New Delhi, June 5 (IANS) It’s up to children to change their own lives and protect the environment, says leading green campaigner R.K. Pachauri, whose organisation has collaborated in publishing a series of child-friendly books on the perils of climate change.
Pachauri was speaking at the launch of “SOS: In Extreme Danger”, an environment primer for children. The slim volume is part of a Save Planet series of 10 books, published by Pearson Education and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

“It is in the hands of the children to try to change their own lives towards greater protection of their environment and all our natural resources. This series is aimed at providing children with knowledge on what needs to be done in all these areas,” Pachauri, the director-general of TERI, said.

“The reality of climate change poses a grave danger for the current generation and those to follow. They will have to bear the brunt of the impacts which are to take place. So children have an interest in seeing steps being taken to stabilize the earth’s atmosphere and climate. It is important for children to understand the influence of human actions on the earth’s climate and the measures that can be taken to control it.”

Pachauri is also the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which shared the 2007 Nobel peace prize with former US vice president Al Gore for their work on climate change.

The book, full of colourful illustrations, says the earth was never as warm as it is today. According to IPCC, the years from 1996 to 2007 were among the hottest since 1850. And the blame is on us.

Why? Because there are many creatures, many problems and just one source for our sustenance - the earth. Global warming is causing the ice in the Arctic and the Antarctic region to melt faster than ever. If this continues, the earth’s ice-cap will have no ice left by the summer of 2040, says the book.

The volume is full of alarming information about the impact of climate change and rampant destruction of the green cover on wildlife and humans.

Other titles in the “Save Planet” series are “Green Genuis Guide: What are Wind Power, Solar Power, Hydro-power and more”, “How Come: How So”, “The Amazing Journey of a Soda Can”, “The Quickest Way to Increase Your Green Quotient”, “Endangered Life on Land - Struggling to Survive”, “Future Power Energy” , “Nature’s Fury: Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tsunamis”, “101 Facts: Renewable Energy” and “Reduce. Refuse. Recycle.”

President and chief executive officer of Pearson Education, India, Vivek Govil said it was a unique series because of the contribution by TERI. “At Pearson, we are conscious about climate change and this partnership is also a step towards an awareness of it,” he said.