CHENNAI: Switch to renewable energy, because the fossil fuels you use are killing the ozone, screamed the posters held by students across the city, at events held to mark the International Ozone Day. A number of events were organised by educational institutions and environment groups in the city on Friday, with commendable response from students and corporates alike. Students across several schools in the city came up with innovative ways to raise awareness about the ozone issue among the public. At the Everwin Matriculation School in Kolathur, a 20 foot high model of the structure of the ozone layer was erected to explain how greenhouse gases affect the earth’s protection shield which filter harmful solar rays. Three hundred students also wore face masks that depicted a burning earth to stress on the need to fight global warming collectively. Experts who spoke at a workshop for students at the Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre, said that there was a misconception about the cost involved in producing energy from renewable sources such as wind and bio gas. G Giridhar, Director of Centre for Wind Energy Technology, said that the technology involved in wind turbines have improved so much that “experts are now working on single turbines that could produce as much as seven megawatts of energy which is enough to light a small town.” The installation cost of such turbines was much lower than establishing thermal power plants, which also take a heavy toll on the environment, he said. Pointing to the effect of ozone depletion on humans, as well as animals, Giridhar said that ultra-violet rays that enter the earth owing to the thinning of the ozone layer was a major cause for skin cancer.
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