People, especially in rural and low-income areas, are in mortal dread of getting the jab
It is over a fortnight since hundreds of Government vaccination centres for the 18-44 age group in Delhi have remained shut because of vaccine shortage. The story is the same in several other States. It is the primary reason for the vaccination programme slackening. The other, and more important reason with serious implications, is vaccination hesitancy. It has afflicted the low-income group residential colonies, slums and the countryside the maximum. People are simply refusing to take the jab. They are running away from accredited social health activists (ASHA). Along with infection in the second wave, misinformation and rumours too have trickled into the rural areas. Several voluntary agencies that have visited the villages across the country return with the same message: It is very difficult to convince villagers. They believe what they have heard or read or seen on television. Nothing shakes their belief. In late April and May, there were reports of villagers running away from health workers carrying the infrared thermometers, thinking them to be guns. That is what they are called in the villages of Uttar Pradesh, for instance. Their orthodoxy and conservative beliefs strengthen the rumours and the half-baked information they get to hear about the vaccines. One of the bizarre reasons is that vaccines cause impotence. Or that they heard on television that vaccination after-effects can show after even two or three years. Some think vaccines cause death, some that they offer incomplete protection against COVID-19.
Some migrant and daily wage workers are diffident about taking vaccines because if they get fever as reaction, they might lose a day’s wages. People, particularly members of tribal communities in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan, use any and all excuses to not visit the vaccination centres. These centres have vaccines, but the queues are just not forming; at best the people are a trickle. The Union Government urgently needs to run a national campaign to dispel the rumours in rural areas. It needs to be a top-down campaign because the villagers and tribals are hardly listening to ASHA and health workers. The people will hear those in power or position who they can trust. It is their messages they will hear and believe. The countryside has had experience with several national immunisation programmes in the past, polio drops for example, and workers never had any problem administering the doses. The Chief Ministers have only now begun to personally tour rural areas to convince people to vaccinate themselves. The vaccination drive is boiling down to a paradoxical situation where vaccines are available in the rural areas for free but people are hesitant to take the jab, while in urban centres where vaccines are available at a cost in private centres, people with low financial means are unable to afford them. Later in June, and certainly in July, India will have plenty of vaccines. What will be needed are people to take the jabs.
( Courtesy Pioneer )
The leaders of every era should leave behind some architecture that represents the ethos of that era, like the Central Vista project
The Parliament House, where I sat until April 2000, made one feel welcome and important. It inspired me to participate in speech after speech. Our best speakers were in the Vajpayee Ministry and could not debate, only reply or wind up debates. It is the non-Ministers who had to do the debating and the routine speaking, plus asking questions. I attended every session day and generally sat until the House was adjourned for the next day.
In a different way, I loved my mother and she reciprocated as I was her only child. When she became 78, I wished she would live another 70 years or more. But she had become old with a broken femur; it was better for her to go. I let her go and, gracefully, did not shed a tear. Life is growth and progress, change is the inevitable law. The Parliament complex, in the year 2000, was already getting old. The plaster, paint and what-not applied during the non-session time made it look elegant as do rouge, powder and make-up make a lady pretty. Nevertheless, ageing was inevitable.
There were many committee and standing committee meetings and, if the convener was not a VIP, we were allotted pokey little rooms on an upper floor. I wondered why, in the first place, such small rooms were built. Then I discovered that a junior officer vacated his room for the sake of the meeting; there was no other space for us. We were then a total of 795 members. This was the number after a revision in the 1950s when the population of India was 40 crore plus. Today, India is believed to be at least three times as much.
I enquired from late Chief Minister Sahib Singh the number of people he earlier represented in the Lok Sabha. His answer was “at least 30 lakh”. Now, the large constituencies must be unmanageably huge. It is high time the number of members increased to 1,000. The seating is close, although comfortable.
We are now under the shadow of COVID and the new spacing has to be more liberal, which means the halls should be twice as large. Ditto goes for all the other facilities: the Central Hall, the canteens, the library, the ministerial chambers, the committee rooms et al.
The existing Parliament House was to train Indian representatives to be legislators. They were expected then to legislate or even debate subjects. For those limited intentions, everything at Parliament was spacious. But time has not stood still, nor has the clock stopped ticking. A century has passed by and it has taken its toll. Those visitors who have seen only the ground floor might question the need to build it again but those like me who have toured the upper storeys would know what is overdue and what is not.
Reading newspapers and watching the TV channels, I have found for months that the widely given advice is to spend and spend money to distribute to the last man in the queue of poverty. Beyond a point, how does one distribute money except by spending it on public works, as President Roosevelt had done 1932 onwards. When it comes to political opposition, leaders say how can you waste money on the luxury of the Central Vista when the COVID treatment needs the greatest attention. What an extraordinary contradiction between the economic masters, including Nobel Laureates, on the one hand and the only national Opposition, on the other?
The leaders of every era should leave behind some architecture that represents the ethos of that era. That is making, not writing, history. The Muslim rulers were conscious of this requirement; the Hindus did build enduring temples but little else. Unfortunately, iconoclasts in north India did not allow many temples to survive. In a way, some history was thus lost and we should be aware of this lacuna.
Those who have been inside the offices in, say, Shastri Bhawan and its companions Udyog, Nirman or Krishi Bhawans know what they are like. The first floor of Nirman Bhawan has been refurbished very well, the rest I don’t know. They are probably constructed in a hurry or cheaply or carelessly, or all three. That was done decades ago but we should now put these right. Europe gave great importance to architecture as the sentinels of an era. Look at the number of lovely State buildings in Mumbai, the statues of Kolkata which are now hidden at the back of Victoria Memorial.
Not as a lesson in iconoclasm but as the historical importance of architecture, let us quote Sir Arnold Toynbee, the great philosopher of history: “In the course of the first Russian occupation of Warsaw, the Russians had built an Eastern Orthodox Christian Cathedral in the city that had been the capital of the independent Roman Catholic country, Poland. The Russians had done this to give the Poles a continuous demonstration that the Russians were now the masters. After the re-establishment of Poland’s independence in 1918, the Poles pulled this cathedral down. I do not blame the Polish Government for having pulled down the Russian church.”
(The writer is a well-known columnist and an author. The views expressed are personal.)
( Courtesy Pioneer )
Delhi must take all safeguards to save lives and prevent a repeat of past mistakes
As the latest set of relaxations comes into force and Delhi reopens today for the first time since April 19, it’s time for us to have a relook at all the lessons we’ve learned, or failed to learn, from our experiences with COVID-19. First and foremost, even though the Arvind Kejriwal Government has clearly spelled out the riders, we must appreciate that the Government can do only this much; now the onus of following all the rules and regulations lies squarely on the shoulders of the citizens. Delhiites must not forget that once the upward spiral in the number of daily cases was arrested earlier, we all went around recklessly without following COVID-appropriate behaviour; in the process, risking our own lives and that of our loved ones. Of course, the number of cases shot up soon enough and the crisis reached such a pass that, despite claiming that it was fully geared to meet any eventuality, the Delhi Government had to throw up its hands and admit that there were not sufficient hospital beds or medical oxygen to take care of the ailing citizenry.
