Desperate times call for desperate measures. A 16 year old Aman Sharma took things into his own hands and launched a petition on Change.org to urge the Indian government to declare climate emergency.
We have more than 450,000 signs already.
The young man had enough and wanted to put pressure on the government directly. Some of the other demands were to increase the country’s green coverage and striving to contribute to the 2015 Paris climate agreement by limiting a rise in global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Why such urgency, you may ask, since the global warming talks have been warming and heating up many political discussions since quite some time now.
The answer lies in the reality that is currently facing us head-on.
Chennai has literally run out of water. Four of its main reservoirs are out. The lack of rains in 2018 did not help the situation. The government think-tank NITI Aayog had listed Chennai as one of the cities to run dry in its report. It has also pointed out that this will be the worst water crisis that India has ever faced in history.
Source: weforum.org
But what IS climate emergency?
Environmentalist Chandra Bhushan said that it nothing but an act of placing climate change at the centre of policy and planning decisions.
When the urgency of the situation is institutionally recognized, it is easier to push for an action plan and implement it.
NITI Aayog has not forgotten Bangalore as it is not far behind in the crisis list. Given the rate of depletion of our lakes, if we are not careful and proactive about taking a step forward, it does not bode well for anyone.
Once all the 21 cities are damaged badly in terms of water shortage, the reality will hit us like a truck and it will be too late.
Let us take preventive measures against this calamity. Join hands with us with our Wake the Lake project where we set out to revive the dying lakes of Bengaluru.
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