By- Riya Sharma, Young Campaigner, Bal Raksha Bharat (Globally Recognized as Save the Children)
Riya Sharma is a Young Campaigner with Bal Raksha Bharat(Globally Recognized as Save the Children), she is currently a student at Gargi College, Delhi University.
Just close your eyes for 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – What did you hear in these 10 seconds?
a) pe pe pe pe pe…Traffic horns
b) Voices of different people around you
c) Song vibes…
d) Airplane, right?
In this whole list, we never heard a single noise from nature, do you know why??? because we never try to hear it patiently- busy in our hustle and bustle, we leave the nature alienated from us, the relationship we have with our friends, family, or relatives we don’t have with our nature. Today’s world is full of pain and suffering, people are busy with their work and activities which not only affects nature but also us. But the cruelty is that by the time we realize this, we’ll vanish from the earth.
The relationship with nature must have a positive connotation but it doesn’t seem like it. Right? Some call it nature and some call it mother nature – she has been here for over 4.5 billion years, 22,500 times longer than us. She never needs people but people need them, when she thrives we thrive, when she falters we falter. How we choose to live each day, whether you regard or disregard me, doesn’t matter to me. One way or the other our actions will determine our fate, and our actions come up as changing the climate with our activities directly hurts all human beings.
“Climate change is not just Near but it is here” Have you noticed those tiny little changes in your surroundings – ‘Yaar aaj garmi bhaut jada ho rhe hai’, ‘Phele jese barrish nhe hote’ (It’s too hot today, it does not rain like before). ‘My Grandma usually complains “ke sabjeo mie phele jesa svad nhe hai” (The vegetables do not taste as they did before). ‘Those cute little pigeons we use to spot are nowhere to find’. There is no happiness without the happiness of nature. Everyone is threatened by habitat loss and global warming.
The climate crisis, wildlife emergency, and the Covid-19 pandemic show that existing relationships between humans and the rest of nature have broken down. It has become fragmented and narrow. We often see nature as something to use, to control, or as a threat to us. To solve this problem, we need a new relationship with nature and this can also help solve our crisis of mental health and well-being.
With all these challenges and changes I want to give solutions as I feel that action is needed at this hour and we all must together take this up………
My 4 Solutions to Reconnect with Our Nature:
Education and Learning – Education authorities and academies should support outdoor learning efforts that help us actively connect with our nature. National Wildlife Welfare Week, not just in schools, encourages all citizens to recognize and take action to care for our wildlife, thereby improving the environment and habitat in which they live.
Arts and Culture – A national nature festival to promote our connection with nature. A national award for music, film, and written words by young people helping them build new relationships with nature. In this way, we can encourage people to express their appreciation and connection with nature. Use creative installations to promote engagement with nature in public spaces.
Urban Design and Planning- City planners and building managers are working to improve everyday life, from spaces like school allotments to creating secluded habitats that encourage wildlife, to urban spaces that promote meaningful engagement with nature. We must incorporate ways to connect with and nurture nature in our environment.
Employment – A national registration program for companies to manage your space could promote animal-friendly workplaces where employees connect with the good things in nature. Consider how you can bring the benefits of outdoor breaks into your workplace and allow your employees to enjoy the natural environment in which they work. I would like to conclude with a quote “if the climate is changing why aren’t we ???”
Change is something that is required not just in ourselves but also in our actions, practices, and behavior– So being a change-maker in society Is what I aspire all of you to be……..
THANK YOU!