Dr Satindar Kaur passed out M.Sc in Chemistry from Bombay University in !975 and worked as Lecturer in Bombay University till 1979. After completing PhD in Chemistry from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar in 1986 was appointed lecturer in 1988 in Sugar Technology. Later was appointed Reader in 1993 and became Professor in 2001. Worked in the capacity of Head, Department, Applied Chemical Sciences & Technology from 2000 to 2003. As Head, Upgraded the Sugar Technology course to include Alcohol Technology in 2002 as the need of the hour, after Govt. of India Notification to blend Ethanol with Gasoline. Also worked as Dean, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Co-Ordinator IIPC, Member of the Syndicate and the Senate which are the governing bodies of the university. Was the crusader of Research in the Department. Guided 6 students for PhD and has 85 publications in International and National Journals have retired on June 30, 2015, as Professor in Sugar & Alcohol Tech, GND University, Amritsar.

The Earth is in crisis. On top of the global pandemic that claimed many lives and wrecked economic havoc, the climate emergency is worsening as the world witnesses record high temperature, wide spread draught, wild fires, hurricanes, melting glaciers, rising oceans. Corals ecosystems are bleaching and the glaciers are melting due to warm oceans going under them. Thwaites glacier in the western Antartica and Arctic ice in Greenland are fast melting. If it continues like this, the ocean levels will rise fast, endangering many coastal cities. The danger bells are ringing. It’s now time to protect

and prevent and act without delay to prevent the crisis blooming on our heads. We have just had the worst of floods and bush fires in Europe, W. California and Australia. James Watts steam engine and Young’s method to produce Paraffin on industrial scale resulted in mass production of machines and goods powered by electricity to run the machines. This lead to Industrial Revolution in the 19th mainly from coal & and first half of the 20 century from gasoline and diesel. All this brought development especially in the developed countries bringing about capitalism and consumerism. Anthropogenic emissions like CO2 mainly, N20 due to the burning of the fossil fuels like coal gasoline, diesel and natural gas started accumulating in the environment. CH4 from coal mining, oil refining, HFC etc from air conditioning. These GHG gases absorbed heat leading to global warming. Deforestation became rampant eliminating 50% of forests in the name of development. Also with the rise in automation in 1970 coupled with the internet age, the rate of development increased. When ecological crisis started giving way in the 1990s only then the world woke up to realize that the CO2 levels have reached the danger levels and started monitoring. Most of the emissions rose from 1990 and have today doubled from what they were in the pre industrial times. Presently the CO2 levels are 409 ppm between leading to an increase of 1.09C rise in the global Temperatures above pre Industrial times. IIPC (2018) warns that If it continues like this, CO2 levels will exceed 450 ppm by 2050 with 2C rise in temperature making the effects catastrophic and irreversible. It advised to not let the temperatures rise above 1.5C

UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol (1997) asked the developed countries to reduce the emissions by 5.2% of 1990 levels by 2012 and encouraged with CERs for Cap & Trade and to finance developing countries with CDM targets for to mitigate emissions. Developed

countries reduced Emissions which however rose as US, China, India did not participate. Had serious action begun in 2010, the cuts required would be only 0.7% and 3.3% per year for 2C and 1.5C . Now its 2.7% & 7.6% respectively from 2020. UNFCCC (Paris agreement 2015) asked the countries to act through NDC and to volunteer cuts in emission by adopting clean technologies and reducing fossil fuels. Also year upon year try to improve their targets. They want the peak in the emissions to be by 2025 and there after to reach 50% reduction by 2030 for the net zero target by 2050. Net Zero Targets will use clean energy to restore and protect Bio-diversity. Following the proceedings of COP26, it is increasingly evident that the world has to equitably transition to a low carbon economy faster than previously anticipated. Achieving net zero by 2050 is a massive challenge and can be activated by cutting emissions by the application of green technologies.