If all the residents of the Capital follow simple steps and show concern for the lives of all others around them, it won’t be too tough for the city to get back to its feet sooner rather than later. Such simple steps largely involve common sense and a sense of respect towards fellow citizens. Wear your masks, and it can’t be stressed enough, wear them properly covering the mouth and the nose, not loosely hanging around your neck just to deceive the law. Next, always, always follow social distancing. One understands that a lot of people, especially the children, would be happy to just get of their houses again and meet their friends but never must they violate the mask and the social distancing rules. Then, knowing well that the Metro services would be available only at 50 per cent capacity, and maybe the number of trains would also remain curtailed, it makes sense to allow yourself a little extra time for the commute. Account for the time you may have to wait at the Metro station, before you are allowed inside the bogie to take care of the physical distancing clause. Simple steps like these would go a long way in keeping the virus at bay and us, alive.
Rather than confronting the Centre on mundane issues, the States should work with it to beat the virus
If pizzas can be delivered at home why not rations, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has asked the Centre over its blockage of his direct-to-home ration scheme. In March and April, Kejriwal should have been asked the same question, replacing rations with oxygen and beds. It is pure politics that is at play and, unfortunately, the standoff diverts the attention of both away from the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that has just seen a deathly second wave lash Delhi with the possibility of an even more dangerous third one later. However well defined the direct-to-home ration scheme is, it pales as a priority before the national objective of escaping the clutches of the virus. Leaving politics aside, the one and the only priority today is to vaccinate as many 18+ people as possible before this year-end. Yes, there have been mistakes in not acting in time for making available the required doses. The Union Government, at least now, is trying to be proactive in obtaining doses through June and July so that the vaccination drive picks up speed. The States do not see eye to eye with the Centre on either the procurement or the pricing, but these might become secondary once doses come in; it is important to rectify the mistakes than dwell on them. Both are also preparing for a third wave. While tackling the emergency, what is most avoidable is a Centre-State confrontation, especially on issues unrelated to the pandemic.
However, that is precisely what is happening. The Lakshadweep administrator is involved in a contretemps over non-pandemic issues. The Kerala Assembly had time to pass a resolution against the administrator when its entire focus should have been on the stepped-up lockdown since June 5. The Mamata Government chose an inopportune moment to take up political cudgels against the Prime Minister, well knowing the State had just suffered a cyclonic storm even as the COVID-19 situation is nowhere near being brought under control. Arvind Kejriwal continues to confront the Centre over the ration scheme he claims he was thwarted from launching. Truth be told, had he given as much time to planning for an impending oxygen and bed shortage in March-April, something he and the Aam Aadmi Party Government utterly failed to do, he would have saved Delhiites a lot of pain, mental torture and death. It is clear that the ration scheme comes as a damage control exercise. And the BJP knows that. That is why the standoff. Not only that, he has his eyes on next year’s elections to the municipal corporation he wants to wrest from the BJP. The scheme, if implemented in Delhi, would bolster his party’s chances in coming elections in Goa, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh that Kejriwal feels are crucial to the AAP’s future. He and Mamata and others will get lots of time to take on the Prime Minister, but taking on COVID-19 comes first.
The rise of China as a major economy and military power has been a major development in the 21st century. While China’s economic clout is being felt across all the regions of the world, it has also been aggressively pursuing its military modernisation programme. Though China has been projecting its ascent as a “peaceful rise”, the truth is that Beijing has begun to redefine the prevailing power structure in its favour in Asia, leading sections of international relations experts to argue that that the rise of China must be seen in the historical context of the rise and fall of great powers.
Unfortunately, for a long time in the post-Cold War era, the US too had the illusion of China’s “peaceful rise”. While it was only after the coming of President George W Bush to power that the US began to view China as a major strategic competitor, the US under Donald Trump launched a trade war against China and also initiated efforts to strengthen the relationship with its allies and partners under the overarching umbrella of the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) Strategy with the aim of having the “sole superpower status” in the region.
Of course, the change in the approach of the US towards China has been driven by several factors, including China’s increasing control over the South China region, improved ties between Beijing and Moscow, the Chinese Communist Government’s support to Iran and North Korea, its aim to become a major space power and China’s increased threat to Taiwan, besides its attempt to subvert the liberal international institutions. Consequently, these moves by China, coupled with an increasing trade surplus with the US, have directly challenged America’s eminent position in Asia and beyond.
But there is now a growing sentiment among the US security officials and experts that, given its economic conditions as well as its security commitments in the Middle East and elsewhere, it is not possible for the US alone to ensure peace and security in the region and thereby to contain China’s assertive posturing. At the same time, there is also an emerging understanding among the strategic circles in Washington that the US’ unilateral actions against China could not garner much support from other regional powers as they are aiming to promote a multi-polar world order in the Indo-Pacific.
It is in this context that successive US Presidents since George W Bush have deliberately invested in transforming ties with the rising powers, like India, so that a strong and unchallenged balance of power can be developed against China. Thus, the Trump Administration placed India at the centre of the FOIP strategy. India has also explicitly indicated its desire to work with the US to promote security, openness, democracy and development in the region. In turn, India and the US have taken a slew of measures, including the signing of the Communications, Compatibility and Security Agreement to transform their security and defence relations to new heights. The Biden Administration has also indicated towards continuing his predecessor’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
Undoubtedly, there are structural and practical factors bringing India and the US together against China. For the US, a rising India, conditioned by democratic values, the idea of freedom and the principle of coexistence, is not seen as a threat to its leadership position in Asia. In fact, given the size of India’s territory, population, economy, military, geographical proximity and historical border dispute with China and its desire to emerge as a global player, Washington views New Delhi as the most suitable balancer against Beijing. India’s “Act East Policy” has also been viewed in conformity with the US’ strategy towards the Indo-Pacific. India’s open willingness to work with the US in recent times has been an encouraging development for the American administration.
For India, the relationship with China has largely remained fragile and tense and Xi Jinping’s recent assertive posturing on the contested border issue has only intensified its security concerns.
China’s support to Pakistan against India and Beijing’s efforts to foster a new nexus among China, Pakistan and Russia, as well as to develop a “String of Pearls” against India through the Belt and Road Initiative and other means have further posed multilayered challenges to India. Therefore, India needs to build a strong and robust partnership with the US to effectively contain China. India thinks that the presence of the US in South Asia will help maintain a balance of power in its favour. Without gaining access to US’ advanced weaponry and technology, India cannot modernise its military and the US’ changed policy towards Pakistan has also emboldened India to make close engagement with America.
While it becomes aptly clear that the current phase of the triangular relationship is tilted towards India and the US, its future direction largely depends on Biden’s China policy.
(Shahi is the Principal, AN College, Patna; and Sumit is a former Ministry of Foreign Affairs Visiting Fellow, NCCU, Taipei, and Research Fellow, the Chennai Centre for China Studies. The views expressed are personal.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has successfully pulled the nation out of the morass of corruption and several other ills plaguing it thus far
The Nehruvian ethos, which had a vice-like grip over India’s polity and the minds of most Indians, was a combination of socialism and secularism. The Nehruvian socialism was symbolic of anti-colonialism as well as political justification for governance to be sympathetic to communists. This helped Indira Gandhi to survive as the PM between her splitting the Congress in 1969 and her re-election in 1972. Secularism meant being nice to minorities and making sure that Muslims voted for the Congress.
