Conversation on mitigating climate change with film screenings on sustainable solutions were organised by the Department of Electronic Media and Mass Communication, Pondicherry University with the Office of Green Campus and Dean Students' Welfare. Association for Promoting Sustainability in Campuses and Communities (APSCC Global) was the event partner.
The World Earth Day was celebrated in the university campus with an interactive presentation by lndian members of the Climate Force Antarctica expedition team.
The hybrid event was inaugurated by the Dean, School of Media and Communication, Prof. K. Tharanikkarasu. The event coordinator, Dr. Radhika Khanna, Head of Department of Electronic Media and Mass Communication announced a photography and film making competition as a part of the Green World Campaign on the campus.
The keynote speaker Rozita Singh, Head of Solutions Mapping, Accelerator Lab, UNDP India, addressed the impact of climate change on the Antarctic soil and wildlife due to anthropogenic activities.
The other invited speakers were SukanyaSaikia, Soumya Rao, and Vaibhav Arora from the sustainable expedition team. They spoke about the threat of fast fashion, pollution and depletion of fossil fuels on the planet.
The Climate Force Antarctica is a sustainable expedition held by the 2041 Foundation under the leadership of the environmentalist Robert Swan. A group of 150 changemakers from all around the world are taken to the continent of Antarctica to observe the effects of climate change on the land and to become ambassadors of advocating for Antarctica to promote sustainable practices.
The speakers shared their experiences about the journey to the Southern Hemisphere and the drastic situation of the land there. "The narrative of climate change should be brought to the political level", said Arora.
The event was attended by the students and faculty from Pondicherry University and online participants from across the country. All the attendees took the Earth Day pledge to preserve the environment and participated in two quiz competitions designed by the UNDP India and New York team for the event.
This was followed by a documentary screening of the film 'For Tomorrow' by Pondicherry University's Drishti Film Club. The film showcased individuals contributing to sustainable solutions and talked about UNDP Accelerator Labs, the world’s largest and fastest learning network on innovations spanning across 115 countries.