Stress on macro as well as micro initiatives for climate management

Japanese advocacy involves reduce, re-use and recycle: Kazuo Minagawa

(From left) Indo- Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry president N Krishnaswami, Consul- general of Japan in Chennai Kazuo Minagawa and Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner in Southern India Vadivel Krishnamoorthy at a meeting on climate management in Chennai on Monday. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

Effective climate management has to involve macro measures such as action plans for emission reduction and micro-level citizen initiatives that reduced individual carbon footprints, according to speakers at a discussion on climate change held here on Monday.

Inaugurating the conference on “Climate Management: Diverse Perceptions and Varied Approaches,” hosted by the Indo-Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IJCCI), Kazuo Minagawa, Consul General of Japan in Chennai outlined the concrete measures undertaken by Japan that signified a shift from mass production and consumption to a low carbon society.

The Japanese advocacy involved the 3 “Rs” — reduce, re-use and recycle, Mr. Minagawa said.

Vadivel Krishnamoorthy, Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner in South India, said climate management was important for the survival of the small and vulnerable island nation.

The measures undertaken by the Government included advocating agricultural measures such as harvesting drought-resistant rice varieties, encouraging sustainable land use patterns and monitoring sea level rise.

The Government had also launched nation-wise programmes for integrated solid waste management, a green cities campaign and eco-villages initiatives, he said.

Tajtai Tmangraksat, Deputy Consul-General and Consul-General-in-charge, The Royal Thai Consulate-General, Chennai, said the Thai Government had undertaken measures across various fronts for the cause of environmental sustainability. For instance, the policy initiatives for renewable energy targeted raising the share of renewable resources to 20 per cent of the total energy consumption by 2022, he said.

Matthew K. Beh, Political/Economic Officer, US Consulate, Chennai, said the drama at the Copenhagen Summit had overshadowed much of the progress that had been made in heralding a new paradigm in scaling down emission of green house gases. He pointed out that 130 countries that contributed to 85 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions had agreed to bring down the emissions on this front.

Addressing the climate change challenge among the developed and developing countries involved a “common but differentiated response,” Mr. Beh said every country had to be committed to varying degrees of reducing emissions.

Sudhir Chella Rajan, Professor, IIT-Madras, said the IIT was engaged in deducing carbon footprints on the basis of income of social strata as per capita consumption data did not differentiate the contribution of the rich and the poor.

He also stressed the importance of engaging the youth in the debate on climate change.

N. Krishnaswami, IJCC president, spoke.