Wales India Low Carbon Technologies Programme
Four top Indian academics from prestigious institutions visited Wales this week to meet counterparts in Welsh universities and to discuss collaboration on low carbon technologies.
The visit, arranged jointly by the Welsh Assembly Government and the British Council, followed up a visit to India earlier in the year by representatives from the Low Carbon Research Institute (LCRI).
The academic group comprised of Dr Biswajit Ghosh, a Professor of Energy Science and Technology at Jadavpur University who holds the university’s highest degree of DSc (Engg.) for his original scientific and outstanding contribution in the field of electrical contacting technology; Ashok Lall, an architect and Cambridge University graduate, whose firm is committed to an architectural practice based on the principles of environmental sustainability and social responsibility and has won a number of awards for its work in this area;. Professor P J Paul, a professor at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in the Department of Aerospace who has made significant contributions in the area of engineering, renewable energy, and in particular biomass gasification and combustion;. Dr Debabrata Das, a Professor at the Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, he has also received the International Association of Hydrogen Energy (IAHE) Akira Matsui Award 2008 for important contribution to hydrogen research.
During the week the visitors travelled across Wales, visiting a range of institutions to cement relationships and gain an insight in to some of the world class research that Wales offers in this field. They had an opportunity to visit facilities at the University of Glamorgan, OpTIC Technium, the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, Cardiff School of engineering and Swansea University’s school of Engineering.
The aim will now be to develop the collaboration more strongly and to explore joint projects in areas of expertise.
Climate Champions from India and Sri Lanka well set for a GREENER tomorrow
Are we seeing fewer birds when we look out of our window? Do you feel that our climate and environment is changing too fast? Should we be concerned about our planet? Is it not our responsibility to save this beautiful place for our children? These were some of the obvious questions that were discussed during a training workshop for the International Climate Champions at Chennai.
British Council India and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) organised a two day workshop for Champions from India and Srilanka on 23 and 24 July at the MGM Beach Resort Chennai. During the workshop they learnt the nuances of project management and ways of effectively using various project management and communication tools to execute, monitor and evaluate their individual projects.
The introductory session by Dr Sultan Ahmed Ismail, Soil biologist and ecologist who covered topics on the current climate change scenario in India and initiatives by government and non governmental organisation to tackle climate change issues was inspiring to the champions. The facilitation by Kiruba Shankar and climate change expert Neha Ahuja from The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) saw the champions racking their brains on how best they could execute their projects and contribute towards spreading the word on Climate Change.
The resort is also witnessing first hand effects of climate change with the sea slowly eating into most parts of its sea front. Champions to symbolise their fight and to leave a mark planted saplings around the resort.
The International Climate Champions programme in India is run in partnership with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). This programme has about 70 Climate Champions in India and Srilanka working on individual projects in the area of climate change and environment. The Champions are now trained to effectively implement their projects and execute initiatives on spreading the word on climate change across the India and Srilanka.
Lights, Camera… Climate Change!
A special preview of Four Films on Climate Change was held on July 18 at the British Council, Chennai in association with Discovery Channel.
The films are made by the winners of the UK Environment Film Fellowships 2009. The Fellowships are awarded every year by the British Council in partnership with the British High Commission. Young Indian environmental filmmakers are asked to submit proposals for films which depict originality in research work in terms of topical relevance to the theme chosen for the year. The winners are awarded a fellowship to create 12-15 minute impactful documentaries.
The theme for this year’s fellowship was two fold – Impacts and Actions – to mitigate climate change. Two films concentrated on the impacts of climate change, while the other two films focused on successful case studies of communities in India who are working to mitigate climate change. Each of the filmmakers teamed-up with a subject expert and worked closely with them during the making of the film to ensure a well-researched and high quality film. The filmmakers’ progress is regularly reviewed by a jury. The jury members for the 2009 fellowships were Les Dangerfield, Acting Director, British Council India; Fergus Auld, First Secretary, Climate Change and Energy, DFID; Dan Chug, First Secretary Press and Communications; Purnamita Dasgupta, Ford Foundation Chair and Associate Professor on Environmental Economics-Institute of Economic Growth, and award winning environmental filmmaker Mike Pandey.
