6 days ago
BBMP pins hopes on climate clubs despite slow start
The Bengaluru Climate Action Clubs (BCAC) initiative, launched by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), began with a flyer campaign that saw the registration of over 700 educational institutions. However, the programme has struggled to sustain the interest of these institutions.
Launched on June 6 by Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to mark World Environment Day, the initiative is aimed at establishing climate action clubs in schools and colleges across the city, engaging students in sustainability efforts. Its primary focus is to instill environmental responsibility among children through activities and challenges related to climate issues.
As of Tuesday, 754 clubs have been formed across educational institutions, but only 117 are actively functioning, according to BCAC data. This is an improvement from the first week of July, when only 70 clubs were active. Of those, representatives from 50 clubs participated in a meeting held on July 2.
Suraj S.K., a local climate action and civic engagement fellow working on the project, remains optimistic that participation will grow as the initiative expands to more institutions. Several activities are planned to strengthen the clubs and support their effective implementation.
Seven sectors
The BCAC operates under seven broad sectors outlined in the Bengaluru Climate Action Plan (BCAP), with each sector focusing on a different aspect of the climate crisis. These include waste management, energy, green planning, transportation, air quality, water, and disaster management.
Within these categories, clubs are expected to identify specific problems and devise action plans to tackle them. For example, under the energy category, a club might set a goal to reduce electricity bills by identifying areas of excessive power use and creating a plan to curb wasteful energy consumption. Implementing such plans would directly address climate-related challenges.
According to Mr. Suraj, similarly, each category offers various opportunities to identify issues and formulate solutions, which is the core idea behind BCAC. 'When we look at it individually, the reduction in a school's power consumption may seem marginal. But if thousands of schools implement the same measures, the overall energy savings could be significant,' Mr. Suraj explained.
For now, the clubs have been asked to focus on just four sectors: energy, water, greening, and waste management. 'Greening' involves using unused land within school campuses to plant saplings and increase green cover.
BBMP officials believe the programme will gain momentum once active clubs begin implementing their action plans and contributing to change. While participation is entirely voluntary, the BCAC plans to encourage involvement by recognising and awarding clubs that successfully implement their initiatives.
Institutions such as MES Prof. B.R. Subba Rao College, Cambridge School, and BGS PU College currently have active climate action clubs.
