Maneka Gandhi wins award, Excalibur, July, 2008

[Guest guest]

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*The world may have nothing left to save tomorrow: Maneka Gandhi*

 

Indo-Asian News Service

 

Brussels, May 27 (IANS) Indian parliamentarian and environmental activist

Maneka Gandhi has called for a world " where we don't emit carbon at all " .

 

A former environment minister in India, Gandhi told the media before this

year's Energy Globe Award presentation ceremony Monday that while the word

environment had become the most fashionable term to be used by companies and

advertising agencies, not much was being done by governments to reverse the

trends which are fast-forwarding the planet to destruction.

 

 

 

" We are so close to the red line that we might wake up tomorrow and discover

there is nothing to save, " stressed Gandhi, referring to the catastrophic

changes being experienced due to climate change because of the carbon

footprint we're leaving on the planet, EUNewsAsia reports.

 

 

 

Chairing this year's press meet in her capacity as chairwoman of the

International Energy Globe Jury, she noted that the European Union has been

fastest off the mark in dealing with carbon emissions. The Energy Globe

awards are presented by the European Parliament.

 

 

 

" Emissions have increased in 2008 as compared with 2006, and in this regard,

US and Asia are doing much worse, " she added.

 

 

 

Mikhail Gorbachev, president of the erstwhile Soviet Union, said: " Wherever

we look there are grounds for concern - the air, the oceans, the rivers, the

forests, resources - everything is a problem. And no country can handle this

problem alone. We need to pool our efforts, our resources. "

 

 

 

The question of promoting biofuel as an alternative to oil drew divided

opinions among the panel. While Gandhi emphasised that biofuel had to be an

option because of the skyrocketing oil prices, Gorbachev said biofuel had to

be promoted in a way that the rainforests were not destroyed because 60

percent of the world's carbon emissions were being absorbed by the

rainforests.

 

 

 

The subject of nuclear power again drew a wedge between the speakers. Gandhi

said nuclear power was not an option for India. " We cannot handle nuclear

waste; nor can others who pretend they can, " she said.

 

 

 

Hans-Gert Poettering, President of the EP, speaking on behalf of the hosts

of the function, said that the EP has made tackling climate change one of

its highest priorities.

 

 

 

The Energy Globe Award was first presented in the year 2000. This year 15

nominees working on viable environmental projects, saving the planet from

millions of tonnes of carbon emissions and other pollutants, were selected

from 853 submissions under the categories Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Youth.

 

 

 

 

Maneka Gandhi conferred A.S.G. Jayakar Award

 

(IANS) Excerpts

 

Muscat, May 10 Green activist Maneka Gandhi has been conferred the A.S.G.

Jayakar Award for creating awareness about animal rights, deforestation,

climate change and river pollution.

 

India's ambassador to Oman presented the award at a function here Friday(9th

May) evening in the course of the Science India Fiesta 2007-08 event

organised by the Science India Forum (SIF), Muscat.

 

Gandhi is the second recipient of the award after Indian Space Research

Organisation (ISRO) chairman G. Madhavan Nair.

 

The award was instituted in memory of A.S.G. Jayakar of the Indian Medical

Science who worked in Muscat between 1870 and 1900 and did pioneering work

in natural science research and linguistics.

Addressing the gathering, Gandhi, said that initiatives by ordinary people

could make a big difference in creating awareness about environment.

 

Excalibur, July, 2008,

Quarterly Newsletter of People for Animals, Calcutta