A panel discussion on
“Utkal Udyam: Community Centric Development for Fostering Climate Resilience”
Bansidhar & Ila Panda Foundation held its 13th edition of Ideate in collaboration with Dasra on 05 September 2024 at Bhubaneswar, Odisha on the theme “Utkal Udyam: Community Centric Development for Fostering Climate Resilience”. Policymakers and industry leaders across segments addressed the pressing challenges of climate change and deliberated on the transformative strategies that empower grassroots communities for climate action.
In her opening speech, Ms. Shaifalika Panda, Trustee and Founder CEO, BIPF, highlighted the importance of integrating local knowledge and experiences into our planning processes, whereby we can craft more effective and inclusive strategies that reflect the realities on the ground. She said, Odisha has the potential to be a leader in environmental solutions, advocating for a combination of grassroots efforts and strategic philanthropy to set a standard in combating climate change.
Delivering the special address over virtual platform, Dr. Benjamin K Sovacool, Director, Boston University, Institute for Global Sustainability and a Professor in the Department of Earth & Environment said, even though climate change threatens humanity’s survival, we continue to underinvest in critical solutions to resilience and climate adaptation. Communities in Asia are leading the way in piloting new and innovative forms of nature-based, institutional, and informational climate adaptation that will help protect people for decades to come.
Esteemed speakers on the panel discussed on the importance of “Harnessing Grassroots Knowledge for Climate Resilience”. Padma Shri Sabarmatee, Co-Founder, SAMBHAV brought to focus, intergenerational knowledge is vanishing at a very fast rate. By observing the environment around us, we can gain valuable insights and integrate these learnings in a statistical model to predict climate behaviour. Mr. Devjit Mittra, Programmes Director, Socratus Foundation, opined science isn't confined to academia; when effectively implemented at the grassroots level, it becomes a powerful tool to combat climate change in a real and efficient way. Ms. Tanaya Patnaik, Director, Sambad Group (Eastern Media Ltd.) brought attention to media’s role in bringing climate change to the forefront by collaborating with experts and amplifying knowledge, fostering a more informed and impactful approach to climate solutions. Other esteemed panellists included Mr. Sameer Shisodia, CEO of Rainmatter Foundation , and Mr. Jarnail Singh, Deputy Director (India), MacArthur Foundation . The panel was moderated by Ms. Parnasha Banerjee, Director, ClimateRISE, Dasra.
The event also featured a fireside chat between Dr. Abha Mishra, Head of Office-Odisha at UNDP India; Ms. Bijal Brahmbhatt, Director of Mahila Housing Trust, and climate champion Madhusmita Parida . The discussion centered on building an ecosystem that places women at the forefront, working collectively to scale up climate action.
The objectives of Ideate 2024 focused on promoting sustainable practices, addressing vulnerabilities in natural resource management, and ensuring equitable resource access for communities across India. The also encouraged collaboration and underlined the role of philanthropy as a catalyst in building climate-resilient communities.