Kolkata/IBNS: The US Consulate in Kolkata on Friday held a panel discussion on "Women Leaders Investing in our Planet" at its pavilion at the 47th International Kolkata Book Fair (IKBF).

Before the event, US Minister Counsellor for Public Diplomacy Gloria Berbena and Consul General Melinda Pavek inaugurated the pavilion.

This year, the theme of the US pavilion at the IKBF is "#PlanetUS" which focuses on the environment, sustainability, and climate action.

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Inaugurating the pavilion, US Consul General Melinda Pavek said, "With this pavilion, we aim to highlight what the United States is doing with its partners to address the climate change and the climate crisis, and what we are doing as well as how we can make a difference in what's happening with the climate."

"The United States in India have mutually committed to combating climate change through our collaborations. We are working together to solve the problems that have been created in the world so we have a better future — that is what #PlanetUS is all about," she added.

"We also recognize that we can solve the problems that are created with the ideas of the past. One of the most important ways that we can figure out new solutions and new approaches to combat the challenge," the Consulate General said.

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Melinda Pavek said women play a very crucial role in climate leadership that needs to happen in order to find the new solutions that are not only good for the economy but also good for family, society, education and youth.

"The word 'climate' does not only mean the environment, it also means the social climate that we experience," she added.

Sahana Ghosh, science journalist and an associate editor with the Nature India, Sanjukta Mukherjee, who runs a social enterprise that focuses on research and sustainable design for women, climate and entrepreneurship development, and Ajanta Dey, joint secretary and programme director of Nature Environment and Wildlife Society, were the panelists.

Images by Avishek Mitra/IBNS

The panel discussion was moderated by Elizabeth Lee,the Director of the American Center in Kolkata.

Reporting by Deepayan Sinha