India’s military suffered deliberate neglect. In 1947 itself, Nehru curtly told General Lockhart (the interim Army commander) that the police were adequate to protect the country. The mindset carried on till the Sonia/Manmohan decade (2004-14); not a single weapon system was acquired, although India had inherited a depleted military. Corruption was a prerequisite for those sympathising with the party. Indira had stamped her approval on corruption, stating: “Which country in the world is free from corruption?”
The prime ministership was the monopoly of the Congress, or ex- Congressmen or pro-Congressmen like Vajpayee, a mindset sustained from 1947 to 2014, 77 long years. The Nehruvian ethos had sufficient time to take deep roots. The best political talent went into that party. Those not in the Congress too learnt their politics — even some BJP leaders — from the Congress. This was the paradise of Nehruvianism in which many politicians, journalists and hangers-on flourished.
Imagine the consternation of the Nehruvian world when a man like Narendra Modi led the Opposition. Out of contempt and hatred, one Congressman called him a chaiwala and then neech (lowly). A few recognised him to be a tornado that could blow away their paradise. They were proved right, as Modi’s first term itself showed. But when 2019 approached, his enemies saw a glimmer of hope. If Modi were to obtain only about 200 Lok Sabha seats, leaders within his own party might try to coalesce with the Opposition members. A coalition wouldn’t want Modi. Two such leaders were hopefully hovering.
When the results gave Modi more than 300 seats, all patrons of the Nehruvian paradise were broken-hearted. Not finding anything to criticise, they grabbed any mud to fling at him. Demonetisation was “a blunder” because it destroyed the “informal” sector, by which they meant the black money sector. Even scholars on TV debates repeatedly said the informal sector was “very valuable” to the Indian economy. Their stand came from estimates that 40 per cent of the economy was black. Next, the historic introduction of the Goods and Services Tax — one country one sales tax — was abused. It would earlier take a truck seven days to deliver, but now takes only three. The GST has made it dangerous to evade even income tax. Modi’s adversaries called the tax “badly administered”, conveniently forgetting that it was originally their idea, possibly proposed in the hope that all States wouldn’t accept it. But (late) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley succeeded in what has been a long-term boon for the economy, already very useful. The GST has killed a big perquisite for the denizens of Nehru’s paradise.
Article 370 was deeply divisive to Indians, more potentially than seemed until now. It carried within the potential of secession, not only of Kashmir but also elsewhere. It was perpetuated to keep aflame the Hindu Muslim divide. The country was surprised to find no great reaction to this bold step. Pakistan made some noise but then kept quiet; lately its Foreign Minister too stated on the floor of the National Assembly that Article 370 is India’s domestic matter.
Corruption has been significantly reduced at higher levels. Among the Ministers, there have been no complaints. Modi has himself set a sterling example. And there has been little coercion.
Black money has not disappeared, but is much reduced. With taxes low enough, payment in white is gradually becoming the habit. India is becoming digital, as is the need in the modern world. Decades ago, Swedish scholar Gunnar Myrdal had categorised States into soft and strong; India was a soft State; Modi’s governance has set it on the path of becoming a strong one. Pakistan has learnt several lessons; Kashmir is quiet. China’s behaviour has changed after Galwan. Imagine a Prime Minister turning up within four days at Ladakh to visit our injured soldiers in hospital and addressed our troops. What a difference that gesture made. No other leader in India has done anything of the like before.
Another way of explaining this is that India was a half sovereign State, whereby it was not effective and its writ did not run up to all its frontiers. This was so even domestically in some ways. Whenever a central Minister was alleged to be corrupt, the Prime Minister would wriggle out of his responsibility terming the accused to be a coalition partner, not the PM’s party. Narendra Modi has taken India on the road to strength and full sovereignty. Those who thrived in the erstwhile paradise do not know what has hit them.
(The writer is a well-known columnist and an author. The views expressed are personal.)
( Courtesy Pioneeer )
A committee set up to care for daily wage earners must not let them down, especially post-pandemic
The good news is that the Government initiates moves for a minimum wage floor in the country and a national minimum wage. The bad news is that the body entrusted with the job has been given a three-year tenure but not told by when it will have to submit the recommendations. For sure, nothing will be announced in 2021. The tenure of the six-member committee lasts till 2024. This is the second such committee. The first one submitted its report in 2019, but the Labour Ministry set it aside. The report had recommended a national minimum wage of Rs 375 per day and a monthly salary of Rs 9,750. The Seventh Pay Commission recommended daily wages between Rs 596 and Rs 723 to unskilled and skilled workers, respectively. Today, the national minimum wage stands at Rs 178 per day. It can be considered the national floor-level wage. The national floor refers to the minimum level of wage that is applicable to all categories of workers across the country. Indian wages are set considering nearly 2,000 types of jobs for unskilled workers and nearly 400 categories of employment with a minimum wage for each kind of job. India is a labour-intensive country and so wages are relatively lower. However, they are so low they are not market-clearing wages, but the most minimum acceptable wages without falling below subsistence level.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made the already complex work of the committee more complicated. Given the avoidable movement of daily-wage migrants during the two phases, the primary task of the committee would be to arrive at a national floor wage that gives a respectable pay packet to the workers, that reduces the difference in wages between urban and rural areas and is read along with a labour policy that promises an assured employment for a certain period every year. It is not yet clear what the Government’s policy will be in this regard. Is it to provide a sane wage? Is it to remove growing inequality between the organised and unorganised sectors? Either way, a higher wage may mean a reduction in jobs — that is the lurking danger. The committee has to deal with another issue: Will there be separate floor wage rates for different geographical regions in India? In which case, will the Centre take the States into confidence before determining the rates while ensuring the wage gaps are not big? For instance, Tripura is a low-wage State while Kerala is a labour-scarce State. How can a floor wage reconcile the two? Article 43 says the State shall secure work for all workers while the Directive Principles say the ideal is a higher than minimum wage. So, what defines a minimum wage in today’s India? Is it a wage that gives a worker two square meals a day? Or is it a living wage that helps the worker and a family survive? Or should it be a liveable wage that confers minimum dignity of life and living?
( Courtesy Pioneer )
The political-industrial complex is more to blame than any other group
The world's ice is melting faster than scientific forecasts, forests are burning everywhere from tropics to arctics, oceans are converted into dump yards, animal population are in a free fall, micro plastics are now in our air, water, food and foetus and environmental activists are being murdered all around the world. But come Saturday-June 5, 2021-the whole world will come together to 'celebrate' environment day just like last year and the year before and since 1974. It has been close to half a century of promises, pledges, laws, policies, environmental safeguards and fads that come and gone but the fact of the matter is we as a human race have very little to show for. The collective effort and urgency to deal with planetary level problems such as climate change and biodiversity loss is still missing and the few steps that we see at national and global levels are half-hearted, incapable of ushering transformation to fundamentally change the way we produce food, do business, generate power, manage waste and treat other life forms. It is an open secret that the political-industrial complex has a larger role in undermining environmental integrity than any other special group. Unfortunately, the same groups are slowly hijacking the new global narrative of transformation and building back better. It is true that we can't solve climate change without governments and corporates taking the lead but there is too little being done to be encouraged.
