Tarun Chugh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the World Bank’s programme on ‘Making it personal: How behavioural change can tackle climate change’ made the forceful arguments to take the climate action to the dinner table. This by all accounts is the most logical action in the battle against climate change.
Individual ownership of the climate change — which affects all without discriminating on income, caste, creed, religion, nationality and class – is the need of the hour. In fact, the International Energy Agency in a report has stated that 75 individual actions can help cut down almost two billion tonnes of carbon emissions by 2030.
Each one of us has equal stake in protecting the climate. The world is now far more aware about the climate changes. The episodes of prolonged drought and super floods, which have been seen across the continents, should leave none in doubt about the immediacy of the climate change. This is no more knocking at the doors. The climate change has entered our houses, and the time is now for each one of us to fight the demon with all our might.
India has always played a leading role in protecting environment. The Indian way of life is in sync with the environment. Trees have been worshipped in India for ages. Animals have been part of the Indian culture, and they are venerated. The Indian way of life is incomplete without nature. Thus, PM Modi has very forcefully made the world hear the Indian voice for mitigating the climate change is heard with due respect.
Therefore, PM Modi rightly said that we must eliminate food waste from the dining table. The call is timely, as 15 billion tonnes of food get wasted annually all across the world. Here, Mission LiFE, launched jointly by PM Modi and the UN General Secretary in October, 2022, is timely intervention in effecting the necessary behavioural changes to achieve the nationally committed goals to cut down the emissions to help the world bring down the rising temperature.
PM Modi has given leadership to the Global South, the developing nations, has come at a crucial stage. The developed world must commit to their share of responsibility with adequate funding for climate mitigation efforts in the developing and poor countries. With the Indian G20 presidency, the voices of Global South have gained prominence on critical issues, including climate change.
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav has strongly raised the Indian voice in the global forums where he has highlighted that India has taken several actions in the last few years to demonstrate the actionable agenda for the world. For instance, India has acted with speed in the mass adoption of the LED lights for saving energy. India has already distributed 37 crore LED bulbs to the people, which will help in cutting down 3.9 billion tonne of carbon emissions. India has been making intense efforts in energy conservation, as the effects of the combined efforts will be seen in saving of 22 billion power units.
Agriculture is a critical sector where modern ways of farming are needed to accelerate the climate change goals. Over seven lakh hectares of farm land are now covered under micro-irrigation, made possible by targeted execution of the Central schemes and the greater awareness among the farmers to adopt the best practices. The Indian farmers have set examples for the world by taking measures which are in sync with the global demand to cut down the carbon emissions.
The International Solar Alliance, headquartered in India, is equally playing the role of a catalyst to accelerate the efforts for energy transition. India is on course to source most of its energy needs from the renewable sources. Farmers have also shown greater interests for solar pumping sets, which is also supported by the Central scheme.
India has demonstrated that the behavioual changes can make substantial contributions in tackling climate change. The people have shown that they can adapt to the climate appropriate practices. India is truly living the guiding philosophy of ‘Vasudhev Kutumbkam (the world is one family)’.
(The author is the national general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party) D K Pandita
According to ancient Indian epics well-being has been enshrined into the trinity of Yagnya, Tapas and Dana. The modern day trinity is that of ecology, spirituality and humanity. Yagnya connects the humans with nature, Tapa combines the human with God and Dana relates one human with another. This trinity relationship is indispensable from ecological point of view.
The slogan of the World Earth Day 2023 is “Give a break to Mother Earth” and with the theme “Invest in our Planet, Protect our Future” , we celebrate the 53rd World Earth Day 2023 on 22nd April. The idea for Earth Day was first floated by Gaylord Nelson, a US Senator. Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970. People celebrate Earth day by organizing various activities like planting trees, raising awareness, etc. Many events and campaigns are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection, climate change among other issues.
Climate change, by all means is the biggest threat to humanity. We can see nature suffering from events that happened in the last couple of years like Bush Fires, Oil spills, floods and droughts, heat waves killing poultry and farm animals etc. Mother Earth is calling for a need for action. “We must act decisively to protect our planet from both the Coronavirus and the existential threat of climate disruption.” Said UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the 52nd Earth Day.
Earth offers us biological diversity and carries various species protecting it from various factors. As human beings, it is our today to nurture the earth and save it from deteriorating further. With global warming and climate change posing a threat to humanity, it is high time that we don’t take the earth for-granted. A quote worth recalling is that “Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift…a wonderful gift that God has given us so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude”.
Since 1970, billions of individuals from more than 190 countries worldwide have come together every April 22nd to take action towards a greener, more equitable future for our planet. As the countdown to Earth Day 2023 continues, it is important to remember regardless of where you are or what you do, you have the power to yield real change and be a champion for Earth. To protect our planet, we must invest in it.
Rallying behind this year’s theme, Invest in Our Planet, which highlights the importance of dedicating our time, resources, and energy to solving the climate crisis, here are 7 ways one can actively participate in Earth Day 2023:
(i) Plant trees or a pollinator garden. Trees are one of the most powerful tools to combat the climate crisis. Pollination is essential for all terrestrial life on Earth. Plant a pollinator garden using species native to our area to support local populations of butterflies, bees, and other organisms critical to sustained biodiversity in our ecosystem.
(ii) Reduce plastic consumption. Plastic pollution is one of the most important environmental problems we face in today’s world. We all contribute to this problem and must work to reduce, and ultimately end, plastic pollution. Make a plan this Earth Day to reduce your plastic consumption.
(iii) Participate in advocacy. Educate yourself about the science behind climate change and show responsibility in addressing it by taking climate action to the next level.
(iv) Make sustainable fashion choices (Khadi and handloom). 21th century fast fashioning has completely revolutionized the apparel industry, but not for the better. Learn about the detrimental impacts of fast fashion, the importance of sustainable fashion, and commit to responsible consumption.
(v) Plan your own event. It’s easy to start your own Earth Day event! Whether it be a community cleanup, march, teach-in, or rally.
(vi) Donate. By donating to a campaign supporting the environmental movement, like EARTHDAY.ORG’s The Canopy Project, you are not only making a difference, you’re empowering change and mobilizing individuals to take part in building a better world for generations to come.
(vii) Activate on social media. Creating content for the world to see is critical in communicating the importance of climate action. Whether you create posters and banners, or plan/attend a march, rally, cleanup, or any other popular Earth Day event, be sure to post what you’re doing to tag #EarthDay and/or #InvestInOurPlanet to spread awareness around the environmental movement and educate the young people as tomorrow belongs to them.
To protect the mother earth our father of nations Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote, “The earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs but not every man’s greed”, needs to be pondered over by …
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