Chennai, October 08, 2023: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, introduced the School of Sustainability on Saturday. This initiative aims to provide interdisciplinary sustainability courses, encourage collaborative research to tackle significant challenges, and establish a platform for events and technologies that facilitate practical application and policy development. Alongside sustainability courses and an interdisciplinary Master's program, the school plans to offer a variety of sustainability-related capacity-building courses, both online and in person, for professionals. Beyond education, the school emphasizes scientific research, technology development, real-world project implementation, and policy advisory efforts.The school will bring together faculty members from different departments and research centers within the Institute. Chief guest Jayant Sinha, Member of Parliament and chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, underscored the urgency of addressing climate change and extreme weather events, highlighting the need for innovative solutions.
"Today, the world is on fire. If you have seen the research, we have had the warmest September on record, and it's warmer not just by 0.5 degrees centigrade but much warmer than people had anticipated. We are in 2023, experiencing the warmest year that humanity has ever experienced. We have seen that in the extreme weather events across the world this year, from the fires in Canada to the flash floods in Sikkim. We do not know what once in a 100 years is going to bring”, Jayant Sinha, Member of Parliament and chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee expressed.
Kala Vairavamoorthy, Executive Director of the International Water Association, highlighted the ongoing transformation in the water sector towards a low-carbon approach and a circular economy."In the water sector, we are seeing this major transition taking place. We are moving much more to a low-carbon way of doing business. Water was very carbon-intensive historically. But with huge investments taking place, particularly in the Global South, we are seeing this opportunity to rebuild and re-imagine our water infrastructure in a much more low-carbon way. We are also seeing this transition to a circular economy, which is a big thing in the water sector”, Professor Kala Vairavamoorthy, Executive Director, International Water Association, commented.
Highlights of the school's teaching and research initiatives:
Key highlights of the school's initiatives include the introduction of a minor course in sustainability in 2024, open to all IIT-Madras students. Additionally, the school plans to launch an Integrated Dual Degree Program (IDDD) on Sustainability within the next 3-5 years, offering a full-fledged Master's degree with a thesis project. The school's research areas encompass decarbonization, human settlements, modeling and scenario development, and behavioural and industrial change.In each of these areas, the school will engage in scientific research, product development, pilot implementations, and policy advisory activities, contributing to critical discussions such as ‘Climate Finance’.
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