CHENNAI: Though people in rural areas and villages are not as educated as city dwellers, they respect the natural ecosystem and preserve it better than those in the city, said R Jaganathan, professor and head, Department of Geography, University of Madras.
Speaking on the sidelines of a World Environment Day lecture at the Institute of Engineers on Thursday, Jaganathan said that a sense of individual accountability in conserving energy is less among city residents, particularly among the educated middle class. “A 10 to 15 degrees rise in temperature due to human activities is imminent and has contributed to global warming. But this can be contained at least to a certain extent if each individual takes eco-friendly and energy-conserving measures,” he said.
However, it is up to the developed nations to make a bigger impact in issues of climate change. A common man could contribute at the local level, he added. “The United Nations can only advise and recommend possible measures, but big nations like the US, UK, Germany and other European countries have to implement it to make a significant change,” said Jaganathan. According to him, the lack of reliable data for scientific research and planning is a major setback for policy makers and planners, and the fault has to be addressed by those in charge of collecting data.