Climate activist 12-year-old launches a clean air campaign
Nagpur:- A 12-year-old climate activist from Dehradun Ridhima Pandey is launching a nationwide digital campaign to ensure the air stays safe forever as it is now during the lockdown. In September of last year, she was one of 16 children to petition the United Nations about the inaction of governments to combat climate change.
The national lockout has contributed to dramatic air quality changes. Announced on May 21 the findings of the UK-head quartered Nature Climate Change, which confirmed that carbon rates had fallen to 2006 rates. It also brought about a steady dip in the Air Quality Index ( AQI) with an average of around 60 levels. It goes beyond 500, in its worst.
As part of the initiative, Jhatkaa.org released a new video, titled #SaalBhar60, on Saturday. On June 5, World Environment Day, the video calls on people to engage in a national environmental campaign by posting images from their community requesting ‘Clean Air for All.’
A corresponding petition on the platform is requesting the initiation of a Clean Air Boss, who will be solely responsible for reducing air pollution.
The country has 122 non-attainment cities that do not meet the national ambient air quality standards, according to the National Clean Air Program (NCAP). Maharashtra tops the list with 18 state-owned non-attainment towns.
The initiative invites these cities’ citizens to take part in the digital movement demanding ‘Saal Bhar 60.’ “Citizens will be calling on the government to implement practical measures to ensure that air quality in India remains within acceptable, safe limits even after the lockdown has ended,” a press release said.
“It’s felt like all the things my generation has been fighting for over the past two months were gifted to us blue skies, low emissions, clean air. That only implies the probability of an AQI of ‘Saal Bhar 60.’ Our government has to view it as the emergency it is, and have clear deadlines to reduce emission rates. Clean air is a fundamental right to breathe, “Ridhima Pandey says.
Though mentioning that the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us two things, a lung surgeon at New Delhi ‘s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital says, “First, we can have clean air, too. Second, how bad air can affect our health and make us more vulnerable to disease. Harvard and Italian research have shown substantially higher numbers of Covid-19 cases and mortality in areas with high rates of air pollution. High air pollution rates across Indian cities pose a significant threat to our children’s well-being.’
This campaign is sponsored by many environmental organizations across India including Let Me Breathe, Fridays For Future, Let India Breathe, Greenpeace India, Waatavaran Foundation, Help Delhi Breathe, My Right To Breathe, Kolkata Clean Air Forum, Mumbai’s Aarey Conservation Group and the Awaaz Foundation.
Campaign manager at Jhatkaa.org Shikha Kumar says, “We’ve made progress in understanding the severity of the issue as demonstrated by initiatives like NCAP. But for Saal Bhar 60 to become a reality we need clear state-wise planning and implementation.
