While the world is dismally engaged in titling and headlining the cloudy outcome of the COP26 in Glasgow, a promising interconnected web of Universities called 'Smart Campus Cloud Network' cast it's net wider to trigger actions at the planetary level for carbon neutrality at the place where it matters most-in Campuses.
Glasgow deal does not seal the core challenges of climate change, nor does it unveil the real roadmap and potential of united resolve to address the existential threat. The world is already in the process of facing the abrupt eruption of the COVID19 that made the life on the earth shatter to near termination. Then came the vaccine. And for climate change, there is no vaccine, even though the biosphere is experiencing the catastrophic impacts of climate change for years.
What the world witnessed in 400 university campuses that are members of Smart Campus Cloud Network, was a simple resolve from universities to make their campuses carbon neutral through a pledge and actions on 'Not Zero but Net Zero'. They had started walking the talks and not just standing out of the COP26 and protesting on the streets -a fashionable trend among the youth.
The COP26 outcome is simply a compromise, reflecting the national interests and contradictions. While all know that promises and differing political will as per United Nations Secretary-General, who said, "It's an important step, but it's not enough. It's time to go into emergency mode. The climate battle is the fight of our lives, and that fight must be won" he said. "Our fragile planet is hanging by a thread", he warned, adding "We are still knocking on the door of climate catastrophe."
TERRE Policy Centre's Smart Campus Cloud Network (sccnhub.com) is not knocking at the door but knocking down the possibility of climate catastrophe
Rajendra Shende
Chairman, TERRE Policy Centre
Former Director, UNEP
IIT Alumnus