New Delhi, Oct 4 (PTI) Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday called on the youth to actively participate in eliminating single-use plastic from the country and said behavioural change is the most effective tool in achieving the aim.

In a virtual interaction with students, in a first among a series of events under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, he said the most important climate action that one can take individually is to bring in conscious changes to lifestyle.

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"There is no planet B. What we have today is not a parental property but a loan from our future generations," Yadav said.

Students, eco-clubs and youth organisations from across the country joined the interactive webinar on 'Elimination of single-use plastics'. During the event, a call for action was made to develop a public movement around the elimination of single-use plastic, the environment ministry said.

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"Behavioural change is one of the most important and effective tools to move towards avoiding the use of single-use plastics, which have low utility and high littering potential. Students and youth are the key towards bringing about a behavioural change in the society," Yadav said.

After the webinar, he tweeted, "Had an engaging and energetic conversation with young conservationists and society's true change agents. Took and administered the Green Pledge towards making India single-use plastic-free by 2022. Let us all come forward as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and contribute our bit."

The minister emphasized that public participation is a must for the success of the mission to manage plastic waste and reduce single-use plastic.

He administered the Green Pledge to the participants of the webinar in the presence of MoS Environment Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

Awareness programmes to avoid the use of single-use plastics has been identified as one of the themes for the Iconic Week celebrations of the Ministry of Environment, under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, from October 4 to 10.

Single-use plastics have emerged as a serious environmental threat if it remains littered. The plastics get into water bodies and are carried to oceans and seas adversely impacting the health of marine ecosystems and the environment.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)