Srinagar, May 11: Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday said the youth will lead the world in offering pragmatic solutions on climate change and other global challenges of the 21st century.
Sinha was addressing the inaugural session of the Youth-20 (Y20) Consultation on ‘Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: Making Sustainability a Way of Life’ at the University of Kashmir here.
The Y20 meet witnessed youth delegates from across the world take part in several panel discussions on global climate change.
Sinha said, “I believe the young generation will synergise innovative ideas and actions to preserve natural resources and also become stakeholders in policymaking for sustainable development.” He said the vision of India’s G20 presidency focuses on shared responsibility to tackle two great challenges — protecting climate and promoting sustainable development.
“As one family, we need to nurture the Earth that sustains life and commit (ourselves) for inclusive development to transform the lives of the common man,” he added.
Robert Pal, director of restoration at Montana Technological University, said the world needs to promptly mitigate the ill-effects of climate change in order to save the glaciers.
Citing the example of the disappearing glaciers in the national parks in Montana in the US, Pal said, “It had over a 100 glaciers. Now, there are 10 left. We don’t want that situation… Snow melting very quickly will make our lives much harder. Hopefully, we still have a future and we can save the glaciers and restore the areas that can sustain human wellbeing.” He added that the rapid melting of snow can lead to the flourishing of invasive plant species, thus affecting the native plant biodiversity.
Pal hopes that the event will propel the global conversation on climate change, he said when asked about his expectations from the Y20 event, Julius F, a Nigera-based PhD scholar in natural language processing, said there is a need to act early owing to the rising rate of emissions due to rapid globalisation and industrialisation.
The ongoing Y20 consultation can help sensitise youths on the need for climate management through daily activities that often start from one’s home, he said.
“I am looking forward to carrying the message of this conference to other youths and encourage them in contributing to climate management,” Julius said.
Daria, a delegate from Russia, said the concerns around climate change only keep growing.
“If we don’t take actions right now, it will have a negative and detrimental effect on our environment,” she said.
The Y20 Consultation brings together young leaders from G20 countries to discuss and debate global challenges. (Agencies)
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