Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday said the world is clearly witnessing the effects of climate change, citing the recent Cyclone Ditwah that caused widespread destruction in neighbouring Sri Lanka.Speaking at the third meeting of the Tamil Nadu Governing Council on Climate Change, Stalin said that due to various precautionary measures put in place by the State government, large-scale damage was averted in Tamil Nadu during recent weather events.
Taking a dig at the Centre, the Chief Minister said the Union BJP government had failed to release adequate disaster relief funds to the State. He pointed out that while Tamil Nadu had sought Rs 24,679 crore, only Rs 4,136 crore had been released so far.
Highlighting the DMK government’s initiatives to combat climate change, Stalin said Tamil Nadu had emerged as a pioneer in mitigation efforts through programmes such as the Tamil Nadu Wetlands Mission, the Climate Change Mission, and the Tamil Nadu Coastal Restoration Mission (TN-SHORE).
He also announced the expansion of the “cool roof” initiative, under which classrooms in government schools are coated with heat-reflective white paint to reduce indoor temperatures by about three degrees Celsius. The scheme will be extended to 297 green schools across the State as part of the Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission’s action plan.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister released a technical report on Tamil Nadu’s blue carbon wealth and another report on reducing marine litter along the State’s coastline under the Tamil Nadu Fishnet initiative.