On this year’s International Day of Action on Climate Change, the focus continued to be on promoting awareness of the reality of climate change and encourage personal commitment to change through awareness programmes at local levels especial- ly through youngsters who are the future of the nations and the world. While the day was observed on 24th October, the proactive endeavours in this direction will continue with much more enthusiasm throughout the year till the progress gets reviewed next year on the same day fixing new strategies in this regard. The goals already set in this regard include reducing the atmos- phere carbon dioxide level, changing perspectives, encouraging individuals to think about what the world means to them and how they can show their apprecia- tion by protecting and preserving the environment through a willingness to change destructive habits. It needs to be realized by every individual across the globe that climate change is one of the greatest prob- lems facing us today and it is imperative we learn not just the science, but also its impact on the world and the changes that is necessary to preserve mother earth.
India playing a front role in its environmental protection movement can achieve the target of fulfilling the Climate action plans only if efforts are made to cover over six lakh villages across the nation for the purpose.
However, keeping in view the financial aspect of the strategy financing should be clear, simple and straight without manipulations by auditors. It is a fact post 2020, India has to think on the lines of implementing on ground in 6.5 lakh villages of the country the agreement final- ized in Paris, Marrakech and thereafter. If a proper strat- egy is formulated in this regard with utmost precision there is no doubt about India being able to achieve the INDC (Intended Nationally Determined Contribution) goals. While India has been consistently bringing the issue of proper and transparent financing in this regard at the various bilateral and multilateral discussions across the globe it is sure to achieve the desired results sooner than later. Two factors that hold the key in this regard are the finance as well as high-end technology. In order to pace up the ground implementation there is also a need to make high end technology patent-free for the purpose. While looking for promises on consistent and predictable climate finance India will move ahead with “full commitment” to achieve the set targets in this direc- tion. Ours is perhaps the only G20 country to have ful- filled our Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) related to the United Nations agreement NDCs and out- performed the rest of the world. As is evident, not only the imperatives of climate justice, the specific needs and special circumstances of developing countries, stressed upon by India have been recognized by explicitly laying that the principles of equity and common but differentiat- ed responsibilities and respective capabilities in the light of different national circumstances. The whole world has been bearing the consequences of the careless use of natural resources by the previous and present genera- tions. Hence there is a need to vigorously initiate meas- ures to address Climate Change with main focus on sus- tainable development. Since it has become inevitable for the people to use reusable products, instead of dispos- ables besides the necessity to change their life styles in consonance with the sustainable development it is high time to strictly discipline ourselves to bring about the paradigm shift, failing which the future of the globe alongwith its flora and fauna will be quite bleak. Better late than never!