Talking the talk, Walking the walk

To act on climate change, we must first be able to talk about it. For this we need words. Where are these words for Indian languages? What is CSM gonna do about it?


When I look at the education that is going on now in our schools and colleges, I find that climate change – perhaps THE most widely recognized current global challenge – is hardly visible in the curriculum or syllabus! Most textbooks seem to have a weak and uninspiring chapter on global warming with the standard diagrams of how greenhouse gases work and a picture or two of major disasters that really don’t tell us much about climate change.

How much knowledge do teachers themselves have to teach this important subject in the classroom? Have they received any training in this subject? Have they been shown how they can connect climate change with the subject they are teaching? Are they able to inspire students to understand the issues and DO something about them? How much have we helped our teachers so they can do justice to this important topic?

Language is the vehicle of knowledge and understanding. Transmitting these requires language, a vocabulary. Without this, we cannot act to make a difference for the better.

So, CSM’s outreach activities will always include a component on learning the terms pertaining to climate change. All these terms connect to many different subjects that are taught at school. Our outreach work aims to achieve these things simultaneously:

1. Help develop, acquire, and expand climate change vocabulary.
2. Help understand issues relating to climate change.
3. Help connect these issues to individual lives – yours and mine.
4. Help think of ways in which we, as individuals, can make a difference for the better.

Learning about climate change will connect all the subjects that you study in school with each other. And it will help you connect every subject with your own life. The subjects will become more interesting because you will see how they connect to your life.

Right now, there is a rich vocabulary in English for climate change. This is easy to learn. But how about in Indian languages such as Kannada, Tamizh, Hindi, and others? We need to develop climate change vocabulary IN those languages because a huge majority of us speak Indian languages. And everyone of us has to learn about climate change and get working to make a positive difference. Translation from English is almost totally meaningless! At CSM, we are developing climate change information and materials that will help to develop a good vocabulary and learning. This will help to develop action based on that learning.

So, start learning the vocabulary of climate change here.

For now, the language is English. In due course, we will have lots of material in Kannada and other Indian languages. In my next blog, I will discuss how we can learn to lead climate-friendly lives from our grandparents’ generation.

"Shabhaash, India!"

Here is an example of a company famous for its climate-friendly practices: ITC.
(Use the ">>" and "<<" buttons on the page to go to the next page or previous page.)
You will find many terms relating to climate change on these pages.
Make a note of them and try to find their meanings.
If you have trouble, email me: chandra at csmworld dot org
I will help in any way I can.