Record-breaking heat waves have become a regular occurrence in India, killing thousands of people.
Melting snow-caps are slowly increasing the sea level.
Rainfall patterns in India are changing, and have had a devastating effect on farmers’ harvests as well as affecting the migration patterns of different birds and animals.
The hottest days of the year will grip much of central and northern India in the coming days, and this heat wave is unlikely to end anytime soon.
Dust-storms and increased levels of air pollution.
And all of this seems to have become the normal way of living for most of us.
Climate change is real.
I am a Class X school student, and, being a nature enthusiast, I know the repercussions that several years of ignorance towards global warming will have for India in the long run.
The human race has already caused an irreversible climate crisis, the impacts of which are being felt around the world. But it’s not too late.
An International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report says that limiting Global Warming to 1.5° C may still be possible—but it requires ambitious action from national and sub-national authorities, civil society, the private sector, and local communities.
Indian politicians have till now been in denial about the fact that the climate emergency is an actual threat and have completely sidelined all environmental issues. A major change is needed in the way our government forms its environmental policies. It needs to refocus its policies to make the environment better for our future generations to live in.
To tackle this, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change must:
- Declare a National Climate emergency and recognise its shortcomings in providing us with a safe environment.
- Commit to the Paris Agreement which seeks to limit the Earth’s warming to below 2° C.
- Work towards meeting the goal of a green cover of 33% in the country as proposed and accepted in its National Forest Policy.
- Implement much stricter rules to reduce sporadic clearances of forests for activities such as mining and building.
- Implement stricter rules towards curbing illegal mining in green and wetland areas.
- Give priority to completing all plans enlisted under India’s New Climate Plan (INDC).
Children from across the country have been protesting since March for a common goal—action against the climate crisis. However, our voices have been ignored and suppressed. Within the next five years, we shall be the next voters in the Lok Sabha elections and we shall ensure that the policies of the government align themselves with international environmental standards.
We demand action from India’s present and future leaders on the climate crisis and environmental concerns. We shall cast our votes only for the parties engaged in bringing Climate Justice.
I, along with millions of students across India, demand that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change declare a National Climate Emergency and work towards tackling the climate crisis.
Let us be the youth of today, leaders of tomorrow and the change making voters of the future.