For instance, fossil fuel. Its days are numbered and it will give way to renewables eventually. However, a mere technological change should not be celebrated as a win. The transformations should bring about structural and systemic change as the intergovernmental bodies (IPCC, IPBES) of UN have been demanding for years. Notice how quickly the fossil industry tried to hijack the build back better narrative by pushing a gas-based (another form of fossil-fuel) recovery on the government agenda.
Even the renewable energy revolution, supposedly about energy independence, decentralisation, local employment, and energy access to the underserved, is very much a corporate affair now. There are cases where large solar parks have demonstrated all the hallmarks of a typical mining or thermal power plant establishment in tribal areas-forceful and illegal land grab of fertile lands, bypassing land rights of local communities, impacting livelihood, police brutality, and corruption, among other things. Greenwashing is not limited to the energy sector and has a strong presence in the land-use sector too.
It is sad that many well-meaning environmental NGOs are unable to think beyond the market approach that shows our mental capitulation to capitalism, which is a reason why there is an environmental crisis in the first place. Nicholas Stern, author of The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change 2006, famously said climate change is a result of the greatest market failure that the world has seen and yet the global narrative is still dominated by market forces.
The problem is not that there isn't enough public money to finance restoration initiatives. The problem is that there isn't enough political will to finance environment. Any proposition of radical change threatens this position and hence the invention of environmental fads like carbon offsets, REDD+ and net-zero.
(The author is with Oxfam India based out of Jharkhand and is the project officer for climate justice. The views expressed are personal.)
Practices that are now seen as routine were brought about through our drastic behaviour change in the past to curb the spread of infection and even the plague
We need to start buildingour Covid capable world. The pervasive fear of a third wave exists as the second wave wanes. We have been here before; a merenine months have passed since the last 'unlock' that ushered in the calamitous second wave. Isthere a way to resume normalcy without unleashing the horror of a third wave?
It is now apparent that the coronavirus is here to stay. There is no miracle drug in thepipeline. Vaccination programs will take some time toface up to the twin challenges of a rapidly mutating virus and a large, susceptiblepopulation. Humanity, meanwhile, will have to get by.
Humankind has shown a remarkable tendency to survive despite adversity. Having neverbeen the strongest, the fastest, or the most immune, mankind has managed to win bysimply being the most adaptable. There is no innate resistance to the hardships of nature,just rapid adjustments through social, behavioural, and scientific engineering.
This is readily seen in our response to past epidemics. The bubonic plague, which causedthree deadly pandemics, was controlled through improvements in housing, sanitation, andhygiene. The disease was eliminated by rat-proofing homes, filling up holes in housesand adopting better food storage techniques. Drainage andsanitation were improved. City-wide quarantines were strictly enforced. Recordsof vinegar used as sanitizer range back to the 17th century.
A similar adaptation was seen in our response to HIV. Practices that are now seen asroutine were brought about through drastic behaviour change to curb the spread of theinfection. Universal testing of blood products in blood banks was started. Single-useneedles and syringes were brought into use. Universal precautions were introduced inhospitals to protect healthcare workers. Safe sex practices were encouraged. Despite thepervading stigma, testing in all expectant mothers was introduced to prevent mother-tochildtransmission. Awareness campaigns that explained how to break the chain oftransmission were instrumental in slowing the spread of HIV/AIDS. Four decades after the discovery of this virus, we are in the process of developing effective drugs to controland maybe one day 'cure' HIV. Meanwhile, society has learned how to exist with thedisease.
Combating the Covid-19 pandemic will require equal grit and commitment to behaviourchange. This is already apparent in healthcare settings, where all patients are being testedfor Covid-19 at admission. Healthcare workers are wearing masks and level 2 PPE innon-Covid wards as well. UV air purifiers and HEPA filters are being installed, andventilation in wards is being improved. Even in non-Covid wards, attempts are beingmade to keep beds at safe distances from each other, with the assumption that any ofthese 'test-negative' patients may turn out to be Covid positive any day. Droplet and aerosol precautions are being reinforced time and again, and online awareness coursesare being administered.
Similar changes are required in the community because, after all, Covid patients do notjust exist in hospitals. They come from the community. A strong response on all fronts -domestic, social, and occupational - is required to make our society capable offunctioning with the threat of the Covid infection.
Universal face masking, social distancing, and regular hand washing have alreadybecome the norm. However, to err is human, and so, these precautions are forgotten whenmeeting our loved ones. To ensure Covid - safety, meeting habits need to change. Largeparties held in closed rooms should give way to smaller gatherings under the starlight.Gatherings at the garden gazebo are back, family picnics are in, and we bid a sad farewellto kitties at the club.
In large societies and apartment buildings, elevators, staircases, and parking lots areinfection hubs. This needs to be reinforced with large signs reminding people to wearmasks in these potentially infectious sites. With time, these areas can be made betterventilated to reduce viral load. Similar caution needs to be exercised in commercialcomplexes and malls. Regulated entry of customers and 'sanitation gaps'every few hours may reduce overcrowding. Our shopping habits will have tochange. The local 'kirane wale bhaiya' is set to have a meteoric rise in importance ascommuting becomes limited due to infection risks.Tele-marketing has shown the way for tele-banking, tele-consulting, and tele-OPDs.
Metro and public transport have to be restarted, albeit in a limited capacity. Mandatorymasking, use of face shields, and hand sanitization may protect commuters. Railways and airlines will have todevelop sophisticated techniques for air management, which will result in an increasedcost of travel. International travel will be limited till vaccination rates increase.
Office work will change forever, as work from home becomes more and more acceptable. Intelligent automation and bots that targetreduction in mechanical effort will be put to use in reducing non-vital human contact.Work from home, however, will bring to the fore new societal challenges. Employers willhave to become more sensitive to the pressures people face at home. This will necessitate more flexibility in terms of timings and productivity measures.
Stereotyped gender roles will also be challenged as both husband and wife pitch in fordomestic chores, childcare, and the family's financial stability.
Education pedagogy is set to undergo a paradigm shift. Online teaching and digitallibraries will invite more flexibility in higher education - students can pick their owncourses, teachers, and timings. Field experience and laboratory-based learning will occuron campus, while assignments can be evaluated online. Learning management systemsand webcams will pave the way for online examinations. Blended online and offlinelearning will provide an avenue for the much-needed revamp of our education system.
Traditional amusements likeracing, skipping, Kho- Kho, and 'pithu garam' will be revived with strict attention torespiratory hygiene (regular hand washing, sneezing in the elbow and covering your facewhile coughing).
Religious festivals and fairs have been a subject of much controversy lately. They can bediscouraged but not abolished. Limited entry and social distancing will beinstrumental in improving safety on these occasions. Wisdom to avoid such events inplaces with active spread, and to postpone in the setting of subsequent waves, will haveto be exercised by our religious gurus and enforced by our regulatory authorities.Promoting Covid-appropriate behaviour by spiritual guides and local political leaders maygo a long way in making religious centers Covid-safe.
Rural-urban migration is a reality and an economic necessity. The pandemic hasdeepened social inequalities and worsened living conditions for the economically weakersections. State-led interventions providing safe and decongested housing facilities forrural labor in cities and slums will be vital in reviving developmental activities.
