Efforts under way to make Coimbatore carbon neutral district before 2050: Minister

COIMBATORE: Efforts are under way to make Coimbatore district a carbon neutral one before 2050, said minister for environment and climate change Siva V Meyyanathan on Saturday.
He inaugurated a workshop titled Carbon Neutral Coimbatore organised by Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company jointly with the Coimbatore district administration in a private hotel in the city.
Talking to reporters, Meyyanathan said Coimbatore is the first among Tamil Nadu districts to be chosen to achieve Carbon Neutral status by the state government. Electricity department, transport and industry are the major sectors responsible for maximum carbon emission in the state. Changes need to be brought in to bring down carbon emissions from these sectors, he said,
Earlier, addressing the gathering at the event, he said Rameswaram and Rajapalayam municipalities would be taken up to achieve carbon neutral status. The green of Rajapalayam will see intensive tree plantation to improve green cover. Rameswaram, one of the preferred tourist destinations, will also see activities to improve carbon neutrality. Kanyakumari too will be taken up in this cause.
Meanwhile, a study is under way to check the carbon emission status in Delta districts such as Nagapattinam, Mayiladurai, Pudukottai, Thanjavur and Tiruvarur. These districts are less industrialized ones and are known for agricultural activities.
The extent of Tamil Nadu state is 1.31 lakh square km, out of which forest cover is only 29,000 sq km. In order to achieve 33% forest cover, the total extent should increase to 42,000 sq km. Around three crore tree plantation was carried out last year and there is plan to increase it to 10 crore this year.
“Industries in Coimbatore, which have been categorized under red category by the pollution control department, should grow at least 100 trees in their campus or elsewhere. We should take a vow not to use plastic bags and only use cloth bags,” he said.
Supriya Sahu, additional chief secretary for environment, forest and climate change, said Coimbatore’s carbon emission in 2015 was 4.89 million tonne with transport and industry sectors contributing to 40% and 30% respectively.
Manjappai vending machines which can dispatch a bag upon Rs 10 payment were launched in the event.
A book named Climate Change Glossary, consisting of Tamil words equivalent to English words pertaining to the climate change, was released.