Guv urges youth to build climate-resilient future
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati on Monday called upon the State’s youth to become leaders in green entrepreneurship and climate resilience, urging them to turn waste into value, promote renewable energy, advance sustainable agriculture and create jobs while protecting the environment.
Addressing a gathering at a private university in Khordha, the Governor said Odisha needed young people not merely to inherit its future but to build it. He reminded them that last year he had asked them to move from being passive recipients of policy to becoming architects of climate resilience.
“Today, I return with a simple message: Odisha does not merely need young people to inherit its future; Odisha needs young people to build that future,” he said. Kambhampati said the vision of ViksitBharat@2047 could become a reality only by converting the energy and creativity of young people into purposeful action.
Climate change, he said, was no longer a distant warning, with heatwaves, erratic rainfall, floods, cyclones and rising sea levels increasingly affecting agriculture, nutrition and livelihoods. “Climate action is not only an environmental responsibility, but it is a responsibility towards human dignity and the future of our children,” he added.
Highlighting Odisha’s experience with cyclones and floods and its efforts to conserve forests and biodiversity, the Governor said the State must move beyond disaster preparedness to building inherently climate-resilient communities.
He cited youth led initiatives such as seed ball activities in Phulbani, plantation drives in Jatani and Khallikote, Blue Flag beach initiatives in Puri and climate sensitisation efforts in Similipal as examples of how local action can drive wider change.
He stressed the 3 R principle, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, and Mission LiFE as essential to making sustainability a way of life. Calling for “Mission 30 by 30”, Kambhampati urged young people to help mobilise climate action across every district of Odisha by 2030, combining local knowledge with science and technology to address district specific ecological challenges.