Elections are the backbone of our democracy. They cannot and should not be dispensedwith. However, they can be re-invented using the latest technology. Allotting time slotsfor EVM voting and increasing the number of polling centers can be done immediately. In the future, people can vote through their Aadhaar linked devices after identityverification at polling booths. Counting of votes can be done electronically with remotesupervision through CCTV cameras. At the same time, political parties need to commit tothe safety of their voters and use different means of conversing with voters. Social mediacampaigning is already in vogue. Political rallies need to be re-envisioned with deeperengagement in smaller groups while discouraging super-spreader events.
Monika is a 1989 batch IAS officer in UP. Prerna is a Resident, (Medicine), involved in COVID management at AIIMS, Delhi. The views expressed are personal.
( Courtesy PIONEER )
The National Testing Agency (NTA) will soon release the application form for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2021. The official website, neet.nta.nic.in and ntaneet.nic.in have the link activated. The official website displays that the application form will be available soon.
The medical entrance exam for admission to undergraduate courses is scheduled to be held on August 1. However, amid the Covid concerns, the Education Ministry will decide soon on conducting the medical entrance exam NEET in August, as per news agency PTI.
(Sources)
Introduction
Nature provides the foundation for human existence and prosperity, but humanity is waging war on it resulting in planetary crises, among others, (a.o), the climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and COVID-19. The Nature, Natural systems and the Natural resources are interlinked, interdependent, and are nested, occupying the biggest space by nature, medium level space by natural systems and small space by natural resources. They are also interchangeably referred to in this paper.
Several reports provide unequivocal and alarming evidence that the planet is flashing red warning signs of natural systems failure. The way we produce and consume food and energy, along with the blatant disregard for the environment entrenched in our current economic model, has pushed nature to its limits. The consequences of our recklessness are apparent in human suffering together with towering economic losses.
Making peace with nature is the defining task of the coming decades. We still have a chance to put things in the right perspective. It’s time for the world to agree on a “New Deal for Nature and People”, committing to stop and reverse the degeneration of natural systems and build a nature – positive economy and society with peace and justice.
By recognising its true value of nature in policies, plans and economic systems, we can channel investments in activities that restore nature and enhance resilience and long term sustainability. Urgency and ambition are needed to transform various systems, including how we produce and consume food, sustainably manage water, provide sanitation, and manage forests, biodiversity, land and oceans. A sustainable economy driven by renewable energy and nature-based solutions will create new jobs, cleaner infrastructure and a resilient future. An inclusive world at peace with nature can ensure that people enjoy better health, the full respect of their human rights, and to live with dignity on a healthy planet.
A surge in fragility, conflict and violence (FCV) in recent years has left a trail of human suffering, displacement and protracted humanitarian needs. By 2030, up to two-thirds of the world’s extreme poor will live in situations affected by FCV. Violent conflicts have increased to the highest levels, observed over the past 30 years. The world also faces the largest displacement crisis ever, with more than 79 million people fleeing conflict and violence. These challenges are exacerbated by risks, such as nature destruction, violent extremism, and pandemics like COVID-19.
Human choices shaped by values and institutions, have given rise to the interconnected planetary and social imbalances, we face. If equity innovation and stewardship become central to what it means to live a good life, human flourishing can happen alongside easing planetary pressures as under:-
Addressing fragility, conflict, and violence; tackling climate, biodiversity and pollution emergencies; protecting and enhancing natural capital and ecosystem integrity; building resilience to natural hazards and extreme climate events; responding to environmental health risks; transforming food, water and energy systems to meet growing human needs in an equitable, resilient and environmentally friendly manner; transforming economic and financial systems so they lead and power the shift toward sustainability; supporting environmental justice movement to enhance the power of unseen, unheard and undervalued groups, and recovering from COVID-19 pandemics.
All the above issues have found solid footing on the ground, including human rights, nature protection, human health and livelihoods with peace and prosperity and thereby setting a determined new path towards sustainable development.
Addressing Planetary crises
Climate change.
Climate change poses serious challenges to environmental sustainability through natural hazards, extreme weather events, species loss, water scarcity, food and nutritional insecurity, cost of public health and many other impacts. A 2018 study on, “Climate change and violent conflict” by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said, “as the effects of climate crisis on livelihoods become more pronounced, support for rebel groups is likely to shoot”.
The Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) concludes that evidence of changes in the climate system is unequivocal, with the atmosphere and oceans warming, glaciers and polar ice melting, sea level rising, and greenhouse gas (GHG) concentration increasing. This scenario is of particular significance for South Asia as this region is highly vulnerable to climate – induced natural disasters and rising sea levels. Climate change could cause over 62 million people to be displaced in South Asia by 2050. “The South Asia’s Hotspots: Impacts of Temperature and Precipitation Change on Living Standard Report” says that 800 million people in the region live in FCV areas, where livelihoods are vulnerable to climate impacts and for potential displacement. For reducing the impact of climate change and promoting peaceful societies, the initiated programmes include: reducing carbon emissions, changing the energy mix, and mitigating the effects of climate change; help countries in formulation of “National Adaptation Plans (NAPs)” to strengthen resilience and adapt to climate change; build resilience to natural hazards and extreme climate events, and adoption of climate – smart practices and better water management.
India is highly vulnerable to climate change as under:-
Extreme weather events can impact 75% of India’s districts – with a spike in such events since 2005;
There is a shift occurring in the pattern of extreme climate events, flood-prone areas are becoming drought-prone and vice-versa in over 40% districts; in 2020, floods in Assam affected more than 60,000 people while Hyderabad recorded rainfall of 29.8 cms in 24 hours – Cyclone Amphan, which impacted the coastal districts of West Bengal, displaced over 4.9 million people; between 1970 and 2004, three extreme flood events occurred annually on average. After 2005, the yearly average rose to 11. Similarly, the annual average for districts affected by floods rose to 55 from 19. The yearly average number of districts affected by cyclones has tripled since 2005 and the cyclone frequency has doubled, and six of the ten extreme weather events globally in 2020 took place in Asia, with floods in India and China causing damages of over $40 billion.
Climate change resilience actions included:-
Bold steps on clean energy and energy efficiency, developing disaster risk reduction strategies in the face of growing climate threats; afforestation and biodiversity conservation; sustainable life-styles and guiding philosophy of “back to basics”; mobilising green finance, clean technology and green collaboration; strengthening resilience to climate change and natural disasters; making natural resources, environment and water infrastructure resilient to drought, and accelerating technologies, like hydrogen, carbon capture, use and storage, soil and forest carbon, and energy storage to backup renewable sources and decarbonise transport, and low or zero emissions in steel and aluminum production.
Biodiversity.
Biodiversity is fundamental to human life on Earth. But it is being destroyed at an unprecedented rate. Since the industrial revolution, human activities have increasingly destroyed and degraded forests, grasslands, wetlands and other important ecosystems, threatening human well-being. Seventy-five per cent of the Earth’s ice-free land surface has already been significantly altered, most of the oceans are polluted, and more than 85% of the area of wetlands has been lost.
Biodiversity loss threatens food and nutritional security and urgent action is needed to address this issue. Where and how we produce food is one of the biggest human-activity related threats to nature and our ecosystems, making the transformation of our global food system more important.
