak of using solar power and other renewable sources, but can we really sustain if we replace coal?” As the speaker Vaideeswaran S, advisor at Ecoworks Associates responded to her, a discussion sparked on ways to make alternative methods viable.

The auditorium was packed with more than 70 students from arts and science colleges in Chennai, and 250 students from the different departments of MOP Vaishnav College. The day-long symposium began with a panel discussion introducing students to current debates on climate change. Different positions were offered, discussing both the urgent need to address climate change, and the misconceptions around the topic.

Sivagnanam N, former professor and head of department of Geography, University of Madras, was critical of modern science and said, “I don’t believe there is climate change. In countries like China or India, we overuse and misuse power. But looked at countries in the US where the usage is much higher, but recovery is equally good,” he explained.

To equip students with the know-how of designing green homes and bringing a lifestyle change, technical sessions were conducted by Madhavan Nampoothiri, managing partner, Aspiration Cleantech Ventures; C Velan, executive director and CEO, Ramanujan IT City; and Manju Arjunan, professor, Marg Institute of Design and Architecture.

Lalitha Balakrishnan, principal of the college, said, “We are planning to introduce mandatory environment courses, and inputs from today’s symposium will go into structuring the course.”