Amid Mahakumbh, Yogi Adityanath to open climate conclave to see role of religious leaders
Prayagraj, Feb 15 (IANS) Amid the Mahakumbh Mela 2025, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will inaugurate a climate conclave on Sunday that will see the role of religious leaders in environmental protection and climate change mitigation.
Also, the sacred rivers, besides water security and climate change are the prominent topics of the discussion.
The participation at the ‘Faith of Kumbh and Climate Change’ conclave of religious thought leaders like Gaur Gopal Das, Swami Mukundananda, Shalini Mehrotra from Shri Ram Chandra Mission, Sister Manorama from Brahma Kumaris, Prof Chandramauli Upadhyay of Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Swami Atmashradhananda of the Ramakrishna Mission, Acharya Hari Das Gupta of Kailash Mansarovar and many others will be witnessed.
It will also see senior government officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, energy departments and pollution control boards across India, an official statement said. Civil society voices like Chandra Bhushan, CEO, iFOREST, Rajendra Singh, the waterman of India, and industry leaders and Anil Kumar Jain, Chairman, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, will also be present.
Academics like Upendra Tripathi of the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science; Rajendra Ratnoo of the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM); and R.R. Rashmi of TERI will also participate in panel discussions.
The panel discussion topics also include environmentally sound religious centre and congregations with a focus on Mahakumbh, the role of governments in supporting faith-based organisations in climate action and the Promotion of Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) by religious organisations, besides the role of religious organisations in disaster relief, and climate adaptation and mitigation.
The highlight of the event is a ‘Sankalp Patra’, or a signed declaration by all parties, which will outline a set of guidelines on our environmental duties. Specifically, it will entail the role of religious organisations in stepping up conversation efforts.
The state Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in partnership with iFOREST is organising the climate conclave. It comes at a time when climate change and environmental degradation are intensifying globally.
At a time like this, religious and spiritual leaders must play a pivotal role in inspiring sustainable practices and climate action.
The conclave seeks to bridge the sacred and the sustainable, recognising that faith communities, with their moral authority and grassroots reach, are indispensable allies in the fight against the climate crisis.
This convergence of spirituality and sustainability could not be timelier. A cornerstone of the conclave is the Uttar Pradesh government’s pledge to “green” religious institutions.
The state envisions religious centers and shrines becoming models of sustainability. This includes installing solar panels, implementing rainwater harvesting systems, recycling waste, banning single-use plastics, and creating green zones around sacred spaces.
The state’s pledge also includes funding faith-based organisations to promote environmental and climate education, campaigns, and actionable practices. Initiatives like eco-friendly pilgrimages, green festivals, and sustainable temple management can reduce the carbon footprint of religious practices.
–IANS
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