A glossary of climate change-related words and expressions in the Tamil language was released on Saturday by Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Siva V Meyyanathan, at a workshop in Coimbatore.

The glossary was prepared by Climate Trends, a Delhi-based consultancy that specialises in climate change research, capacity building and policy advocacy, in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu government. 

The ‘Tamil Glossary on Climate Change’ seeks to expand the Tamil vocabulary to include the rapidly changing terms and definitions associated with climate change. “While several words exist in Tamil to describe climate-related terms, they are not commonly used to explain new phenomena, technologies, or impact. As climate change continues to be a critical issue globally, there is a growing need to discuss the issues in local languages, so that all stakeholders understand the impacts of climate change and the opportunities of climate action,” according to a press release from Climate Trends.

Speaking at the workshop, which was on the theme ‘Carbon neutral Coimbatore’, Minister Meyyanathan pointed out that the state was a pioneer in climate action, having already set up three climate missions--the Green Tamil Nadu Mission, Tamil Nadu Wetlands Mission and the Climate Change Mission.

“Tamil Nadu is battling climate change through climate literacy,” he said.

Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu said: “Finding the right kind of Tamil words for climate change and related action has always been a challenge. We are very aware that unless these terms are said in vernacular Tamil, it will be hard to take it to the grassroot level because people will not be able to relate (to climate change). If it is not in their language, they won’t understand it. So, the release of this glossary in Tamil is a very significant milestone”.

Speaking on the occasion, Aarti Khosla, Director and Founder, Climate Trends, noted that climate change process “requires a two-way dialogue and ‘language’ sits at the heart of it”. Climate Trends is similarly creating resources in Marathi, Bengali and other languages, Khosla said.

Tamil Nadu has begun experiencing increasing temperatures and other extreme weather events adding risk to the state’s agriculture, water resources, and infrastructure. As the State prepares to adapt and mitigate through these climate crises, it is essential that stakeholders like lawmakers, bureaucratic machinery, journalists, grassroots organizations and others are able to best understand the science and policies that will affect them in the near future, says the press release.

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