Mo College Abhijan & OSA discuss climate change effects and early warning system

A Webinar on the topic, `Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events: Early Warning Systems for Sustainable Development’ was organized by the Odisha Society of the Americas (OSA), in association with ‘Mo College Abhijan’ recently. 

Students and faculty from around 90 colleges participated in the Webinar.

The event was attended by Akash Dasnayak, Chairperson of Mo College Abhijan, a flagship initiative of the Govt of Odisha under the vision of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. It acts as a thriving platform for the overall development of Universities and Colleges in the state.

Addressing the Webinar, Dasnayak said, “Such magnificent events always encourage students, experts and college officials in a greater way. Besides, one can contribute to Mo College Abhijan through such type of Intellectual involvement which is the essence of this platform.’’

Key speaker at the Webinar, Prof. Uma Charan Mohanty, Professor Emeritus, IIT Bhubaneswar, dealt at length about the diverse impact of changes in climate on the earth.

He said, “Nowadays people are depending on renewable energy, and as per the prediction of IPCC, the earth temperature will increase by 1.5%- 1.8%. Therefore, we must take steps to keep the earth and its temperature under control in order to keep the environment safe for living. That’s why, in order to keep everything balanced, it is essential to plant more trees which balances the soil, environment and its water bodies, resulting in less global warming.”

It is worth mentioning here that Prof Mohanty is an Indian meteorologist and an emeritus professor at the School of Earth, Ocean and Climate Sciences at IIT, Bhubaneswar. He is also a recipient of the prestigious ‘Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar’ award for his contributions to Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences.

The Panel dignitaries present at the virtual meeting thanked the Government of Odisha, under the dynamic leadership of  Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, for initiating extraordinary steps to maintain zero casualty during natural disasters in Odisha. It was an exemplary step by the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) to successfully evacuate 10 lakh people during the last cyclone in the state.

Professor Durga Mishra Head of the Department Computer Science NJIT, USA, Prof Upendra Tripathy Advisior cum Working President of Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya and State Project Director of Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya Sangram Keshari Mohapatra (OAS) were participants in the Webinar.