Industries Minister P. Rajeeve has said that the State government has an industrial policy that goes hand in hand with nature. The Minister was releasing the detailed project report for the ‘Carbon Neutral Goshree’ initiative.
“Becoming carbon neutral has become a necessity for the world. The government does not encourage industries that increase carbon emissions. Nature comes first for us. The motto of the State’s industrial policy is nature, people, and industry,” said Mr. Rajeeve.
The Carbon Neutral Goshree project is being implemented as part of the ‘Net Zero Carbon Kerala through the People’ campaign of the Haritha Keralam Mission. The idea is to collaborate with local self-government institutions and engage the community in sustainable environmental practices. The larger aim is to push the State towards achieving net-zero carbon levels by the year 2050.
The Goshree Island Development Authority has partnered with the Haritha Keralam Mission to implement activities in the grama panchayats of the Goshree Islands. As part of this, the project is being implemented in Kuzhippally, Pallippuram, Edavanakkad, Nayarambalam and Njarakkal grama panchayats in Vypeen block and Elankunnapuzha, Mulavukad, and Kadamakudy grama panchayats in Edappally block in Ernakulam.
The DPR contains suggestions to help the eight grama panchayats of the Goshree islands become carbon neutral. As part of the first phase of the campaign, a carbon emission survey was conducted in all these panchayats, which helped in the formulation of the DPR.
An assessment of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and sequestration in these eight panchayats was carried out. The study evaluated emissions from key sectors such as energy, waste management, and transportation. The total annual GHG emissions from the Goshree islands were found to be 2,82,033.34 tonnes of CO₂eq. This was primarily from the energy sector. Carbon sequestration through vegetation is estimated to be only 1823.00614 tonnes of CO₂eq per year. Navakeralam Karma Padhathi State coordinator Dr T.N. Seema delivered a presentation on the action plan.
Published – September 22, 2025 11:50 pm IST