Data from the United Nations Environment Programme shows that, per person, our global stock of natural capital has declined by nearly 40 % since the early 1990s, while the produced capital has doubled and human capital has increased by only 13%. For scaling up and accelerating the conservation, sustainable use and restoration of biodiversity started following activities:-
Sustainable management and restoration of landscape and seascape that are productive and often inhabited; new land – and resource-use rules and objectives that are beneficial neutral or at least much less harmful to biodiversity; recognition of the custodial traditions and knowledge of indigenous peoples and tribals and local communities, and the use of participatory approaches to resource management; fisheries reform, integrated spatial planning, conservation, climate mitigation and reducing pollution are all key to storing marine life; key actions to conserve biodiversity such as reversing the net loss of habitat, battling over-fishing, reducing pollution and slowing the spread of invasive alien species, and protected area network need to be expanded, interconnected and better managed.
Pollution
Widespread pollution is one of the root causes of disease burden, especially among lower economic strata and women. There is widespread risk of environmentally induced mortality and morbidity from indoor and urban air pollution, drinking water contamination, poor sanitation, and vector-borne diseases. Establishment and enforcement of air and water quality standards, Cartagena bio-safety protocol and integrated vector management are critical policy responses. Reducing pollution requires both regulatory and economic approaches to accelerate needed energy and resource use efficiencies, which may include promoting renewable energy and developing sustainable transportation infrastructure.
Air and water pollution, land degradation and climate changes act synergistically to cause pervasive, extensive and systematic damage to biodiversity and ecosystem services on land and in the ocean. Water pollution and air pollution are often linked, since diversion of waste from one pathway can simply displace into another pathway. Reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases typically also reduce air pollution. Plastic and chemical waste entering the biosphere contribute to both biodiversity loss and to land degradation. The multiple interactions between environmental problems mean that uncoordinated single use solutions are inefficient and likely to fail. Integrated land-water-waste management including agroforestry reduced land, water and air pollution. Technology has optimised the use of resources and products are now circular by design, ending flow of waste and restoration of nature.
Poor air quality is dangerous to public health. Long-term exposure to outdoor and household pollution contributed to over 1.67 million deaths in India in 2019. It also contributed to the deaths of more than 1, 16,000 Indian infants in their first month of life in 2019. As per the U.S. based Health Effects Institute, more than half of these deaths were associated with outdoor PM 2.5 and others were linked to use of solid fuels such as charcoal, wood and animal dung for cooking.
By adopting a holistic approach to tackle the crisis, carried out and monitored on a real time basis with a strong push towards the behavioral change of citizens. Helped in air pollution reduction through: proactive efforts of National Clean Air Plan (NCAP); stepped-up efforts in consumption of renewable energy and phasing out of fossil fuels; universalised access to clean cooking fuel; reducing the pollution at source, such as improved public transport; better planning of green cover to reduce dust; avoiding forest fires, burning of agricultural residues and wastes, and better regulation of construction works.
Increasing support to fragile conflict & violence (FCV) affected places.
There are more than 1.5 billion people living in countries affected by fragility, conflict and violence. In 2019, the number of people forced out of their home exceeded 79.5 million who have largely migrated from FCV affected countries. Such areas are invariably marked by abundance of arms, rampant gender and sexually based violence, the exploitation of children, the persecution of minorities and vulnerable groups (such as Indigenous People), organised crime, smuggling, trafficking in human beings and other criminal activities. In such situations organised criminal groups are often better resourced than local government and better armed than local law enforcement agencies.
Initiated actions to restore human security, human rights and the rule of law: (i) Persuaded governments to strengthen judicial, police and corrections systems by providing human, financial and material resources; (ii) improved protection of civilians and access to justice and rule of law; (iii) addressed some of the worst consequences of conflict such as forced displacement; (iv) built resilient societies through investment in inclusive and sustainable development; (v) addressed grievances related to exclusion – from access to power, natural resources, security and justice; (vi) empowerment of communities and inclusive decision making for sustained peace; (vii) supported sustainable growth, created jobs, alleviated poverty in indigenous areas; (viii) promoted people – centered approach for managing natural resources and sharing of benefits derived from them, and (ix) strengthened local conflict resolution mechanisms, while promoting peaceful, just and inclusive societies.
Avoiding Pandemics and the transition to a sustainable world.
We have had three pandemics since 2000 – severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003, H1N1 (swine flu) in 2009 and now Covid-19. Covid-19 and SARS spread from China and swine flu from an intensive pig farm in Mexico. In between, we have had regional outbreaks of bird flu from poultry, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) from camels, Ebola from monkeys and pigs, Rift Valley Fever from livestock, West Nile Fever from birds. Zika from monkeys and Nipah from bats. The root cause of all the above diseases can be broadly put under three baskets:-
First, nature destruction. Due to deforestation and habitat loss, wild animals and humans are now nearby, leading to the spillover of animal diseases into humans. Ebola, West Nile virus, Nipah and Zika come under this category. Similarly, livestock is also coming in contact with wildlife and transmitting pathogens to people, like the Rift Valley virus.
Second, traditional culture. The practice of eating exotic wildlife, sometimes raw, is spreading novel pathogens to human beings. Both SARS and Covid-19 have their origins in the pig farm of Mexico and wildlife markets in China.
Third, intensive animal farms. The industrial farming of animals, by keeping animals very close to each other and pumping them with growth promoters like antibiotics and steroids, is another cause. Bird flu and swine flu both have their origin in intensive animal farms.
The COVID-19 pandemic is unleashing a human development crisis. It is affecting health, economy and broad social dimensions of development and eroding gains that accumulated over decades. Building back a better future after the pandemic is not a zero-sum game of environment versus economy. Rather it’s once – in – a generation chance to set things right for health, economy, peace, and security.
To combat the pandemic, our efforts included the following:-
“Distancing” from wildlife and reducing deforestation; strong social protection for the poor and vulnerable to ensure that they have enough to eat, access clean drinking water and sanitation, and strengthening health systems, disease surveillance and public health interventions with vaccine;
For mitigating COVID-19 impacts and boosting long-term growth will include:-
Science-based decision making, sound governance and a sense of responsibility of individuals; promoting and operationalizing the One Health Approach; preparedness, including via policies for reducing risks of disease emergence such as from land use and wildlife trade; closing of critical knowledge gaps, and engaging all sectors of society, and everything we do during and after this crisis (COVID-19) must be with a strong focus on building more equal, inclusive and sustainable economies and societies that are more resilient in the face of pandemics, climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution crisis, and the many global challenges we face.
Avoiding single use of plastic.
Global production of plastic (an extremely lightweight material) was 359 million tonnes in 2018, up from 1.5 million tonnes in 1950, even though it is widely known that plastic seriously harms ecosystems, especially oceans, marine life and even drinking water. More than 8 million tonnes of plastic leak into the ocean each year equals to dumping a garbage truck of plastic every minute, and recent estimates show that 14 million tonnes of micro-plastic already resides on the ocean floor. Fish and other species ingest and get entangled in plastic, and the micro-particles can be ingested by humans who consume fish or seafood. Plastic particles also reach tap water in many areas, more than 80 percent of samples from five continents are found to be contaminated with plastic particles. Ingesting plastic particles can have direct consequences on human health, as it may cause cancer, reproductive problems, asthma, obesity and other health problems. Though a few countries have already witnessed a change in some social norms, plastic bags are seen as offensive, are charged for using them, or are prohibited altogether.
Building sustainable and inclusive cities and communities.
