Bengaluru scrap dealer to speak at UN Climate Change Conference in Paris

Bengaluru: Bengaluru may have become ‘Garbage City’ and subject to the extremes of hot and cold temperatures that is a classic consequence of global warming, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t sane voices speaking up to clean up and cool the city. There are many voices, and so what if the local government hasn’t been able to recognise them and make use of their expertise, the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris has found use for three of them.

And so it is that city-based scrap-dealer Mansoor Ahmed will speak to climate change experts and world leaders for three minutes and take questions from them for the next two. The topic: the issues that thousands of rag-pickers in the country face.

When the UN sent out invitations for two speakers from India, NGO Hasiru Dala decided Mansoor would be the perfect choice from South India to represent the country because “he has a deep understanding of the problems in the recycling industry and is an amazing leader. Not only is he creating jobs for other rag-pickers, but he wants to give back to society by creating awareness on garbage segregation and garbage management.”

Arati Kumar Rao and Keya Acharya are journalists and writers on environmental issues who, too, have been invited to the climate change conference. Arati has been invited to present her views on gender issues at the conference while Keya Acharya, who is head of the Federation of Environmental Journalists India (FEJI) will keep a close watch on what new agreements and initiatives world leaders and governments announce at the conference.

Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.