Visual media such as films, act as powerful influencers in initiating viewers to commit and act for the cause. The past films produced under the fellowships have made a tremendous impact by sensitizing viewers on the various impacts of Climate Change.
At the Chennai event Director’s of one of the film’s ‘The Final Tide’ were present to interact with the audience. Director British Council, Chennai congratulated the filmmakers and in his keynote address spoke about the need for the developed word to take responsibility of the climate crisis and respond by cutting emissions.
Rock band, Euphoria, have especially composed a track dedicated to Climate Change for one of the films. The films were well received as the audience felt a sense of empowerment and the need to act for the cause upon viewing the films. A young businessman part of the audience reacted by saying “its changed my perspective towards waste management and knowledge about methane”.
The films screened were:
1.Don’t Rubbish it – by Chandrasekhar Reddy
2.The Final Tide – by Vikram Mishra & Praveen Singh
3.The Changemakers – by Gurmeet Sapal
4.India’s Climate Fever – by Arjun Pandey
These films were premiered on 5 June, World Environment Day at British Council, Delhi. The films will air on the Discovery Channel at a later date.
Watch previous films on YouTube.
Kia Ora!
Energy Sustainability – The Bayer Eco-Minds Experience
Sruthi Chandrasekhar is a 4th Year Economics student from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and one of British Council and The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) International Climate Champions was one of the two applicants from India selected to be part of the Bayers Eco- Minds Forum 2009. Her project as a Climate Champion is to promote the use of paper bags as a viable alternative to plastic bags in bookstores, retail outlets and departmental stores.
She talks about her experience at the Eco Minds Forum:
Beautiful landscapes, amazing ecology, committed students and a melting pot of cultures – this was what the Eco-Minds Forum 2009 was about. The Bayer Eco-Minds Forum (May 25 – 29, 2009), in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the University of Auckland delved into the theme of ‘Sustainable Energy Systems: Challenges and Opportunities’. Bringing together students from 9 Asia- Pacific countries, the forum was the start of a fresh set of perspectives on harnessing available resources in the most efficient manner through international collaboration.
New Zealand, vested with a host of renewable resources like wind, hydro and geothermal is putting them to the best use possible, in terms of building related infrastructure, skill sets and public participation features. Apart from lectures from eminent speakers on sustainable energy, the Forum was supplemented with field visits to power plants, geothermal stations, hydro plants and lectures on energy sustainability. Student representatives explained the extent to which their respective countries relied upon renewable and non-renewable resources. By studying the nature of electricity production in New Zealand, we discussed possible methods of resource-sharing and at the same time, protecting the environment.
As a student of economics, with a minor in management, this forum helped me feel the reality that economists gropes with everyday – distributing scarce resources in a manner that is both efficient and equitable. Interacting with students from different countries who were involved in various sustainability initiatives, I was able to understand the obstacles they were facing in implementing their projects, thereby sharpening my problem-solving tools. I am confident that this would be useful while working on the implementation of my British Council and TERI Climate Champions Project.
A unique aspect that would be of special interest to India is the public participation that New Zealand boasts of. Citizens form a part of the political process, planning, implementation and regulation of community projects. It is with the wholesome consent of the public that the state can further any of its projects. Such a community involvement in India would go a long way in creating clarity to problems of bribe, corruption, relocation and compensation. Glimpses of the Maori culture we witnessed, proved to be fascinating and at the same time, proved to be an ominous warning that with vanishing ecosystems, disappeared intrinsic cultures, thereby challenging our understanding of sustainable development.
In the end, student teams made presentations on the energy challenges that their countries faced, proposed innovative solutions about economic instruments and legislative and educational reforms required, to put countries on the track to sustainability and addressed ideas on multi-lateral cooperation that would result in prosperity. The Forum was thus a wonderful opportunity for students to gain an understanding of the environment, its needs, and methods to sustain resources for posterity.
The Bayer Eco-Minds Forum 2009 thus brought students from various backgrounds together to commit towards creating innovative solutions to the global concern on energy sustainability, securing them through the thread of friendship and binding them with an international cause.
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