New Delhi, Feb 07: Pedalling all the way from Kolkata to spread awareness about clean sources of energy, two cyclists on the Climate Ride 2009 reached the national capital on Saturday.
Vinay Jaju and Huub Dekkers reached the capital after cycling about 1,800 km in 18 days and were received here by Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal.
"We pedalled with a mission to make people understand harmful effects of coal. Coal is responsible for two-thirds of the carbon dioxide emissions in India, and is the single largest contributor to global warming," said Jaju, the founder of "Switch On", an initiative to spread awareness about renewable sources of energy.
The 25-year-old management graduate feels that society needs to get off addiction to fossil fuel and explore cleaner sources of energy.
"India accounts for the world's greatest concentration of coal fires. Rising surface temperatures and toxic by-products in groundwater, soil and air have turned the densely populated Raniganj, Singareni and Jharia coalfields into wastelands," Jaju said.
The duo cycled through coal belt of India and visited various coal-affected communities in West Bengal and Jharkhand.
"Climate change is the biggest threat... and we need to do something to bring attention to this fact. I feel this ride will fill in some gaps," said Dekkers, a student from The Netherlands.
IANS
First Published: Saturday, February 07, 2009, 00:00