‘Jeeva Bapa' was unveiled as the state's mascot at the Gujarat Ecology Commission's maiden event on Tuesday, kicking off an awareness campaign.
Gujarat now has something many other provinces could be envious of — a mascot for their 'green initiatives' — Jeeva Bapa. Wearing a kediyu, green turban and blue dhoti, Bapa is an embodiment of a quintessential rural Gujarati who will play a key role in mitigating impacts of climate change. He was unveiled as the state's mascot at the Gujarat Ecology Commission's maiden event on Tuesday, kicking off an awareness campaign. To being with state government officials from different departments were invited.
The theme of the campaign has been identified as 'You can beat climate change too'. With a grant of Rs 10 lakh under its belt for the activities, the Gujarat Ecology Commission has kicked off with a seminar on Combating Climate Change — A Roadmap for Gujarat. Initiatives like drawing competition, street plays, photography competition, slogans and wall paintings, quiz competitions, climate change yatra, state and national seminars and signature campaigns are soon to follow.
Minister of environment and forest Mangubhai Patel and MoS Kiritsinh Rana were present, along with secretary, E&F, SK Nanda, principal chief conservator of forest, Pradip Khanna, GEC member secretary E Balagurusamy and about 30 researchers and foresters from different state departments attended the day-long seminar. Scientists and foresters made presentations based on research and international projections highlighting the impact climate change can have on Gujarat and suggesting ways to deal with the impacts.
A mangrove atlas was also released on the occasion.
While one presentations pointed out that a major impact of the climate change could reduce the cereal production in low latitudes and increase in high latitudes, making India a food deficient country by 2050, another highlighted that the coast of Gujarat not only poses the threat of coastal erosion, but may also lead to the extinction of 20-30% of known species.
Moreover, data indicates that 33% of Gujarat's coast is facing erosion, around 6% is highly eroded.
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