Climate change: Catching up with lost time

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first global environment summit in 1972 at Stockholm - the “United Nations Conference on the Human Environment”. The summit led to the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which in 1973 launched World Environment Day with the intention of establishing “a global forum for inspiring positive change”. The goal is to engage “governments, businesses, civic society, schools, celebrities, and communities in promoting environmental awareness and recognising environmental action”. The theme this year is ‘Only One Earth’ and campaigns for global initiatives for collective, transformative action to celebrate, protect, and restore our planet.

According to Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP, climate change expenses and the gap between what is being spent and what is required to adapt to climate change are increasing. The annual cost of adaptation in developing nations, estimated to be $100 billion in 2014, has increased to $500 billion now. UNEP also reported that global CO2 emissions must be halved by 2030 in order to restrict the rise in global temperatures, which is driving climate change, to 1.5°C. Temperatures would rise by 2.75°C by the end of the century if current plans remain unchanged. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), in their ‘Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update’ published on May 9, 2022, predicts a 50 per cent chance that the world may temporarily breach 1.5°C of warming in one of the next five years.

Environmental quality strongly depends on human behaviour patterns. The Covid-19 pandemic-induced lockdown ensued in clearer skies, lower carbon emissions and better air to breathe. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) claims that there was a 71 per cent decrease in nitrogen dioxide levels during 2020 and, air pollution levels across Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Lucknow decreased significantly during the same time. Water bodies across the country have also significantly improved. According to CPCB, the water quality of the Ganga has improved and now averages 27 points, making it suitable for bathing and propagation of wildlife and fisheries. On one hand, Covid-19 revitalised the environment but on the other, the outbreak has increased biomedical and plastic waste.

Many economists hammer the government’s shifting focus on people rather than the economy and environment and suggest that economy and environment are not concepts that are to be dealt with independent of each other. As the lockdown is lifted, and life returns to normal, pollution from automobiles, industries, effluent discharge into water bodies, and excessive plastic use may affect the ecosystem as companies are forced to increase output and offset losses. The administration currently concentrates on cutting unemployment and promoting economic growth, overlooking climate change and environmental development. The current scenario can serve as a wake-up call for the government, lawmakers, businessmen and environmentalists to address climate change and construct a greener future for generations to come.

The way ahead

India is indisputably at the threshold of becoming a renewable energy giant, but there is a lot to study and learn from global precedents to construct durable and fool-proof institutional systems. We need to find a way to safeguard the environment while still allowing for sustainable development, but history reveals that governments have rarely made nature a priority. In order to make this situation any better, we need to fix the environment and forest laws, which often fail to protect the country’s unique natural heritage. It would be necessary to adopt a national perspective on land clearance and collaborate with the states, who are primarily responsible for authorizing agricultural and urban expansion as well as the cutting of native forests, in order to lessen the impact. There is also a need to place a fresh focus on the process of approving coal and gas mines across the country and, the formation of an independent environmental protection agency that includes independent oversight of compliance, to remedy serious information and monitoring gaps, rather than conservation groups hauling for advocacy.

According to Dr Brijesh Thapa, a professor at Oklahoma State University, the threats posed by environmental problems require a review of the relationship between humans and nature and improving pro-environmental behaviours. Environmental attitudes need to be fostered in order to improve people’s understanding of the necessity of environmental protection, the right to life for plants and animals, the impact of environmental degradation on individual health and social well-being, and the responsibility of various industries and businesses to observe environmental principles. Policymakers and planners need to effectively make decisions on the development of environmentally friendly practices across different social groups, particularly among the youth. Economic and social incentives can also improve individuals’ sense of self-efficacy and help increase the likelihood of positive environmental behaviours in society.

(The writer is Assistant Professor, Department of Media Studies, Kristu Jayanti College, Bengaluru)