Some battles are not only worth fighting but also imperative.
It is considered a leadership trait when a leader knows how to pick his or her battle. A trait that, often, comes with age for a common man who fights several battles every day in personal and professional lives. This seems to apply only to individuals though.
All governments and political parties, with all kinds of leaders, believe that they need to fight every battle that comes their way (and sometimes out of the way too) to showcase their supremacy and dominance in politics and governance. Equipped with all the ammunition, they fight tooth and nail to win over their opponents. They may strategise, intimidate, enforce, deceive, curtail and go to any length to win. They may even wrestle with opponents in a non-level playing field.
Amid all the battles, they conveniently forget or deliberately depriortise an important battle which is the battle against climate change. It ought to be called as a mission but unfortunately, it is termed a battle. The primary reason being the fight is by the people against the government. The battle takes utmost importance because it is not just a battle for the future generations but for the current as well.
I am sure a question will pop up. Shouldn’t the people change first and adopt a greener life before expecting the government to act? It is true to a large extent, but shouldn’t a counter question also pop up? Shouldn’t the governments stop its acts on further damage even as it should act responsibly towards the cause of the environment?
While the governments, with short-term visions, make half-baked attempts and devise policies to safeguard environment and work towards a greener tomorrow, they, in parallel, prioritise and implement projects, which worsen the cause. Governments, with vested interest, are keen to implement self-glorifying projects, which are environmentally damaging even as they give scant respect to environmental repercussions.
They carry these projects close to their heart and go to any extent to implement. They camouflage the objectives of these projects with terms such as memorials, symbols, dedication, pride, culture, movement and monument. They also coerce the relevant departments to forge the environmental clearances. The number of cases pending in the green tribunals stands as testimony. Many of these cases are against the governments for big projects.
While environment-friendly development is the need, there are several projects initiated and implemented in the guise of development and have potential to damage beyond repair. Government plans to provide blanket green approvals to such mega development projects are the icing on the cake.
The pace at which these projects are being proposed, initiated, finalised and implemented without detailed due-diligence is disconcerting. The adverse effects may cascade beyond one’s imagination. Besides, not all climate change indicators are global. We notice every day how eroding sea-shores, decreasing forest cover and changing wildlife habitat and marine ecosystem impact local communities to a large extent.
While attempts towards decreasing the dependence on fossil fuel, achieving carbon neutrality, converting to green energy, planting trees are all very important, attempts to safeguard our current forest, coastline, oceans, rivers, mountains and soil from further damage and degradation are even more important. It would be self-deceiving if we work on the first while we ignore the latter.
It is true the common man faces battles every day in life and has inadequate time to fight his own battles but it becomes imperative to pick one or two more for the sake of environment. Your voice turns out to be the ammunition when you pick such a battle, which may even turn out to be a movement. I may win a battle today if I get the message across even to one person but the important thing is to win the war.
sundarsnathan@gmail.com
