Climate change is a real issue that we are tackling today. From the likes of Greta Thunberg to the fashions of Abhirami, a young environmental activist from Kerala, climate change is affecting people all around the world. I'm sure people know about the effects the climate has on the ever-changing flora and fauna of the world.
Coming to the sub-continent of India, we sure have formulated a lot of policies to preserve and protect our environment and its surroundings. From the very famous Chipko movement that had people hugging trees so that they are not cut to Adivasis fighting for their lands, our policies and laws have come a long way. Some of the famous acts that have been made in India to protect nature is:
1. The National Green Tribunal Act of 2010
2. The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
3. The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
4. The Environment Protection Act, 1986
5. The Hazardous Waste Management Regulations, etc.
Moving on to recent strategies that have been legitimatized to reduce the effects of climate change in India, the Prime Minister's Cabinet had introduced the National Action Plan on Climate Change in 2008. This plan aimed at reducing the implications of climate change by making the country more eco-friendly and reduce the emission of carbon footprints. Ever since then, India went on to record the highest pollution levels the world has ever seen and also became one of the countries with the largest carbon footprints.
Just to understand all of this further, I interviewed Dr. Toby Francis, retired professor, and environmental activist. After his thesis on the topic, "Seasonal Variations Avifauna concerning Habitat Changes in Kole Wetlands of Thrissur District", he was more than prompted to do his part to protect his surroundings.
A very busy man, he was only able to spare few minutes of his time to talk to me. Based on the research he had conducted, one of the first questions that I had asked him was about the diminishing wetlands that he might have noticed during the course of his research. He said that more than the wetlands that were diminishing, it was the fauna that was thinning in size. The birds, in particular, were not many in number. Although it does not have any direct connection to mankind, he said that this was happening due to the rapid climate change and sooner or later, mankind's going to be affected by it. He also mentioned that in the Thrissur-Tamilnadu border, peacocks were many in number and this was an unusual phenomenon that started sometime back. In the olden days, peacocks were not even seen here, whereas now, peacocks were too many and they were causing trouble for the farmers by eating their crops. What was the reason for this sudden thrust of peacocks? Climate Change.
Before leaving him to his thoughts, I just had one more question to ask him. "These tourist places that have become all the more famous after the pandemic. How are they getting affected by climate change?" He replied with one word. Eco-friendly. He went on to explain what he meant. If the tourist areas we visit are eco-friendly, then there's nothing to worry about. Meanwhile, if we are just going for a getaway and destroy the place we went to, we are accountable for it. He believes that more than climate change, we humans have a greater role to play in torturing nature and eventually making our world apocalyptic, not without a bird or plant insight.
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