Cities and communities are negatively affected by climate change, loss of nature and pollution, hindering them in becoming inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable We have to make cities livable, climate smart and resilient, inclusive, and competitive, so they can contribute to growth and poverty alleviation. Urban development plans designing, and implementation should improve:-
Reducing air pollution; safe drinking water supply, sanitation and hygiene; goals of reduced waste, solid waste management, a circular economy and greater resource efficiency; upgrading the code and housing rental laws; improving public transport, other infrastructure and service delivery; strengthening institutions, municipal infrastructure, and local economic development; strengthening financial sustainability, expanding access to finance from multiple sources; open public spaces and greening promote health and productivity; development of MSMEs transforming economic and financial system; ensuring accessible and quality health care; protecting the poor and vulnerable through social protection; building human capital and promoting economic inclusion; promoting private sector-led growth; bridging the digital divide, and unleashing the economic power of women.
Sustainable management of natural resources.
It is rare to visualise that equitable access to natural resources lies at the foundation of conflicts and violence, whether among the societal groups or between the communities and nations. Disparities in the access to natural resources arise for several reasons including the spatial variability in their distribution and simply the scarcity of a resource in the wake of increasing demand. In this context, managing following natural resources is urgently required:-
1) Land degradation affects billions of people, drive species to extinction and intensify climate change. To achieve ‘land degradation neutrality’, promote sustainable land management, strengthen productivity to ensure food and nutritional security. Help the poorest, hungriest and most marginalized people, build the capacity of communities and prevent violence due to poverty, hunger and inequality, and promote regenerative agriculture, agroforestry and silvopasture to yield many of the same benefits, including increased diversity of farmer income, improved nutrition, enhanced resilience to climate change, more carbon sequestration and greater biodiversity.
South Asia is particularly vulnerable with the number of chronically – underfed people, which is projected to rise by almost a third to 330 million by 2030. Here more than half the children from the poorest of the society are stunted, a condition that prejudices their future.
Challenges in farming in developing countries include: lower yields; depleting water resources; high cost of production; excessive use of chemicals and pesticides; poor market access; high post-harvest loss; poor application of technology and innovations; Inadequate food processing, and agricultural reforms yet to be implemented.
For achieving the target of zero hunger made following efforts:- promoting diversified agro-ecological systems; application of technologies and innovations to raise production while reducing cost; making farming predictable, showing better quality and yields because of satellite images, 107 sensors, data analysis (including AI, ML), cloud computing & precision farming; developing market for premium products; air-conditioned farmer’s trains for transporting organic, natural and fresh products to the consumers; cold storage chains reduced loss and waste; value addition, processing and fortification improved nutrition; policy and institutional innovations expanded market access and export; climate-smart agriculture avoided crop loss; water stewardship enabled “more crop per drop”; creation of agroforestry increased resilience and profitability of farmers; production of biofuels reduced air pollution and improved the rural economy, and agribusinesses promoted sustainable economy, created jobs with peace and prosperity.
2) Water is a precious resource that is essential to human health, sanitation and hygiene, food and energy security, poverty eradication and many other aspects of Sustainable Development. Alarming levels of water stress in many regions, threaten progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Lack of fresh water in the poorest countries is increasing their vulnerability. Ensured public participation in sustainable water resources management, water governance, and women’s roles in local peace-building processes.
Global water use has risen six fold over the past 100 years, and 80 percent of wastewater is released back without treatment, while about half of accessible freshwater is appropriated for human use each year. Since 1900, 64-71 percent of natural wetland area worldwide has been lost due to human activity. As a result, about 4 billion people – 60 percent of the world population – live in regions with nearly permanent water stress, and 3 billion people lack basic hand washing facilities at home. By 2030 global demand for water is expected to exceed supply by 40 percent, and about 6 million people might face clean water scarcity and violent conflicts by 2050. Enhancing water availability and quality is thus a major challenge.
Nature – based solutions focused on water availability to address water supply by managing water storage, infiltration and transmission are essential. For instance, natural wetlands, improvements in soil moisture and groundwater recharge are ecosystem friendly methods of storing water and are cheaper and more sustainable than building and maintaining big dams.
Nature – based solutions for cities include catchment management, water recycling and green infrastructure. Catchment measures are traditionally used to improve water supply, but they can also store water and control regular water flows to a city. Urban green infrastructure is incorporated in infiltration, bio-retention, permeable pavements, designing new areas, conserving wetlands and connecting rivers and floodplains.
India has more than 17 percent of the world’s population but has only 4% of the world's fresh water. With the rising population, urbanisation, industrialisation and expanding agricultural activities, the water demand will continue to increase.
Created mass awakening for making world “water positive” with reflections as under:-
Making water conservation a way of life; multi–level Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) implementation from the community level, leading to integrated river basin management; rainwater harvesting, surface water storage and groundwater recharge; work on waste water treatment, adopt “reduce, reuse and recycle” approach for sustainable water management; follow practices like micro – irrigation, drip and sprinkler systems to promote efficient use of water for agriculture; deployment of piezometer to estimate groundwater situation and regulate over exploitation; incentivizing water conservation efforts undertaken by the communities, such as “Repair, renovation and restoration (RRR)” of water bodies for storage and efficient use; raising green cover can turn off red alarm on water shortage; “Namami Gange” project to save the river Ganga from pollution and to rejuvenate it; under “Jal Jeevan Mission” providing 55 litres piped drinking water per capita per day to 190 million rural households; India’s current water requirement is estimated to be around 1100 billion cubic meters (BCM) per year and it is projected to touch 1,447 BCM by 2050. Hence it is imperative to increase water use efficiency across all sectors to address water scarcity problem, and capacity building of people in water and sanitation related activities.
3) Forests are the most biologically-diverse ecosystem on land, home of 80% of terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects. They store about 296 Gigaton of carbon and counter climate change. They conserve soil, fix nitrogen and add organic matter to improve soil fertility. Forested watersheds and wetlands supply 75% of fresh water. They clean air and water, provide critical wildlife habitat, and make the planet a healthier place to live.
Biologically rich forest ecosystems provide shelter, food, fodder, fibre, energy, water, herbal medicine, jobs and environmental security to the people. Forests are an important source of income for more than 1.6 billion poor people, of whom at least 370 million Indigenous Peoples depend almost entirely on forests for subsistence and survival. Forests and agro-forests offer a highly diverse array of products and income earning opportunities for gatherers, hunters, traders, producers and processors.
Forests are increasingly being recognized as a vital green infrastructure for storing carbon, protecting watersheds, biodiversity and providing livelihoods to billions of people. Deforestation, forest degradation, forest fires, and non-recognition of forest rights of forest-dwellers, increased poverty, hunger and inequality and risks causing fragility conflict and violence.
The degradation and loss of forests are disrupting nature’s balance and increasing the risk and exposure of people to zoonotic diseases. For landscape restoration and human well-being promoted conservation, preservation and sustainable management of forests. BY increasing productivity, growth and jobs enhanced sustainability and resilience with peace and security in most disturbed areas dominated by Mao-naxalites.
Forest restoration is a path to recovery and well-being of people and the planet. People – centered forest management makes a sustainable world where people can live productive, vibrant and peaceful lives on a healthy planet.
