“We don’t inherit this planet from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. And, whatever is borrowed is meant to be returned as it is,” said Mr. Kapil Sibal, Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Government of India. Mr. Sibal was delivering a lecture on ‘Climate Change’ at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU), Kashmere Gate.

Speaking about the adverse affects of climate change, Mr. Sibal said, “It is highly crucial to stabilize the climate and maintain the atmospheric balance. Even if there is a 1 per cent increase in the content of Carbon Dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere, the temperature will be boiling hot.”

He was of view that in order to save our environment, we need to think differently and change ourselves -- the way we think, the way we live and our entire relationship with nature. Instead of using energy options like oil and coal, which are not just non-renewable and fast depleting but also source of environmental pollution, we need to utilize options like solar energy, which is the cleanest and readily available source of energy. “Technology alone can save us from the environmental problems, but we need to come up with technologies which are both affordable and accessible,” he said.

Mr. Sibal also urged the present audience, which included senior officers, faculty members and students of the University, to conserve energy and save environment by taking small measures in our day to day activities like switching off the lights and computers when not in use, not leaving the mobile charger on, avoiding wastage of water at homes and so on.

Earlier in the day, Prof. K. K. Aggarwal, Vice Chancellor, GGSIPU, in his welcome address, said, “Global warming can have devastating affects. It can lead to variations in sea-levels, which can wipe out entire countries and 35 per cent to 40 per cent species may even face extinction. Unfortunately, much of it is happening due to human activity. It is our prime responsibility to leave a better environment for the next generation.”

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Established by the Govt. of NCT of Delhi in 1998, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) is a hub of professional education in the Capital. An affiliating-cum-teaching University, GGSIPU aims to facilitate and promote studies, research and extension work in emerging areas of higher education with focus on professional education in the disciplines of engineering, technology, architecture, management, law, medicine, pharmacy, nursing, education, journalism and mass communication, etc. Today, it is running more than 72 programmes in 09 University Schools of Studies and almost 88 Institutes (Government, Self-financing and Centres for Learning), imparting professional education to more than 40,000 students with an annual intake of about 13,500.