Now, climate change as a subject in Chennai schools

CHENNAI: With the climate change and its impacts are becoming reality and lack of awareness prevails about the impending danger, Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG) has started including climate change subject in school curriculum on a pilot basis.

Vamsi Shankar, senior researcher of CAG, said that the climate change subjects are being taught in two private schools in the city for students of Class 6 to class 8. "Textbooks been prepared highlighting the concept of climate change, impacts, causes and others topics. The aim is to expand this initiative to other schools,” he added.

He expressed that CAG will approach the Greater Chennai Corporation and the State Education department to include the subject in Chennai Schools and government schools.

Explaining the rationale behind the initiative, Vamsi said that the State government launched Climate Mission to address climate change issues and to create climate literacy. "The initiative of the CAG is in line with the government's programme," he added.

Meanwhile, Deepak Bilgi, director of environment and climate change department, released textbooks titled 'Facts on Climate Change Unravelled for Students' at a conferance on air pollution and climate change, held in the city on Tuesday.

A CAG statement opined that modern problems require modern and sustainable solutions, the correct technologies and the political will to carry it through to fruition."

"Science has established that air pollution and climate change are two sides of the same coin. Anything that causes air pollution exacerbates climate change. In the same vein, tackling air pollution at source is a direct and significant solution to mitigate effects of climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, " the statement said.