Till climate change related issues move from the periphery to electoral interest
Climate change is all about saving humanity and our ecosystem. The significant human cost due to failure to address the climate change related challenges is understood very well without any ambiguity.
For every 0.1 degrees of warming above present levels, about 140 million more people will be exposed to dangerous heat.
The high impact of climate change that causes rising global temperatures and heatwaves, fires, storms and floods hurting people today have been extensively documented by climate scientists. We are reading it everyday. So the awareness is there though it may not be enough.
Unfortunately, our climate scientists feel hopeless when they see that the responses from the politicians and the big corporations are not in the best interest of the common man. And yet, our climate scientists still passionately continue to do their job with a conviction that policymakers cannot say that they were not made aware.
The root cause that this impending catastrophe does not motivate politicians (policymakers) is that it is not an election issue. If policymakers are motivated enough, the big corporations will also act more responsibly. Elections are typically held every four to five years across the world, but the planning and execution cycles to contain climate change impacts are more than that. According to Stephen Humphreys, the politicians and the well healed won't be affected, even if there is a cataclysmic 3C rise, till there is civil disobedience.
Now India is no exception. During the ongoing 2024 parliamentary elections, no political party is explicitly talking about the devastating effects of climate crisis. Except the educated middle class and above, many of us do not fully understand the scientific phenomenon of climate change and its implications on our daily lives. This lack of awareness leads to climate change not influencing our voting decisions. But the issues related to its consequences, such as water scarcity, agriculture challenges, and economic impacts are being discussed aggressively.> Between 2016- 2021, climate extreme events caused damage to crops in over 36 million hectares, and a $3.75 billion loss for farmers in the country. If estimates from the report on ‘Loss and Damage Today’ by economist James Rising were to be believed, India lost 8% of its GDP in 2022.
Both the major political political parties, in India, have elaborately mentioned climate agenda in their election manifestos which are statement of intentions and not policy documents. However, Indian political parties tend to focus on immediate, emotive issues rather than long-term environmental concerns, which are not always seen as directly affecting voter in the short term. Environmental challenges and political priorities are consciously kept disconnected during election campaigns. No political party want to stir the hornet's best. Since meeting daily needs and economic growth are pressing concerns, the common people are prioritizing survival issues like employment, education, and healthcare over environmental policies.
The fate of climate change and politics is deeply intertwined. If climate issue fails to strike a strong resonance in the election campaigns across the globe, there is not much way forward.
We wanted to make something good tonight so we made Gatte Ki Subzi together ❤️
A Rajasthani dish made of besan dumplings in yogurt sauce, it is one of our favorite dishes.
We are thinking about doing something more elaborate like this every Thursday evening as a way to start the weekend a bit early (since we both have WFH on Fridays 😊).
The INS Delhi (guided missile destroyer), INS Shakti(fleet tanker), and INS Kiltan (anti-submarine corvette) reached the #Changi naval base in the city-state on Monday, the Indian Navy spokesperson said in a post on X.
The three ships will leave for #Malaysia on Thursday and then visit the #Philippines.
In India, when you go to vote they mark a line on your left index finger's nail and cuticle with an "indelible" blue/dark purple ink to prevent voter fraud. This stain doesn't come off for a few weeks. What I didn't know is that there are several other countries that have also adopted this election ink and in some countries they stain the index finger tip completely!
It's 11 am here rn and already the temp has gone up to 38 deg C. I'm so glad that we left early in the morning today to go vote for the Lok Sabha elections. At 8 am it was cool cloudy weather and we didn't have to stand in the queue too long 🙂
"Tourists to Japan from Singapore and seven other Asian countries will soon find it easier to pay for their purchases using their local QR code wallets under a new joint payment scheme.
[...]
The countries are Singapore (SGQR), Malaysia (DuitNow QR), Indonesia (QRIS), the Philippines (QRPh), Thailand (Thai QR Payment), Cambodia (KHQR), Vietnam (VietQR) and India (BharatQR)."
As the #ClimateCrisis forces people to abandon their land in #Rajasthan, a new industry has sprung up in the desert state, with thousands of gaily decorated vans setting off to sell ice-cream across the country. #ClimateChange
I thought #VanessaDougnac had a piece published somewhere in English that did the rounds here and elsewhere when she was forced to leave #India a few months ago, but I can't find it at all now. Does anyone else remember it?
(I can find lots of other stories talking about her departure, some with quotes from a statement she released, but what I thought I saw was a story, rather than a statement—though links to the statement also gratefully received!)🙏🧡
"In 1881, land here was set aside for a reserve forest," writes Sugato Mukherjee.
"In the decades that followed, however, many wrongs were committed, including a devastating decision to run a 1.6-kilometre railway track through the sanctuary, essentially dividing it in half.
"But the latest chapter is one of hope for both the gibbons and their forest-dwelling neighbours – thanks to rewilding."
#ClimateDiary Watching this made me think yet again about #ClimateJustice or rather, the profound iINJUSTICE of climate change: how the poorest - Rikshah drivers, street hawkers, labourers - suffer the most, without any accees to #AirCon, outside all day, yet contribute nothing to #ClimateChange. The impacts are so hnequal, so unfair, in micro as well as macro ways, it makes you want to screem. #Heatwave#Asia#India#Odisha
Got home yesterday after more than 24 hrs of travel between Dharamshala, India and Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Ate great Indian food.
A highlight was visiting the Dalai Lama's temple located adjacent to where we were staying in McLeod Ganj. We were fortunate to witness the hauntingly beautiful Tibetan Buddhist monks' throat singing. Their deep vibrations get you right in the heart and kishkes (Yiddish for "guts"). (Video attached, turn sound up.)
How a Bird Sparked a Conversation On Climate Rights in India
The Supreme Court of India recently acknowledged the fundamental right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change, making national headlines. This article explores how a petition demanding the conservation of a critically endangered bird led to this landmark statement, which sets an important precedent in climate justice cases around the world
Editorial in Dawn - Pakistan's oldest English Daily:
"The writing is on the wall. The time for incremental steps is over. The scale of the challenge requires bold, decisive actions that reflect the urgency of the moment."
OpIndia going after civilians - a random Muslim school principal who liked a few tweets supporting Palestine and critical of BJP. Imagine these "journalists" stalking random civilians' twitters...