Environment protection is our joint concern: Agha Syed

Srinagar,IndiaApril 22 (Scoop News) –  The J&K  Minister for Science and Technology, Agha Syed Rohulla, on Thursday said issues like climate change and global warming were a “joint concern” of both the developed and developing nations. “In whichever the system we live in, whether it is democracy or anything else, environment protection is our joint concern.

Addressing the inaugural function of the Earth Day Celebrations 2010 at Kashmir University im Srinagar. The function was organized by the Kashmir University’s Department of Geology and Geophysics (DGG) to mark the Earth Days observed in different countries on April 22. The Minister said, “It is important that we at the governmental level and the University academics and scholars work together to prepare the society to go for the use of non-conventional sources of energy, particularly the solar energy.”

Rohulla, who was the chief guest,  said the J&K government and University of Kashmir need to work together to encourage people to use the non-conventional sources of energy.

He asserted it was the society’s collective responsibility to protect the J&K’s fragile environment. “If we are to protect the planet Earth, we must understand that Government alone cannot do it. It is the responsibility of the entire society—academia, civil society, government and policy makers,” he told a gathering of academics, officials, and students at the KU’s Gandhi Bhawan.

Rohulla said And unless and until the society comes forward to protect it, all efforts, steps, policies or schemes in this regard will go waste,” he said, adding, “We got to understand our social responsibility. Earth will survive despite our destruction, but it is we who will perish at the end of the day.”

In his presidential address, KU vice-chancellor, Prof Riyaz Punjabi, said, “We understand that there has been a decay of our natural resources. But this doesn’t take place unless we alter the shape of the things.”

He said that the function was part of the KU’s continuous efforts vis-à-vis environment protection. “We have been reflecting upon these issues of critical importance from time to time. We all cannot afford to be silent over the environment deterioration. We have to fight things rather than shutting our eyes,” Prof Punjabi said, calling for mass sensitization of people about the importance of environment. “It is with this collective fight and efforts that we will be able to restore the glory of the state environment.”

Referring to Water Lawrence’s book, the Valley of Kashmir, Prof Punjabi said, “Just refer to it and see how many species of flora and fauna we have lost. What we lack is the social resolve to fight things. We at KU are committed to address the crucial environmental issues facing the state in general, and the Valley in particular.”

The KU Registrar, Prof S Fayyaz Ahmad, asserted that the university was well aware of the environmental issues facing the state, and its different departments are working to address them.

The Programme Coordinator, DGG, Dr Shakil A Romshoo, referred to different environmental changes in J&K due to deforestation and overexploitation of natural resources. “This day is observed to create awareness among people about different environmental issues, and urge them to protect the planet Earth,” he said.

On the occasion, a music video about climate change was released. The video has been complied by the Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMRC), in association with Mercy Corps, a USA-based non-governmental organization.

Others who spoke on the occasion include EMRC director, Dr Shahid Rasool, and Mercy Corps head, Mr Usman. Dr Rakesh Chandra from DGG presented the vote of thanks. The function was followed by an interactive poster session about the environmental issues in JK.

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