JSW-TOI awards back to honour Earth warriors

*Each month, unfailingly, the concentration of greenhouse gas CO2 in the air reaches an all-time high for that month. The level of atmospheric CO2, emitted by human activities, is now inching up to 400 parts per million. It has risen by almost 50ppm in less than 25 years, with no sign of deceleration

*Last month, environment minister Jayanti Natarajan told Parliament that an Isro and Geological Survey of India team studied 2,767 Himalayan glaciers and found 2,184 of them were retreating

*The 10 warmest years on record have all occurred since 1998. Last year (2010) tied with 2005 as the warmest ever. The year also saw Arctic sea-ice cover shrink to its lowest on record

The climate change clock is ticking faster than ever. Experts say many actions on the climate front that could earlier have been put off for decades, now need to be undertaken within years. The battle to save the planet is turning out to be a fight against time.

It's not a fight that can be left to our governments. As common stakeholders in our planet, as citizens bound by a collective destiny, we all need to be foot soldiers in this war to reclaim our tomorrow.

The Times of India has been critically aware of the role a leading newspaper can play in raising awareness on environmental issues. It's a role we strive to fulfil not only through our extensive coverage of climate issues, but also by way of special campaigns and events.

The JSW- Times of India Earth Care Awards for excellence in climate change mitigation and adaptation are an important part of this initiative. Since 2007, the awards have recognized and honoured the work of our climate heroes. On Friday, September 9, at a glittering ceremony in Delhi, we will once again celebrate a few outstanding men, women and organizations for making India a little more Earth-friendly place to live in. And hope that their efforts inspire many others to join in the most important cause of our times -- saving the Earth. After all, it's the only one we have.