<p>More than 75 groups representing youth in Tamil Nadu on Monday wrote to Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar to “abandon” the “unconstitutional” draft Environment Impact Assessment 2020 notification.</p>.<p>In their petition, the youth groups, including the Chennai Climate Action Group, said the draft EIA notification rewards violators and rewards regulatory lethargy, turns the task of environment impact assessment into an environment management and dilutes the existing mandatory provisions to discretionary ones.</p>.<p>The draft EIA notification has created a major storm in Tamil Nadu with not just environmentalists and youngsters lending their voice against the draft report but also prominent actors who have come out openly asking people to join the fight in protecting the environment.</p>.<p>Popular actor Karthi released a detailed statement last week punching holes in the draft EIA notification and he was soon joined by his actor-brother Suriya. Another actor Anamika also came out against the draft notification.</p>.<p>“Your ministry’s decisions to weaken environmental laws and to specifically undo the meagre protections offered by the EIA Notification, 2006 come at a time when the world is staring at the very real prospect of climate mayhem. Your actions are irresponsible, reckless and insensitive to our rights as young people, the rights of future generations and other living beings,” they said in the petition.</p>.<p>The organisations also pointed out a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that warned that global average temperature increase of 1.5 degree Celsius cannot be averted unless emissions are slashed to five times the current amount. They also referred to the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ assessment that the sub-continent is set to be particularly hard hit to argue against the draft notification.</p>.<p>"We are writing to urge you to abandon the draft EIA Notification, 2020, which is the latest in a series of actions taken by your ministry to dilute environmental laws in the name of ease of doing business. This is short-sighted. Any economy that is based on a premise that nature is expendable is doomed to self-destruct,” they wrote in the petition.</p>.<p>They alleged that the proposed EIA notification weakens the body of laws that protect the environment at a time the government needs to strengthen such statutes. “Worse, the proposed rules seek to enrich businesses and the corporate sector by emasculating democracy, limiting public participation and due diligence, and rewarding environmental offenders by facilitating post-facto environmental clearances for projects that begin or are completed without license,” they said.</p>
<p>More than 75 groups representing youth in Tamil Nadu on Monday wrote to Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar to “abandon” the “unconstitutional” draft Environment Impact Assessment 2020 notification.</p>.<p>In their petition, the youth groups, including the Chennai Climate Action Group, said the draft EIA notification rewards violators and rewards regulatory lethargy, turns the task of environment impact assessment into an environment management and dilutes the existing mandatory provisions to discretionary ones.</p>.<p>The draft EIA notification has created a major storm in Tamil Nadu with not just environmentalists and youngsters lending their voice against the draft report but also prominent actors who have come out openly asking people to join the fight in protecting the environment.</p>.<p>Popular actor Karthi released a detailed statement last week punching holes in the draft EIA notification and he was soon joined by his actor-brother Suriya. Another actor Anamika also came out against the draft notification.</p>.<p>“Your ministry’s decisions to weaken environmental laws and to specifically undo the meagre protections offered by the EIA Notification, 2006 come at a time when the world is staring at the very real prospect of climate mayhem. Your actions are irresponsible, reckless and insensitive to our rights as young people, the rights of future generations and other living beings,” they said in the petition.</p>.<p>The organisations also pointed out a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that warned that global average temperature increase of 1.5 degree Celsius cannot be averted unless emissions are slashed to five times the current amount. They also referred to the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ assessment that the sub-continent is set to be particularly hard hit to argue against the draft notification.</p>.<p>"We are writing to urge you to abandon the draft EIA Notification, 2020, which is the latest in a series of actions taken by your ministry to dilute environmental laws in the name of ease of doing business. This is short-sighted. Any economy that is based on a premise that nature is expendable is doomed to self-destruct,” they wrote in the petition.</p>.<p>They alleged that the proposed EIA notification weakens the body of laws that protect the environment at a time the government needs to strengthen such statutes. “Worse, the proposed rules seek to enrich businesses and the corporate sector by emasculating democracy, limiting public participation and due diligence, and rewarding environmental offenders by facilitating post-facto environmental clearances for projects that begin or are completed without license,” they said.</p>
