En routé Sustainability
We spoke of adversities a week back and here we are, witnessing one. Yet another Super Cyclone Amphan!
Studies have shown that, this is one of the most intense cyclone in Bay of Bengal since past 2 decades. Surely we will have to wait to gauge the aftermath of the cyclone in this crucial time of emergency. Climatic changes are causing our planet to suffer in anguish.
Climate change isn’t a threat; we are witnessing it. The past three years were hotter than any other time in recorded history. The moment of crisis has arrived and it is time to tackle it!
The Scottish Parliament declared a climate emergency; just a year back in April, making Scotland the first country to do so. And then in UK as a whole in May. UK newspaper ‘THE INDEPENDENT’ described this 'THE HISTORIC FIRST MOTION' which by July had been copied by more than 400 local authorities and parliaments. Even Pope Francis has also called for a 'RADICAL ENERGY TRANSITION' away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy sources, and urged leaders to "hear the increasingly desperate cries of the earth and its poor."
In declaring a climate emergency, Scottish government admits that global warming exists and that the measures taken up to this point are not enough to limit the changes brought by it. The decision stresses the need for the government and administration to devise measures that try and stop human-caused climatic changes.
We are not sure if India has declared any emergency yet, but Bangladesh Government has! Yes, you read it right, the Bangladesh Government declared a climate emergency in November last year becoming the first developing nation in the world to do so.
“For the first time in human history, our planet faces a series of converging crisis, all on the same timeline - global warming, disasters, extreme weather events, bio-diversity loss, acidification of oceans, water stress, food insecurity, planetary overshoot. A perfect storm is brewing and we must act now before it’s too late.”
- Mr. Saber Hossain Chowdhury, who is a former president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and a global champion for disaster risk reduction.
In the year 2015, as a universal call to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity by 2030, the United Nations Member States adopted Global Goals also called as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These global goals were assessed based on a SDG Index scale from 0 to 100, where 0 is worst level of implementation and 100 stands for full compliance with the targets.
Among 193 member countries, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland top the leading positions in ranking due to their good performance in social and economic issues but, they still need to improve their performance on the transition to a low carbon economy.
We all need to balance that fine line between our needs to move forward technologically and economically, and the needs to protect the environment in which we and others live for. This balance can be achieved only by adopting Sustainability.
As we assessed India’s performance in complying with the target goals, India has a long way ahead to fulfil them, bitter but true! We would like to urge you to read more and validate this news by checking the below web link:
According to Climate Action Tracker’s, Gambia and Morocco are the only two countries with a plan to reduce its CO2 emissions to a level consistent with limiting warming to 1.5* C.
Hold on! We know, a lot of you will head over to Google about the country –“Gambia”after reading this, and so did we!
Gambia is working on a program that will increase the country’s electricity capacity by one-fifth partly through construction of one of the largest photovoltaic plants in West Africa. The country has also launched a large project to restore 10,000 hectares of forests, mangroves, and savannas.
Morocco on the other hand has pronounced to generate 42% of its electricity from renewable energy resources by 2020, and 52% by 2030.
Despite the 2015 agreement, global carbon emissions increased 1.7% in 2017 and a further 2.7% in 2018 & the rate of increase in 2019 is the highest on record.
“Few major emitters are taking the kind of action that will keep warming to 1.5 Celsius, but some, like India, the EU, and China, could step up at the New York climate summit and announce stronger targets,”
- Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics, one of the Climate Action Tracker’s (CAT) constituent organisations.
Did you know, India is the world’s fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases? It has been estimated that, 68% of India’s greenhouse gas emissions come from Coal dominated energy production. In the view of incorporating and implementing India’s vision of ecological sustainable development, the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) was adopted on June 30, 2008. We have also emerged as a global leader in renewable energy, and in fact we are investing more in renewables than it is in fossil fuels. India is strategizing to generate 40% of its power through renewables by 2030, whereas we have only been successful to achieve 21% as of 2019. Considering the current COVID Pandemic crisis,our goal seems far off.
As a densely populated nation, we are facing a bigger challenge in coping with the consequences of Climate Change than most other countries. It is extremely challenging and troublesome for India to adapt sustainability without the abutment of its citizens.
With the governments taking all the necessary steps to tackle the climate change issues, it is also the duty of all responsible citizens of the nation to initiate this drive.
It is time we think from linear to circular economy, where we replace the end-of-life concept with restoration and shift towards the use of renewable energy.
Let us question ourselves! What, How and Who!
What is my contribution towards curbing climate change?
How can I reinforce my abilities to help tackle climatic issues?
Who will commence the sustainable transformation?
Let us all Think, Innovate, & Adapt!!
