Who would not have enjoyed singing the Rain, Rain, Go Away, Come Again Another Day poem in his/her childhood days? In fact, it is a favorite rhyme for most of us. An umbrella, a paper boat, and a narrow stream of water flow amid rain would resonate in our minds if one thinks of the poem. Surprisingly, in India, the time at which the favorite poem is being taught to kindergarten kids coincides with the rainy season/monsoon. The little kids can correlate the lyrics in the poem to weather conditions outside their classrooms. However, there may be a time down the line where kids will find it difficult to experience the same as their earlier generations used to owing to bright sunny days outside of their classrooms, or a situation may arise where the poem has to be rewritten to suit the weather conditions outside. Yes, the argument holds truth if climate change or crisis is not curtailed.
Incessant rains and cloudbursts in hot summers, dry weather in rainy seasons and sultry conditions in winters have become a widespread phenomenon these days across the globe. It is also important to mention here that not only the extremities of weather in the seasons but also the stark differences in temperature during the day and night that call for immediate action. While all these unwarranted changes in the weather patterns can be attributed to climate change and global warming, it is important to delve deep into the concept of development that the modern world has been embracing for a long time to understand the source and root cause of the issue i.e., climate crisis, a major challenge to human security. It is also this unusuality of the weather conditions that is forcing mankind to lend an ear to the plight of nature and address the issue with utmost urgency and care. Since climate change is a result of the sum of all actions of individuals across the globe, it requires collective efforts of individuals along with the policies of governments to tackle the climate crisis.
Involvement of citizens
No public policy yields the desired outcomes without the active involvement of individuals or civilians. This becomes more visible and valid when it comes to the policies pertaining to climate change and global warming. Since climate change tackling needs short, intermediate and long-term measures, an effective policy needs to put the onus on an individual rather than political authority or state to make the efforts sustainable and reliable. More than the active participation of stakeholders across social, political, economic, technological and other domains, it is the participation of the public that decides the fate of climate-related policies. Adopting a decentralised approach complemented with localised strategies will turn environmental protection policies more fruitful and effective. Eco-sensitisation and awareness about environmental determinism play a vital role in building climate consciousness among individuals. It has been proved that centralised or top-down approaches have failed to deliver the desired outcomes owing to the non-involvement of citizens. On top of it, behavioural change is what the governments have to galvanise their efforts on as it imbibes a sense of responsibility and civic sense on the part of individuals.
Eco-friendly products
Nowadays, there is a lot of buzz around eco-friendly products both in online portals and offline outlets. It is also seen that these products have good reception among the consumers, albeit among higher classes in urban areas. Yet, the sales of these products are not on par with regular products owing to trust issues. On the one hand, the credibility of products that are being sold under the token of organic, green and biodegradable products is in question, and on the other hand what bothers the hoi-polloi and consumers is the cost of these products. The prices of organic products are three to six times higher than that of non-organic ones. Going by the purchasing power of the middle and lower-middle classes that form a major chunk of the people in most of the third world nations, especially India, it appears tough for them to purchase organic products. The governments have to incentivise and offer input subsidies to the producers of green products as in the case of regular agricultural/non-organic products to make the former more affordable and available to a large section of people.
Climate change as a discipline
It is also important to mention here that rising environmental consciousness in an individual in particular and society as a whole involves a multi-pronged approach. The domain of education plays a crucial role in the long-term strategy. Till now, topics like conservation of biodiversity and environmental protection have been given the least importance and they surface only in the last section of science, social and biology textbooks. It is axiomatic to state that there has to be a separate discipline for climate change encompassing a wide range of climatic issues backed by scientific evidence, cause-and-effect relationships, case studies, recent disasters and so forth along with physical geography, physiology, climatology, earth sciences, natural sciences, pedology and petrology, hydrology, cropping patterns, Artificial Intelligence(AI) and Internet of Things(IoT) and so forth at various grades in school education.
Laxity in enforcement
It is clear that the massive consumerism that forms the core of neoliberal economics is taking a toll on the health of the planet. Wastage, inadequate disposal and treatment facilities, weak recycling mechanisms and excessive usage of single-use products are interfering with the ecological balance of the planet. In the rat race of economic growth and development, the governments have been a turning blind eye towards the environment. This defeats the very purpose of any public policy that aims at the general well-being and welfare of the people. Unaware of the social and economic impact of asymmetric public policies by governments and the impact of them on ecology, individuals are leading a lifestyle that proves detrimental to the planet in the long run. Laxity in the enforcement of rules pertaining to the use and exploitation of natural resources and a lackadaisical attitude towards the commitments that governments make in the environmental summits have been accelerating the process of degradation of the environment. Since the pledges or commitments that governments make at the climate summits are non-enforceable and voluntary in nature, most of the nations are showing their back when it comes to implementation. It is apodictic to mention here that governments need to realise that anti-environmental moves under the guise of development outweigh the benefits and nullify the fruits and positive prospects of any development project. Though glitters may overshadow the negative impact of exploitative projects in the short run, it comes to the fore sooner or later in a dangerous form.
Simplistic living
The tendency of discarding things after a few uses and unwarranted stereotypes attached to ‘reuse’, limitless individualism and diminishing collective spirit have become major challenges for the sustainability of the planet. Though it is impossible and unwise to switch to a planet-centric approach from market-driven economics all of a sudden, it is important to change the perception and outlook of individuals in a gradual manner. Products that can be reused, recycled and refurbished should be promoted to change the preferences among individuals. Governments have to prepare their citizens for the paradigm shift in terms of lifestyle changes to enhance their adaptability to the ‘green’ way of life as it demands simplistic living. Emphasis on qualitative aspects like peace, clean environment, good health, harmony and so forth rather than on quantitative variables like wealth, assets and other physical and material possessions will help in transforming the mindsets and perceptions of individuals.
As the prevailing market-driven economics focuses solely on producer-to-consumer dynamics, the post-use phase of a product and the impact of it on the environment aren’t given a thought for by companies and consumers. The profit-making motive of companies and the negligence and habits of consumers have been posing a twin-challenge for the environment. For the transition to happen from maximum-waste generating to minimal-waste or no-waste approach, it requires a broad range of efforts from multiple stakeholders involved. Nevertheless, a consumer occupies a central position as s/he serves as an anchor in any given economic chain. His/her preferences decide the entire economics involved. So, it is important to switch the efforts from producer-centered to consumer-oriented economics to bring an all-round shift in the production, consumption, post-consumption, recycling and reusing patterns that help in the conservation of the planet.
[Photo by Pixabay]
Samudrala VK is the Director of Samudrala VK IAS Academy. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.
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