Higher educational institutions urged to take lead in climate action :TSCHE chairman
Hyderabad, Nov 6 (TNT): Higher educational institutions should emerge as key centres of climate action by promoting sustainability education, environmental awareness and green technologies among students, Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE)Chairman Prof. V. Balakista Reddy said on Thursday.
Addressing the inaugural discussion of the sixth edition of the Conference of People for Climate Action (CoP6), jointly organised by the Council for Green Revolution (CGR) and the Telangana State Council of Higher Education at the Engineering Staff College of India, Gachibowli, he described climate change as the biggest challenge of the 21st century.
He said environmental and climate change policy education would be accorded priority under Telangana’s educational reforms, with new courses being introduced in this direction.
Emphasising experiential learning, he said universities and colleges should connect with communities and address contemporary societal challenges.
Students should not limit their education to securing employment but also develop leadership qualities to protect society and the planet, he added.
He called for greater focus on green technologies, renewable energy and an environmentally sustainable economy.
Explaining the concept of just transition, he said development should ensure that the poor, farmers and workers were not left behind.
Prof. Reddy said the Council was willing to enter into memorandums of understanding with organisations to promote climate action initiatives and assured support for programmes across universities in Telangana.
Public policy expert Dr. Donti Narasimha Reddy said climate action would remain incomplete without climate justice and stressed the need to strengthen public participation in policymaking.
Kumar Prayas spoke about energy security, equitable distribution of energy resources and environmental protection, while Prof. Pragya Paramita Mishra highlighted the importance of developing a sustainable economy based on renewable energy.
Dr. Harish Gupta of the Department of Civil Engineering, Osmania University, stressed the need for innovative technological solutions to address climate change.
The discussion was organised under the theme “Climate Action, Environment and Sustainability: Advancing Education, Youth Leadership and Just Transition”, in parallel with the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) scheduled to be held in Antalya, Türkiye.
R. Dileep Reddy served as the executive coordinator. CGR founder K. Laxma Reddy, chairperson K. Leela Lakshmi Reddy, educationist Upender Reddy, Hari Sarvottaman, Prasanna Kumar, university professors, environmentalists and students attended.
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