An environmental organization in Guwahati, Assam, Voice of Environment (VoE) conducted a workshop titled “Know Your Carbon Footprint Associated with Climate Change,” stressing the importance of cutting back on carbon dioxide emissions because doing otherwise would make it impossible to meet the targets outlined in the Paris agreement (adopted by 196 parties at COP 21 in Paris in 2015). Scientists have warned that the world has a decade to cut emissions in half to avoid catastrophic climate change if average global temperatures can climb by more than 1.50 degrees Celsius. VoE is becoming the frontrunner in environmental training.
The excess heat of greenhouse gases, especially the abundance of carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere, is causing climate change. Awareness and conservation are emphasized in elementary, secondary, and tertiary education to combat this threat. Team VoE is in line with global initiatives such as the UNFCCC Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992), the Kyoto Protocol (1997), and the Paris Agreement (2015). (2015). Suresh Kumar, a speaker with 15 years of experience in environment, water, sanitation, and climate change with various United Nations agencies like UNICEF, UNDP, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the African Development Bank (KFW), and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in India, Africa, and South East Asia across the globe, has begun the discussion session.
Dr. Anu Sharma welcomed everyone to the workshop and introduced the panelists, speakers, participants, and other members of the VoE at around 6 p.m. (IST). She also provided a more generalized explanation of what “carbon footprint” means when referring to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by an individual, a group, or an organization. Suresh Kumar then took over and started explaining why and how people in their homes contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and what may be done to reduce them. He also discussed the anthropogenic reasons contributing to CO2 emissions while simultaneously advocating for measures to reduce, reuse, and recycle that impact the environment.
Kumar also displayed information on the carbon footprint caused by things like the use of various fuels in cars (diesel, gasoline, and compressed natural gas), the use of electricity, refrigerators, washing machines, stoves and ovens, televisions and fans, the consumption of food, the disposal of waste (both wet and dry), and so on. The average carbon footprint, he said, is about 4 metric tons per year, while the United States is at 16 metric tons per person per year (one of the highest rates in the world). If average annual carbon emissions can be reduced to below 2 metric tons by 2050, we will have a much better chance of preventing a temperature increase of more than 2 degrees Celsius. The group decided that in order to prevent climate change, everyone should examine their personal carbon footprints and make changes where necessary.Researcher and Environmentalist Moharana Choudhury was also present during the session.
After the conversation was over, attendees from other disciplines offered their thoughts on the subject. S. Sruthi, a biotechnology student at Chennai’s SRM Institute of Science and Technology, thinks the program is helpful. She was also cognizant of the significance of recognizing one’s contribution to global warming. The Values of Empathy training was helpful to her. Students like Anamika Das, a biotechnology major at Chennai’s SRM Institute of Science and Technology who attended the VoE program and learned a lot of new facts regarding carbon footprints, found it worthwhile. Sneha Reshmi, a student at A N College in Patna majoring in environmental science, found the workshop educational because it shed light on the current state of carbon footprints and their connection to global warming. The workshop was incredibly educational and stimulating for Rakesh Chaudhary, a research scholar in the Civil Engineering Department at the National Institute of Technology in Delhi. He now has a much better grasp of how our individual and collective activities can affect global warming and cooling.Suresh Kumar, the keynote speaker, impressed him with his expertise and tremendous passion for the subject.
