Creating An Educational Ecosystem For A Circular Economy

Concepts and ideas in this article by Ram Ramprasad embellish the NEP 2020, and are not contradictory. Individuals, companies, and leaders at all levels must embrace that addressing climate change and building a circular economy is of paramount importance. Training and education of the youth is the quickest enabler. Creating the right ecosystem for education and training of our youth is the need of the hour.

- Ram Ramprasa

Climate change has now become a household word. Companies and governments are slowly trying to address sustainability practices. But, it can only happen if the ecosystem of our current education changes in tandem. Human population grew from 2 billion to the present 7.8 billion in about 200 years. It is an astronomical increase that placed a heavy burden on all our resources. Simultaneously, around a hundred years ago, the industrial revolution began and countries saw the advent of a golden age of prosperity. Most of the world economies put fossil fuels at the centre stage—it was the new engine for economic growth. Slowly, in the late 1970s, it dawned in the minds of many scientists that an economy based on fossil fuels, chemical farming, irresponsible land use, industrial activity, and the several byproducts of fossil fuels were damaging our climate, soil, and water. But, only in the last 15 years climate change became accepted as a fact of life. Concepts such as sustainability, circular economy, green economy, and resiliency came into vogue.