BHUBANESWAR: Climate change is a global phenomenon and a strong political will along with mass awareness can reverse the situation, said former chief minister and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik on Thursday.
Speaking on the second day of the ‘Earth Again’ conference organised by leading media conglomerate Sambad Group here, Naveen said most political parties are unwilling to accept tough climate targets due to a variety of reasons.
“Even the United Nations has called upon political leaders to take drastic steps to deal with climate emergency. Time is running out and we can no longer afford to wait and watch. It’s high time for us to act. I would therefore urge everyone to join hands and collaborate in a positive way to save Mother earth,” he said.
Naveen further said the previous BJD government in Odisha was sensitive to climate-related issues and took a number of steps in this regard. The forest cover in Odisha increased from 47,033 sq km in 1999 to 52,156 sq km in 2021. This increase was above the national average. Similarly, mangrove cover in the state, critical from the climate change perspective, also increased between 1999 and 2021.
“Odisha was the first state to have an action plan for climate change in 2010. We had also come up with a climate change budget in 2019 which is being implemented in the state,” said the LoP.
Naveen said the nomenclature of Forest and Environment department was also changed to Forest, Environment and Climate Change department in 2021. He also recalled the efforts of his government to ensure zero casualty during cyclones.
On the occasion, the former chief minister felicitated eminent personalities - Resident Editor of The New Indian Express, Odisha Siba Mohanty, wildlife conservationist and honorary wildlife warden of Angul Aditya Chandra Panda and wildlife photographer father-daughter duo Pramod Dhal and Gloria Dhal with Sambad Paribesh Samman Awards.
Editor of Sambad Group Tanaya Patnaik said ‘Earth Again’ as an initiative to democratise climate conversation and action will continue for next 12 years. In the last 55 days, Tanaya pointed out, Sambad Group with its collaborators Bakul Foundation and Soctratus organised climate panchayats in 146 out of 147 Assembly constituencies involving all the legislators.
Sambad group MD Monica Nayyar Patnaik was also present at the event.