Tamil Nadu Minister Calls for Measurable Outcomes in Green Transition

Tamil Nadu's vision for a green transition is one in which sustainability produces visible improvements in people's everyday lives, Environment and Climate Change Minister V.K. Rajeev said in Chennai on Wednesday.

Speaking at the inauguration of a sustainability summit, he said the conversation around sustainability must move past discussion and be demonstrated through measurable outcomes, including the restoration of ecosystems. Coastal resilience, he noted, is among the State government's priorities.

Mr. Rajeev said industries need to work towards firm commitments, whether in energy efficiency or decarbonisation. The government, he added, will offer policy support to speed up the green transition and will encourage young entrepreneurs to pursue innovation and clean development. Summits of this kind, he said, can serve as platforms for arriving at practical solutions.

Kumar Jayant, chairman and managing director of Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited, described the company as a bagasse-based paper mill that seeks to minimise waste through innovative methods, and said it would soon expand its renewable energy production.

He observed that paper recycling is not yet a structured arrangement and argued that segregation at source must become a public movement so that waste does not end up in landfills. Renewed attention to source segregation in cities such as Chennai should be turned into a public project to improve accountability, he said.

H. Shankar, managing director of Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited, outlined the company's efforts on resource efficiency, cleaner energy and reducing its environmental footprint. He cited desalination and sewage reclamation systems as well as investments in renewable energy, and said sustainability remains a major driver of the company's growth even as it meets fuel demand.

CPCL is also seeking to involve people in sustainability efforts through an urban forest trail project and awareness-building through art, he said, steps intended to turn awareness into action.

Speakers at the event stressed the need for collective responsibility in building a sustainable future for the next generation. S. Sundaresan, senior vice president (advertisement) at The Hindu, also took part.