‘Stakeholder Dialogue on Environment aimed at Igniting Environmental Sustainability and Climate Action’

GUWAHATI: The climate emergency has evolved into a common crisis for communities worldwide and has become even more profound in recent times. In view of the same, and considering the increasing climate vulnerability of Assam and Northeast India, Global Foundation (GFAEHW) and Care Luit have jointly presented a multi-stakeholder dialogue aimed at inspiring collaborative climate action under the concept of Mission LiFE (LiFEStyle for Environment). Today’s session was held in NeDFI House.

The impact is manifesting across geographies, hitting societies and economies globally. The fight against climate change has reached its penultimate level; however, to counter the catastrophic impact of a changing climate, it is becoming essential to join our forces by engaging with a range of stakeholders, including youth. Taking advantage of India’s ambitious Net Zero target of 2070 and the goodwill it has been able to wield as the current president of the G20, there is momentum building across parties to commit to greenhouse gas emission reduction combined with measures to protect our natural resources. This deliberation helped mobilise community participation to talk about the complexities of our environmental problems and solutions in a holistic way. This session witnessed a large participation of people from all walks of life, including young people, who are likely to bear the brunt of climate change more. A group of highly regarded experts and practitioners participated and discussed a number of cross-cutting issues of contemporary relevance.

While setting the tone of the programme and moderating the discussion later, award-winning environment professional and CEO of Global Foundation, New Delhi, Dr. Pranab J. Patar, underscored the need for awareness generation and capacity building to aid environmentally informed decision-making that can ignite concrete actions and strategies for localised climate change adaptation.

Dr. Arup Kumar Misra, a well-known technocrat and the Chairman of the Pollution Control Board, Assam, in his opening remark at this unique stakeholder dialogue, underscored the communication challenges in resolving the climate crisis and how communication tools such as street theatres can help in conveying the right messaging towards building a consensus for creating a better and cleaner environment for our future generations. Joy Barua, an acclaimed musician and composer, spoke about how he developed his environmental sensitivity and how it is helping him create music that is compassionate towards our environment.

Swapan Mehra, a well-known environmental finance and climate policy expert from Delhi, reiterated how multiple studies undertaken at the national level have flagged the increasing climate vulnerability of this region, and given the diverse and abundant natural resources of Assam and the neighbouring areas, this makes the region more sensitive to climate change. He spoke on how the green finance mechanism is helping build back our natural ecosystem and reduce carbon emissions.

Rituraj Dewan, a passionate environmental enthusiast and co-founder of 7Weaves, a community-based organization working on sustainable and ethical textiles around Deepor Beel and San Dubi forests, emphatically appealed for a better policy approach to ensure the protection of Deepor Beel RAMSAR Site and its neighbouring forests, which have been conserved by indigenous communities inhabiting the area.

Dr. Dipjyoti Rajkhowa, who is an agronomist and former Joint Director and Principal Scientist, spoke at the ICAR on climate change impacts in respect of agriculture and what should be our priorities to address the challenges associated with a function as important as farming. Anurag Rudra, who is a civil servant currently posted as the Officer on Special Duty at the Guwahati Metropolitan Drinking Water and Sewerage Board, spoke of convergence and cohesion in building a better and more effective service delivery model, including civic service, which is a key ingredient in creating a better urban environment. Fashion designer Sanghamitra Kalita talked about sustainability and sustainable fashion and how mindful consumption can help us get rid of binge shopping and get away from attire made of synthetic fibre, which eventually pollutes soil and water bodies. Hemanta K. Borah, Founder and Managing Partner at PICO, a Pan-IIM Consulting Organisation based in Bengaluru, emphasised the adoption of traditional methods of farming and organic living, besides highlighting the need for skilling and reskilling to match the growing needs of the emerging green sector, stated a press release.

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