Delhi Chief Minister unveils longest poster on climate change

New Delhi/ Varanasi, June 5 (ANI): On the occasion of World Environment Day, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit unveiled a unique 600 feet wall mural on climate change on Friday.

Accompanied by British High Commissioner to India, Richard Stagg, Dixit unveiled the poster on the boundary wall of the British High Commission.

The mural calls for global action on climate change ahead of the crucial climate summit in Copenhagen in December 2009.

While one side of the mural is a grim reminder of the present danger we are facing due to rising greenhouse gases, the other shows the way forward for a sustainable future driven by low carbon growth.

Donning a green saree, Dixit appealed to people to come together to save the environment.The increasing changes in the climatic conditions the world over has put the survival of humans and animals in danger. People should come together and join hands to save the environment," Dixit said.

Speaking to reporters, Stagg said that the climate summit in Copenhagen during the end of this year will be a vital opportunity for the world community to come together and agree on a strategy to deal with the global threat.

He added that the developed nations carry the major responsibility to climate change.

"This is a message of hope, but hope based on actions, not just aspirations. We see the Copenhagen International meeting end of this year is a vital opportunity for the world as a whole to come together and agree how we should collectively do with this threat. We will do with it clearly in different ways because the developed world has major responsibility to climate change. We, therefore, will have to take the bulk of responsibility in dealing with it," said Stagg.

Meanwhile, school students in Varanasi observed the Day in an innovative way to spread awareness about environmental issues

Dressed in green clothes, the students aged between 3 to 18 years, skate through the streets and appealed to people to join hands to protect the environment and especially the sacred river Ganges from the ever-increasing levels of pollution.

"We have come out and taken a pledge to tell people about the importance of planting trees, which gives us oxygen and without which we cannot survive. In India, polythene bags are in use and we want to tell people that they should use paper bags instead of polythene bags," said Karishma Shah, a student.

India has some of the most polluted cities in the world, many of them continually shrouded in eye-stinging smog of noxious fumes from automobiles and industry.

The main cause of pollution is that India has dearth of proper sewage system. The pollution bug, due to illegal settlements along the riverside, is worst hitting rivers.

Climate experts fear the projected temperature rise could disrupt farming, raise sea levels by melting icecaps, cause more extreme weather phenomena like hurricanes or droughts, spread diseases and wipe out thousands of animal and plant species by 2100. (ANI)