Climate Change Crisis? Here Is  5 Inventions By Indians To Effectively Tackle It

By Editor Team

Climate change is a serious problem in the present era; one of the main reasons is that it seriously affects human health, the environment and also the economy. One of the main causes of climate change due to rapid industrialization. However, in this process, it is seen that there are various innovative inventions being seen by Indian people to tackle the change. In this article, such five inventions will be talked about in general.

Roads made out of Plastic

The most prominent invention which has been seen for fighting against the causes of climate change is the usage of various roads that are made of plastic. The idea of using plastics like bottles, bags toys in the construction of the road first came into the mind of Dr.RajaGopalan Vasudevan, an Indian scientist. He first proposed the idea of using this initiative, which was picked up by the municipality corporation of Chennai in 2004, and they ordered the construction of 1000 Kilometers of plastic roads. However, this program was only limited to the outskirts of Chennai till 2015.

In 2015, the Cabinet Minister of the Union Government, Shri Nitin Gadkari, who was also the Minister of Road Transport and Highways, implemented this particular idea of using waste plastics on the building of roads primary highways after acquiring the patent from Dr Vasudevan for free.

The usage of plastic in such innovative ways as climate change progress also inspired other countries to do similar projects like this:

CountryProjectYear
United StatesPolyethylene-rich recycled plastic roadsOngoing
Asia PacificPolyethylene-rich recycled plastic roadsOngoing
ScotlandPlastic roads2019
SlovakiaPlastic roadsOngoing
South AfricaPlastic roadsOngoing
NetherlandsRecycled-plastic cycle path2018

In the present day, the total amount of plastic road which has been built in India is :

YearTotal Plastic Roads (km)
20232,500+

However, this is not only the end of the list as on the next list; another innovative experiment is on the line, and the most notable thing about this technology is that it is made of a simple household object.

Ulta Chaata

An umbrella might be just an ordinary thing mainly being used to protect an individual from rainfalls; however, the usage of it is on better way and most notably to fight against climate crisis no one has ever thought about, right?

However, this same idea is being effectively used by Samit Choski, the founder of ThinkPhi, a green technology-based startup, and this is effectively helping them to deal with the climate change progress. Their main product is called Ulta Chaata it is mainly a rainwater harvesting system which looks like an umbrella being placed in a reverse way.

One of the main uses of these products is to convert rainwater into drinking water in the monsoons and also produce energy with the help of solar panels during the dry seasons.

Cost and Features of Ulta Chaata
CostRs. 4.5 – 5 lakh
Annual Water Collection8-10 lakh quintal
Maximum Peak Power1.5 kW
Current InstallationsOver 50 locations across India

However these inventions have been made by people who are adults. The next invention, however, , is surprising as it is made by a 14-year-old girl!

Solar power ironing Cart

It all began when  Tiruvannamalai’s residence, Vinisha Umashankar, was 12 and she was returning home back from school when she saw the usage of charcoal being used for ironing the clothes. This created a concern or her as charcoals are one of the main causes of climate change and also deforestation in this process. In this process, she started to think about something that could help with the climate change progress and reduce the usage of charcoal.

After almost being put into the thoughts into research, the people of Tiruvannamalai were amazed to see a 14-year-old girl create an ironing cart that consisted of only solar power energies to be run off instead of the normal charcoals.

The biggest feature which has been seen of this iron cart, which is named Iron-Max, is that it can even operate in monsoon seasons because the solar panels still have has capability to take sunlight.

Her innovation not only brought international recognition to her but also she won some of the prestigious  awards:

RISE Global Winner2023
The Diana Award2023
Tamil Nadu Green Champion Award2022

Vinisha is not the only one who is concerned about deforestation as an entrepreneur in her district is also seen focusing on this issue, which led him to create an innovative way to deal with it.

The arrival of NFC saved the trees

Chennai Entrepreneur BL Bengani, who noticed that the main cause of climate change is mainly coming from deforestation, decided to build a new product which will solve the issues. In this process, he has spent nearly two years and spending alot of resources on developing a zero-wood board made with agricultural husk to replace traditional plywood.

