World Environment Day event: Share your thoughts at St Bede’s College

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HimVani

Shimla: As the earth faces an environmental catastrophe, it’s time for us to act, and it’s now or never. The danger to the world this time is very much real and near too. The theme for this year is ‘Your Planet Needs You – Unite to Combat Climate Change’. It reflects the urgency for nations to agree on a new deal at the crucial climate convention meeting in Copenhagen some 180 days later in the year, and the links with overcoming poverty and improved management of forests.

World Environment Day is being observed by the Himachal Pradesh chapter of Indian Federation of United Nations Associations (IFUNA) on June 5 at St. Bede’s College, Shimla. Himvani is associating with IFUNA to create a people’s movement around the issue of climate change. The motive is to sensitize people of Himachal Pradesh on how climate change is affecting our environment and our lives, along with sensitizing people on how small individual efforts can go a long way in preventing climate change.

In this light, we invite Himvani readers to share their experiences and knowledge on the topic “Adapting to Climate Change: The Way Ahead”. The writers of two best articles will be given an opportunity to share their views on climate change with the august gathering during the World Environment Day event at St. Bede’s College in Shiml on June 5. Send your entries to editor@himvani.com and write My Thoughts on Preventing Climate Change in the subject line. Follow this link to read what other readers have contributed on the issue.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Lemme "share" my thought… i hope a good initiative doesn't go the awy slogan writing for voluntary blood donation went last month…talking about env has become a fashion statement in most of the cases!

  2. Perhaps most of the people in urban areas know the basic concept of climate change. These people are the main contributors to the environmental pollution and a linked change in climate through increasing material wants. On the other hand people in rural areas may not understand the seminars on climate change but they surely keep their needs limited and understand the basic principals of nature and their benefits. They would have maintained the carbon sink very efficiently, had the land and forest mafias based and connected in urban centres not been operative in their regions.

    In this context we need to focus on urban centres especially through strict policy framework, as the self restraint do not work in developing countries like ours, where everyone is a preacher and not a practitioner. Though awareness drives can augment environmental consciousness but it is not the sole solution as conveniently perceived by the government and NGOs.

    I firmly believe that we need good governance for all our ailments. But we are in such a democratic set up where blaming the politicians for non-performance seems like cursing the whole society who elects them. It means that we are not at all interested in macro issues of development and environmental sustainability and focus on private petty issues where politicians cherish their discretionary powers. It is like trapped in a web, which can only be broken when transparency in such a system is fully maintained. Judicial activism, RTI Act and measures like e-samadhan present the only ray of hope.

    It will be only after that we will be able to implement the provision for environmental protection which already exists on different manuals. Self introspection and social control will also work in such an environment which otherwise fail to contribute in the current scenario of total chaos.

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