Dignitaries with the 63 Young Climate Leaders from the North-East during commencement programme of the Mobius Young Climate Leaders for Himalayan Development North East India Project at Hotel Vivor, Kohima, on June 18.
Mobius Young Climate Leaders for Himalayan Development North East India Project commences
Morung Express News
Kohima | June 18
“By integrating traditional practices into modern frameworks, we are proving that local solutions hold global relevance,” Deputy Chief Minister TR Zeliang asserted today, citing community-led forest management in the State and sustainable beekeeping initiatives led by the Nagaland Beekeeping and Honey Mission, as cases in point.
However, he underlined that the North-East India, a biodiversity hotspot with unparalleled ecosystems, faces both natural and human-induced escalating environmental threats and challenges endangering ecological balance, livelihoods, and long-term sustainability.
Against this backdrop, environmental awareness in the region remains low, hindered by educational gaps, socio-cultural factors, and infrastructural limitations, Zeliang noted addressing the project commencement programme of Mobius Young Climate Leaders for Himalayan Development North East India, here today at Hotel Vivor Kohima.
Nevertheless, he stated that Nagaland’s rich ecological heritage, coupled with its challenges of deforestation and climate vulnerability, makes it an ideal starting point for such initiative.
Zeliang, who also holds the portfolio of Planning & Transformation and National Highway, lauded the expansion of the Mobius Climate Project across all seven NE states, building what he termed as its resounding success in Nagaland in 2023–2024. Sixty-three young leaders (9 from each state) are taking part in the programme.
“The milestone is a testament to the power of collaboration, between government, academia, civil society, and visionary organisations like the Mobius Foundation, he held.
Stating that the selection and training of Young Climate Professionals is already transforming approaches to nature-based solutions, Zeliang noted that efforts such as revival of indigenous practices and educating schoolchildren through the Pani-Pahar curriculum, are sowing seeds of sustainability in young minds.
The 63 young leaders will now carry this “mission forward, ensuring that indigenous knowledge, our greatest cultural asset, becomes the cornerstone of India’s National Climate Adaptation Plan for the region, he added.
He contended that initiatives like Mobius Project are vital, underlining that without awareness, even well-meaning development can further destabilise fragile ecosystems.
“By strengthening environmental education, empowering local participation, and improving communication, we can protect the Northeast’s ecological legacy,” he added.
Zeliang also commended the project for addressing some of the most pressing climate issues in the NE, especially on the problems of deforestation.
"Together, let us ensure that tradition and innovation walk hand in hand toward a sustainable future", he added.
'North-East, Crown of Biodiversity'
Guest of Honour and Founder & Chairman of the Mobius Foundation Pradip Burman, meanwhile remarked that the NE is crucial in the climate change discourse and expressed hope for building a legacy of hope, resilience, and sustainable prosperity together.
Mobius Foundation President Praveen Garg highlighted the mission’s growing momentum, stressing its importance in the NE, rich in biodiversity and culture heritage, but ‘frontline’ vulnerabilty to climate change.
At the heart of it, every individual action matters whether it is planting a tree or reducing plastic use, he added.
Delivering the keynote address titled, NE State Perspective of the Mobius Northeast Project," the Foundation Advisor Dr Ram Boojh noted that from the perspective of diversity and resilience, the world is looking for examples from NE as a biodiversity hotspot.
The NE is the ‘crown of biodiversity’ as the home for many bird species, iconic and endemic species that also shows the strength of the region, he maintained.
Dr Boojh also emphasised the need to promote green jobs, cultural enterprises, and creative industries, highlighting the state's rich potential in tourism and traditional knowledge systems.
Dr Atoho Jakhalu, Project Lead of the Mobius Climate Project and Director, Climate Studies & Knowledge Solutions Centre, introduced the initiative and highlighted its focus on tackling deforestation through an ecopreneurship approach.
In his closing address, Advisor to Chief Minister & Chairman, Investment & Development Authority of Nagaland, Abu Metha appreciated the Mobius Foundation for bringing the narrative to the region, which he described as a 'forgotten corner.'
He also exuded hope that the young climate leaders will not only be a climate warrior from the NEt but a global leader and a defender of planet earth.
Earlier, Advisor, Industries & Commerce, Hekani Jakhalu, in her welcome address highlighted how the North East Leaders Connect was also initiated in 2011 to have a common platform for the region.
‘Likewise, she emphasised the need to pass on the same vision and network to the younger generation, through whom the region can remain united and progress towards a greener and brighter future.
