BANGALORE: A programme aimed at inspiring young people to spread awareness about climate change, its effects and steps to mitigate them has been launched by the British Council in partnership with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
The International Climate Champions 2009 has been launched, which will witness 60 young Indian and five Sri Lankan students being selected to become ambassadors for spreading awareness on climate change. They will also get an opportunity to work towards mitigating its effects in India.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the British Council and TERI to jointly manage and implement the ‘International Climate Champions Programme’ across India, a release said.
International Climate Champions is part of the British Council’s international programme conducted in the G8+5 countries (Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the U.K. and the U.S.).
Last year, 20 Indian Climate Champions were selected through a rigorous countrywide competition. The release said that the British Council, along with TERI, would design, implement, manage and monitor the programme. Training and awareness-building workshops would be jointly conducted by TERI’s Environment Education and Awareness (EEA) Area, supported by the institute’s office establishments across India, and the British Council offices.
Climate change-related training camps and field visits will be organised to build the capacity of these Climate Champions. The Champions will visit the U.K. to interact with experts. Their firsthand experiences will further prepare them to come up with an action plan for the communication, adaptation and mitigation of climate change for India .
Details on the International Climate Champions can be had on www.britishcouncil.org.in, or from Anu Thampi on 044-42050600.