Finally, in 2019, he, based on these inputs, launched a product which is known as NPC or  Natural Fiber Composite Board.

Some of the prominent features of NFC being discussed here

FeatureDescription
Termite-proofResistant to termite damage
WaterproofResistant to moisture
Flame retardantResistant to fire
100% recyclableIt can be recycled and reused.
Moldable and shapeableIt can be formed into various shapes.
CompositionAgricultural husk, minerals, PVC resin, and other components
ReplacesWood

His innovative invention has also been exported to countries such as Oman, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, where climate change progress is relatively low due to growing deforestation and more than 20,000 trees being saved from getting annually cut.

However, not only are trees one of the prime concerns for the climate change crisis but water also, in this process, one of the prominent inventions regarding this has been seen.

Shuddham an affordable water purifier

IIT Kanpur, a reputed institution, has developed Shuddham, which is mainly an upgraded water purifier cum cooler, to provide more affordable and innovative solutions for clean drinking water.

However, this project was unlike the previous one; it was done by a single individual but a group of individuals was mainly involved in this scenario who belongs to various prominent organizations.

RoleNameOrganization
CoordinatorProfessor J RamkumarImagineering Laboratory and RuTAG
Research Establishment OfficerDr Amandeep SinghImagineering Laboratory and RuTAG
CollaboratorJitendra Singh ChaudharyNew Unnat India Techno Solution and Innovations Pvt. Ltd.

The purification process of Shuddham for clear water mainly being conducted in Three stages.

StageMethodPurpose
1Cotton FilterRemoval of solid impurities
2Activated Carbon CartridgeElimination of bad odors and chlorine
3Polymer MembraneIon exchange

These are all modern inventions; however, the list will be incomplete if we don’t talk about the first Indian invention to prevent the causes of climate change that were bestowed by an  Indian weather scientist.

Ozonesonde

It was 1964 before climate change progress became a thing Anna Mani, an Indian weather scientist, designed Ozonesonde, an instrument which is sent up in the air in a balloon to measure the presence of Ozone up to 35 km above the ground.

This has helped on the aspect of Indian scientists to monitor it and also understand how the ozone layer contributes to air pollution and location. Through this invention, scientists in the 1980s confirmed the existence of an Ozone hole in Antarctica, which helps in the scenario of preventing the issues regarding climate being mitigated before they went onto a big scale.

FAQ

What are the primary causes of climate change mentioned in the content?

Rapid industrialization is one of the main causes of climate change.  

 Who first proposed the idea of using plastic for road construction in India?

Dr. Raja Gopalan Vasudevan, an Indian scientist, is credited with first suggesting the use of plastic in road construction to effectively conduct climate change progress.   

 What are the key features of the “Ulta Chaata” rainwater harvesting system?

The Ulta Chaata can collect rainwater for drinking and generate energy using solar panels.  

What is the name of the solar-powered ironing cart invented by a 14-year-old girl?

The ironing cart is named Iron-Max.

 What is the primary purpose of the Ozonesonde instrument invented by Anna Mani?

The Ozonesonde measures the presence of Ozone in the atmosphere to monitor its levels and understand its contribution to air pollution, which is a key cause of climate change progress.  

 How has the use of plastic roads been implemented in India?

The idea of using plastic roads was initially proposed by Dr. Raja Gopalan Vasudevan and was first implemented in Chennai in 2004. It was later adopted on a larger scale by the Indian government.

 What are the achievements of Vinisha Umashankar, the 14-year-old inventor?

Vinisha Umashankar invented a solar-powered ironing cart and has received international recognition for her work. She has also won several awards, including the RISE Global Winner and The Diana Award.  

 What is the NFC board, and what are its benefits?

The NFC board is a zero-wood board made from agricultural husk. It is termite-proof, waterproof, flame-retardant, recyclable, and can be moulded into various shapes. It is a sustainable alternative to traditional plywood.  

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Sunday, Nov 3, 2024