4) Aquatic Resources: More than 90 percent of the world’s fisheries have been fully exploited or over-exploited or have collapsed altogether. Over-fishing has profound impacts on the world’s food systems. About 3.1 billion people rely on fish for 20 percent of their daily protein intake. Globally, the consumption of seafood per capita is over 15 times higher in indigenous coastal communities than in non-indigenous communities.
Sustainable fisheries and protected marine areas ensure that fish populations can regenerate and provide sustainable yields. Protecting coastal and marine areas, such as the mangroves, coral reefs, sea-grass beds and seamounts, particularly the sites of fish spawning, nursery and aggregation, is crucial to various parts of the fish life cycle. Fish biomass can be as much as 670 percent higher in effectively managed marine protected areas than in unprotected areas. Expanding marine protected areas by 5 percent could yield at least a 20 percent increase in future catch, reducing violent conflicts.
5) Embedding ecosystem integrity into sustainable development policy-making.
Rather than being treated as an isolated sector in national development priorities, nature-based solutions can be integrated into prioritisation efforts, such as those related to water security, food security, disaster risk reduction, economic growth and jobs. Investing in nature and climate-aligned stimulus packages can yield returns of $ 2-10 per $ 1 invested. To achieve this, multiple government sectors can align their policies and priorities around a coherent framework, as Costa Rica and Uganda have done. For instance, Costa Rica recently undertook an extensive mapping of essential life support areas, identifying opportunities for protecting, restoring and managing nature through nature-based solutions in both rural and urban areas.
There is no blueprint for nature-based solutions for governance, and each country’s economic, institutional, social and political context will present different opportunities and barriers. However, high multi-sector participation and incentives for nature-based solutions implementation could be important everywhere. The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis has identified three governance structures, which enable the implementation of nature-based solutions. These include: polycentric governance, participatory co-design (for example, at the municipal level in Costa Rica constant stakeholder involvement and technical knowledge transfer) and financial incentives.
OTHERS
Protection of women’s rights and gender equality.
Gender disparities remain among the most persistent forms of inequality across all countries. Women and girls are discriminated in health, in education, at home and in the labour market with negative repercussions for their freedoms. Globally, countries are losing US$ 160 trillion in wealth due to differences in lifetime earning between men and women.
The women and girls also face the problems of: trafficking for sexual exploitation and labour force; often denied to decision making at home, at work and in political life; disproportionate share of unpaid jobs and domestic work, and gaps in legal frameworks to protect women’s rights and gender equality
Contributed to gender equality by: removing barriers to women’s ownership and control of assets; removing constraints for more and better jobs, and enhancing women’s voice and agency.
Women tend to be responsible for procuring and providing food in households and are the primary work force engaged in subsistence agriculture. They make up an average of 43 percent of the agricultural workforce in developing countries. Even so, the women experience barriers in access to land and agricultural inputs which affect the productivity in these sectors. Ensured greater female participation in natural resource management, productive agricultural activities, and natural disaster responses. This enhanced the effectiveness and sustainability in reducing poverty, hunger, inequality and the mitigation of climate change effects and nature disruption.
Energy and materials.
The emphasis of industrial and agricultural activity needs to shift from increasing the inputs of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and other elements into the Earth system to increasing the recycling of these elements within the Earth system. The input of solar energy can far outstrip the current fossil fuel based energy consumption. In addition, renewables are already cost competitive with fossil fuel based electricity generation in much of the world. As a result, there should be no long-term shortage of energy. The challenge is to design and incentivize a waste products based system for energy generation and include it in a circular economy. Domestic waste material can also become useful in making new products, and this way there is a huge potential to increase material recycling. Innovation and engineering need to shift attention to achieve material cycling and reuse.
Conclusion
We are at an unprecedented moment in the history of humankind and our planet. Warning lights-for our societies and the planet – are flashing red. We are destabilising the planetary system as we rely on only for survival. In little more than a decade, there have been global financial crisis, the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis, the pollution crisis, and the COVID-19 crisis. All have shown that the resilience of the system itself is breaking down. Buffering systems are running over their capacity. The result is that perturbations have become contagion- whether economic, social, environmental or viral.
The 2019 was a year when our past finally caught up with us and science provided an unambiguous call for urgent action. A year when the world witnessed devastating storms, ice sheets melting in the Arctic, giant wildfires and deadly floods. A year when we were warned that one million plant and animal species face extinction. A year when we were reminded that unless we act immediately to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions, we will alter life on Earth forever.
In 2020, the World faced it’s biggest COVID-19 crisis since World War II. We stand in solidarity with the billions of people around the world that are suffering the impact of the global pandemic of COVID-19 and extend our heartfelt gratitude to the millions of healthcare professionals, scientists, vaccine makers etc. including the World Health Organization (WHO), who are working around the clock to protect us. In due course, this crisis will call for a stronger line of enquiry into nature and health, as the connection between the health of people and the health of our planet is so fundamental, yet so often ignored.
While the response to the medical emergency of COVID-19 rightly preoccupies government budgets and political action, the response to this pandemic must ultimately accelerate the economic and social transformations needed to address the planetary emergency. As the UN Secretary-General noted in his State of Planet speech, “COVID recovery and our planet’s repair must be two sides of the same coin”.
The “repair” of our planet entails, the transformative actions that can unleash human ingenuity and cooperation to secure livelihoods and well-being for all. It means solutions that recognise how our environmental, social and development challenges are interconnected. It means shifting our values and worldviews as well as our financial and economic systems. It also means taking a whole-of-society approach. And it means being fair and just to enhance sustainability and resilience and set the world on a path of peace, prosperity and opportunity for all on a healthy planet.
With science as guiding light, United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s ) Medium-Term Strategy (2022-2025) seeks to ensure the link between science, policy and decision-making remains stronger than ever. Sustained by strong environmental governance and supported by economic policies that can be the foundation of a catalytic response to the challenges of COVID-19, climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. In doing so, we support governments, working with partners, scientists, civil society and business to tackle the interconnected environmental crises so that we stabilize climate; live in harmony with nature and secure a pollution free planet; with peace and security.
By the end of the decade we will be on one of two paths. One is the path of surrender, where we have sleepwalked past the point of no return, jeopardizing the health and safety of everyone on this planet. The other option is the path of hope. A path of resolve, of sustainable solutions. A path where more fossil fuels remain where they should be – in the ground.
In the technologically advanced World, harnessing renewable sources of energy has become inevitable. There is a need to produce energy with fewer environmental impacts. In the modern World, the renewable energy has become the foundation of future progress from reversing the increasingly devastating effects of climate change and making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
If humanity is to continue to thrive on this planet, it has to fundamentally change its relationship with the natural world. While the downsides of inaction could be catastrophic, the upsides of taking decisive action would result in a more secure World at peace with nature, facilitating living of people with dignity on a healthy planet.
The 2021 must be remembered as the year we took it upon ourselves to ensure that the pandemic is remembered not only as a human tragedy, but as the moment when people reconsidered their priorities as individuals and societies and took to heart that safeguarding the health and well-being of current and future generations means safeguarding the health of our planet. We still have a chance to put things right. We have to stop and reverse the loss of nature and build a carbon-neutral and nature positive society. Let us implement the movement “Making Peace with Nature” to protect and restore nature as the foundation for a healthy society and thriving economy.
(The writer is the Ex-member, Planning Commission, GOI and President, Utthan: Centre for Sustainable Development and Poverty Alleviation, India.)
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