Bhubaneswar: President Droupadi Murmu on Monday expressed concern over global warming and rising incidents of extreme weather events and urged govt, international organisations and individuals to make efforts to protect and conserve nature.
The president, who is on a four-day visit to Odisha, expressed her concerns on X early on Monday after taking a walk through Puri beach.In her post, Murmu described her experience of walking along the seashore as ‘meditative encounter’ that brought her into close communion with nature.

She also recalled the spiritual peace she felt upon her darshan of Lord Jagannath during the Rath Yatra on Sunday.
She also highlighted the disconnect with mother nature caused by the hustle and bustle of the daily grind and how humankind is exploiting nature for short term gains. While citing the severe heatwave condition experienced in India this summer, she said, “This summer, many parts of India suffered a terrible series of heatwaves. Extreme weather events have become more frequent around the globe in recent years and the situation is projected to be far worse in the decades to come.”
Expressing concern over global warming, Murmu warned of rising sea levels threatening to submerge coastal areas and lamented the heavy toll pollution has taken on marine life and ecosystem.
“More than 70% of the earth’s surface is made up of oceans and global warming is leading to a rise in global sea levels, threatening to submerge coastal areas. The oceans and the rich variety of flora and fauna found there have suffered heavily owing to pollution,” she said.
However, the president found hope in traditional practices of coastal communities, who live in harmony with nature and possess invaluable knowledge of the seas.
She called for a dual approach to tackle environmental conservation.
“There are two ways, I believe, to meet the challenge of protection and conservation of the environment, broader steps that can come from governments and international organisations and smaller and local steps that we can take as citizens. The two are, of course, complementary. Let us pledge to do what we can do individually and locally for the sake of a better tomorrow. We owe it to our children,” she said, while urging people to take responsibility for protecting the environment for future generations.
Later on Monday, the president landed in Bhubaneswar and visited the historic Udayagiri hills and interacted with the students of BK College of Arts and Crafts.
Murmu visited the group of Jain caves in Udayagiri hills and later wrote on X, “These caves are rare specimens of early Indian rock-cut architecture. The caves showcase a civilizational and cultural thread of about 1200 years starting 1st century BC.”
Later in the evening, Murmu inaugurated a Divine Retreat Centre and launched a ‘Lifestyle for Sustainability’ campaign in Bhubaneswar and reiterated her appeal to save nature.
“People must remember that abundance in nature is for their needs and not for their greed. Humans are exploiting nature for their indulgence and by doing this, they are becoming victims of nature’s wrath,” she added.