Author: Khalida Khalid Khan, III year of LL.B. from Integral University
Co-author: Mohd. Faiz Khan, Research Scholar from Integral University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Climate Change- Isn’t this the word which is reverberating from past 5 years? Or from last 10 years? Whatever, the case may be, somehow, we come across this word for once or twice in a week, from those persons who actually give some concern related to this contemporary issue.
If we keep aside our entertainment topics like politics or ethnic cleansing of any community, etc., we can actually ponder over about the climate breakdown that it is closer than it appears. Nowadays, all of us are actually living to escape our problems rather than solving it we chose to pass it over, no matter how many time that same problem occurs in our short span of life, we refuse to change our priorities for some temporary pleasure ignoring its big adverse effects on our future which causes huge damage to not only our lives but to upcoming generations too.
Many environmentalists, many politicians and many academicians have warned us about our lifestyle but it sounds cliché to us. Back to same problem, we refuse to change, that’s the whole and sole reason it sounds an old chestnut. Many legislations too have been passed, but its affect cannot be seen very effectively, still we are breathing polluted air and drinking polluted water. Our life these days are trapped in digital era, because of this imaginary beautiful digitalized world we are refusing to protect the real natural world. Once we start to realize that the real life is different from Instagram’s reel life, the world can actually prosper in real terms without any problems to lungs. However, if we could have tried a little in the past, the irreparable damage that is happening in present like extreme heat waves in India could have been avoided. According to Climate Change Laws of the World,[i] currently, there are 3118 Climate Laws and Policies and 2229 Climate Litigation Cases. Nevertheless, every month big disaster against nature takes place whether its Arizona wildfires or Antarctica’s Glacier melting. Climate Change increases the danger of happening of earthquakes, volcano eruptions and tsunamis. While the source of the February 6 earthquake in Turkiye and Syria is yet unknown, there is mounting scientific evidence that climate change is increasing the likelihood of such shocks. Professor Ibrahim Ozdemir, a UN expert and environmentalist stated,[ii]as a result of global warming, more glaciers are melting, altering the weight distribution in the earth's crust. Aside from an increase in earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, it can also impact the movement of the Earth's axis.
Many examples are before us, still we resist to change for our own betterment, Climate change is serious problem and to tackle this problem many legislations have been passed but the effect of these legislations is seen very rarely and the reason behind is “us” the humans, as we are taking vast pace in digital world the more, we are lagging behind to protect the climate as well as the environment. As we are becoming smart in digital zone, we have to become smart in ecozone too or else that day is not far when we all will face harsh consequences of Climate Change.
So, what are the smart ways that we can adopt to protect our environment and curb the possibility of climate change? There are many! Only if we apply smartly and effectively only then we can achieve best results. We can heal the nature by following simple method ofAP3i.e.,“Avoid Pollution, Active Plantation and Attentive Perseverance.”
The first AP is Avoid Pollution, Avoiding Pollutionso that speedy recovery of nature can take place. We have been taught many kinds of pollution, its causes, its effects and its solutions. But instead of following the duties inherent to every individual to avoid and curb the pollution, every being continues with the process of negligence. Nevertheless, many legislations have been passed too to curb the pollution but still many cities of India top the list of most polluted cities in the world. The problem lies in depending on State and throwing our burden on State, no doubt State fulfils its duties and made successful laws still we complain about pollution and its effects. We all know Pollution is man-made then why we refuse to accept that in order to eliminate the pollution we need to come forward and to perform certain necessary actions which is under our control, the problem is we want our duties to be done by State and that’s not possible!Instead of blaming Nations, Companies, etc., we should take responsibility towards nature to make it better and healthier. The actions whichevery individual can do independentlyis, Firstly, we can curb the pollution by transforming the transportation system in India. Now it’s time to leave car at home and walk or cycle whenever its possible. Once we made our mind that we need to leave our comfort zone in order to achieve some goal then only we can attain success and here the topic is of our healthy living and making our planet better so we should strive for it. Secondly,don’t waste your food. It’s better to be hungry for a while instead of wasting food. According to UNEP’s Food Waste Index Report 2021, people globally waste 1 billion tons of food each year, which accounts for around 8-10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.[iii]Buy only what you need to avoid wasting food. Last but not the least, Dress smartly, the fashion sector is responsible for 8-10% of global carbon emissions,[iv] which is more than all international flights and marine transportation combined, and 'rapid fashion' has produced a throwaway culture in which clothing end up in landfills. But we have the ability to alter this. Purchase fewer new garments and wear them for a longer period of time. Instead of buying new goods that will only be worn once, look for sustainable labels and use rental services for special events. Recycle used clothing and mend it as needed.
Second AP is Active Plantation, we all have been taught from our childhood that plantation drives are not only essential but also very effective in curbing the problem of Climate Change. Forests, whether in the Amazon Rainforest or our own Western Ghats, have been shown to be the most effective carbon sinks when left alone. Vegetation stores a large amount of carbon while also providing home for a wide variety of creatures. Moreover, we all also know many organizations and companies tells us that they are planting million of trees in 365 days, if we buy their eco-friendly products they plant lot of vegetations. But still, we are under this trouble of Climate Change. Then how should we trust and to whom we should trust? When there is no result or action of those statements! This takes us back to the point why we should not depend on companies or others to protect the nature. This is the reason we should become independent in protecting our environment. When we think critically, we become smart. And now it’s time to adopt more critical and easy ways to protect the nature.We love to receive flowers from our loved ones but we seldom show interest in receiving plantable products. It’s high time to say Yes, to eco-friendly gifts and products! Next time, when you look out for gifts to give, go for plantable products such as seed paper, eco-friendly stationary kits, etc., these eco-friendly products help in plantation drive when you have these products you can plant them after using them. In these products, seeds are embedded in it so that you can plant them instead of throwing away like other products. Or more you can adopt plant able packaging, it’s quite easy. It not only decomposes like biodegradable packaging, but it also includes seeds that allow the packaging to be buried in the soil and dissolve while flowers or herbs grow. If we want a safe and clean environment, we need to think smartly in our day-to-day business then only we can achieve our desired result.
Last AP is Attentive Perseverance, there is a quote “It always seems impossible, until it is done.”Perseverance is the key to attain success despite difficulty or delay in achieving desired result. We always do something with high motivation but in mid process we leave behind consistency, whether its going gym for weight loss or continuously studying to increase GPA in academics, somehow, everyone loses motivation in achieving the goal. It is quite obvious our motivation level goes down when we lose interest in our work instead of working passionately for that work we find excuses to procrastinate. And the other big problem is we tend to neglect on lame reason “that nobody is doing, so why should I?”People often forget their worth because they love to compare themselves with others, once this lacuna is extinguished the very positive change can happen and with time many big things with patience can be achieved. The only thing everyone need is to ponder about surroundings and to think apart from oneself, from greed, power and money, to think about our very own existence where we are standing and where we will go. At that moment, we can make prudent decisions. Same thing goes with nature, once we start to think our very own existence and ending lies with nature, then we start to take actions on it, to protect it at every cost. And to achieve that thing, we need perseverance. Everyone should keep in mind that big and good things take time. And in the process of curbing the Climate Change we need perseverance with patience and consistency. By following above two methods of AP3 i.e., Avoid Pollution and Active Plantation with determination and perseverance, together we can curb the dangers of Climate Change.
Thus, Climate Change is a serious and rapidly growing danger around us but with smart techniques and methods like AP3 (Avoid Pollution, Active Plantation and Attentive Perseverance) it can be controlled efficiently and effectively.