‘Pandemic has revealed fragility of our world’

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 22

A webinar was held by Pushpa Gujral Science City to mark World Earth Day. A total of 175 students from across the state participated in the programme through virtual mode. The theme of the webinar was ‘Restore our Earth’.

Dr Rajesh Grover, Director, Pushpa Gujral Science City, gave introductory remarks and said focus of this year’s theme was on emerging green technologies and innovative thinking that could restore the world’s ecosystems. The pandemic, with which the whole world is battling, is a harrowing reminder of how badly the ecosystems are damaged. It has revealed the fragility of our world, societies and economies and also reminds us about the need to protect ourselves from various disasters such as climate change and ecosystem destruction, he said.

He asserted, “If we all put our best foot forward and take concerted action to find better solutions to restore our planet, then we can expect certain rewards in the future.” He urged the participants that the Earth Day should be used as a powerful catalyst to involve people in making a difference towards a healthy, prosperous and sustainable future. The celebration reminds us to protect our planet in every possible way.

Dr Vinayak Sinha, associate professor, Department of Earth and Environment Sciences, IISER, Mohali, was the key speaker. Delivering a talk at the occasion, he demonstrated the basic concepts of atmospheric chemistry and air quality. He said combination of emission sources, atmospheric chemistry and meteorological conditions can collectively drive adverse air quality. Further, research conducted by atmospheric observatory setup at IISER, Mohali, was helpful to identify and quantify fire emissions and air pollution in North India caused due to stubble burning, he added.