Kolkata, Sundarbans students discuss climate challenges

KOLKATA: The Conference of Schools (COS) 2023 brought together youngsters from Kolkata and Sundarbans to voice their concerns and solutions on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Students between the ages of 13 and 17, from classes VIII-XII, presented their problem-solving skills and interacted with key decision-makers and industry experts on sustainability.The conference was attended by 26 schools across Kolkata and Sundarbans, represented by 54 students, at Offbeat CCU.
The theme was “Mitigation and Adaptation Solutions proposed by Youth to Climate Change Challenges in Kolkata and Sundarbans” and the topics in focus included urban greenery, blue infrastructure, traffic congestion, air pollution, waste, sustainable mobility, survival of Sundarbans, and natural disasters.
“This event will encourage the students’ families and schools to make the necessary changes,” said Vinay Jaju of SwitchON Foundation.
The platform offered an opportunity for students to develop practical skills to deepen their understanding of topics related to climate change, research issues, and design solutions that can be replicated.
West Bengal Transport Corporation MD RVS Kapur said sustenance of the earth hinges upon proactive roles of these future citizens. Chief environmental officer Kaliyamurthi Balamurugan said such events assumed significance as today’s students will take key decisions tomorrow.
COS 2023 was organised by Center For Contemporary Communication, Y-East, SwitchON Foundation, EARTHDAY.ORG, Y-Ed, Green Bengal Innovation Network and Make Calcutta Relevant Again. The event was inaugurated in the presence of German consul general Manfred Auster.
Students were mentored by Mallika Jalan of CCC, Anshuman Das of Welthungerhilfe, Nobina Gupta of Disappearing Dialogues, Arjan Basu Roy of Nature Mates, Bhargab Maitra and Saptarshi Sen of IIT-Kharagpur, Suparna Dutta of SwitchON Foundation, Kankana Das of LIFE, Lata Bhatia of Kolkata Zero Waste Bazaar, Sujata Chatterjee of Twirl.store, Priyank Patel of Livolt, Satanjib Gupta of Kolkata Cycle Samaj, Manohar Bethapudi of Motovolt, Niranjan Jaladas of Netaji Nagar College for Women, Mourani Sinha of Techno India University and Susmita Guha of Save the Children.