Prime Minister Modi's declaration that India will achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2070 has managed to hit all the headlines. But as per Gayatri Chauhan, founder of environment-centered initiative Gaia the Earth Foundation, who cites climate experts when she says that by 2070 it might be too late already. So, among many other reasons, to see if action-oriented mindsets can be nurtured to pre-pone the deadline to 2050, India MUN (Model United Nations) is coming to town virtually from December 21 to 24.
Why? Because there's a reason why the term is 'climate action' and not 'climate talk' since the time for talk is done. The planet cannot wait anymore and action needs to be taken. And India MUN is being directed at those who are at the forefront of this cause — students. "We want to engage and build momentum for the country. The human race can only survive if we cut emissions and go net neutral. If not for the planet, it's for our own lives that we should be taking climate change seriously," says the youngster from Bengaluru.
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Being helmed by Gaia the Earth Foundation and BuzzOnEarth, this Indian MUN is backed by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) as well. So expect fireside chats, E-expo, climate concerts, plenary sessions and a lot more. But since the entire initiative hinges around action, there are also interesting initiatives that cater to that particularly. Like COP26 Whitepaper. Gayatri, who pursued her MBA from Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, tells us that, "We had shared a questionnaire with students regarding climate action and we intended to submit their responses ahead of COP26 but we weren't able to. But we will submit it for COP27 to UNFCCC."
The Youth Leadership programme enlists the help of several veterans from the field of solid waste management and so on to groom students in fields that work for the environment. "This is an attempt to prepare students for definite action and help them become future innovators and entrepreneurs," says the Swedish Institute Fellow. All programmes are geared up towards encouraging action. "India needs to demonstrate how to go beyond activism. Greta Thunberg started the climate march and many Indians are aping it, which is important. But the appeal via India MUN is to focus their energies and efforts on action, and not mere activism. We want to nurture mindsets that look for possible solutions across technology, policy frameworks and market innovations,” says Gayatri.
