Year 2024: Record-Breaking, Record- Smashing and Record-Shattering

Records are not getting broken, smashed, and shattered only regarding global warming and temperatures that began to be recorded in the 1940s. 2024 is the year when globally, more voters than ever in history will head to the polls in at least 64 countries plus the European Union!

Nearly half of the population resides in these countries that would go for the vote. That would include 8 of the most populous countries in the world. Nearly 2 billion voters would cast their votes globally of which we can assume that about 20-25% would be young voters ( age 18-30 years, typically called higher education institutes/universities.

In India, 27 million youth of total eligible voters of nearly 1 billion will cast their votes. Of these 18 million will be the first-time voters.

It is no coincidence that on 20th February just before the announcement of the General parliamentary Election, India became the first country in the world to complete the first phase of a national movement of making university campuses net-zero. This movement called ' U-75-Net Zero-Universities started immediately after the 75th anniversary of India's independence and has now 125 universities/HEIs who have officially expressed their willingness to be part of the movement and start early action on Carbon Neutrality ( Visit: sccnhub.com). Having attended the workshops in four regions of India, i.e. University of Pune, SRMIST University in Chennai, University of Delhi and IIT Guwahati, these universities have set on their journey for Net-Zero campus.

This unique, innovative and much-needed transformative skill-development mission for Net Zero is inspired by Mission LiFE of PM Modi and his commitment given to the UN for 'Net-Zero India'

Green TERRE foundation and its Net Zero movement are mentored by Prakash ji Javadekar, former Minister of MOEFCC and Erik Solheim, former USG of UN and former Minister of Environment, Norway, supported by UNESCO, AICTE ( Ministry of Education), NBA/NIRF, EESL(Ministry of Power), UGC, ASSOCHAM along with NITI Aayog.

It has unravelled the unlimited potential of youth to address the life-threatening climate challenge of our times! Localising carbon neutrality in the university campus has not only provided emission mitigation possibilities for the campus but, more than that, it also presented the immense prospects of green-skill-building exercises for youth through learning by doing, innovating by incubating and accelerating by sharing' for the SDGs and Net-Zero.

Indeed SDGs 7 and 13 are directly related to Climate Change and Net Zero. The exceptional work on speeding and scaling the skilling of youth in universities has not only begun but is poised to become a singularly successful approach for making and sustaining India Net Zero. GTF is determined to take this National Movement to the next stage of benchmarking of carbon footprints and developing roadmaps for reducing emissions. Piloting through partnerships, managing by measuring, and innovating by incubating would be our ways to accelerate the Net Zero.

By the time the results of the Indian elections are announced, the number of universities and HEIs will be ready with a 100-day work plan and a roadmap for net zero.

The year 2024 will not only be the year of record-breaking temperatures, or record-shattering elections but also record-smashing actions to address climate change! END