Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In a bid to make Indore the world’s first energy-literate city, the Indore Municipal Corporation, along with the Solar Man of India, Dr Chetan Singh, Professor at IIT Bombay and founder of the Energy Swaraj Foundation, has initiated a 100-day Indore Climate Mission (ICM).

To make this a reality, an MoU was signed between the IMC and the Energy Swaraj Foundation under the leadership of mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav. This will be the first time efforts are made to reduce carbon emissions on such a large scale. Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava said that Indore has established its identity in the world and will now also create its own identity in environmental protection.

This 100-day campaign will run from December 1 to March 10. “An invisible enemy is often more dangerous than a visible enemy. Indore, which has already demonstrated excellent leadership in waste management by becoming India's cleanest city for seven consecutive years, is now ready to face a new challenge: controlling invisible pollutants like carbon dioxide, which contribute to climate change,” said Chetan Singh.

The key initiatives of the mission include educating citizens about the relationship between fossil fuel use and carbon emissions and encouraging behavioural changes to reduce energy and material consumption. Ultimately, ICM aims to build a climate-conscious community and set a benchmark for cities in India and around the world in environmental sustainability.

Mission aims to make citizens energy literate

Dr Chetan Singh said that the mission aims to provide energy literacy to 3 to 5 lakh people and achieve a 7-10 per cent reduction in electricity consumption in the city to promote efficient energy use. It is expected that this change will automatically lead to progress in waste reduction, water conservation, and sustainable behaviour change.

Save city from misuse, overuse, and inefficient use of energy

The mission will ensure that electricity consumption decreases while the city's growth increases. People will be educated on how to protect the city from the misuse, overuse, and inefficient use of energy. For this, 500 volunteers will be engaged and the ICM will involve educational institutions, corporations, government entities, households and citizens. Additionally, information will be provided on the proper use of energy and resources and sustainable habits will be developed.

Climate change is an emergency

Dr Chetan Singh said that climate change is not a normal occurrence, it is an emergency. While we can control pollution, we cannot control climate change alone. For this reason, people across the world should unite to save the Earth from climate change and Indore will be the first to take a step toward reducing carbon emissions.