LiFE Movement

Relevance for UPSC

GS 2: Government Policies & Interventions
GS 3: Environmental Pollution & Degradation

Introduction

At the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP26), Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi announced Mission LiFE, to bring individual behaviours at the forefront of the global climate action narrative.

What is Mission LiFE?

• The idea of LiFE was introduced by the Prime Minister during the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow last year. The idea promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle that focuses on ‘mindful and deliberate utilisation’ instead of ‘mindless and wasteful consumption’.
• LiFE envisions replacing the prevalent ‘use-and-dispose’ economy—governed by mindless and destructive consumption—with a circular economy, which would be defined by mindful and deliberate utilization.
• The Mission intends to nudge individuals to undertake simple acts in their daily lives that can contribute significantly to climate change when embraced across the world.
• LiFE plans to leverage the strength of social networks to influence social norms surrounding climate.
• The Mission plans to create and nurture a global network of individuals, namely ‘Pro-Planet People’ (P3), who will have a shared commitment to adopt and promote environmentally friendly lifestyles.
• Through the P3 community, the Mission seeks to create an ecosystem that will reinforce and enable environmentally friendly behaviours to be self-sustainable.
• The Mission envisions replacing the prevalent ‘use-and-dispose’ economy—governed by mindless and destructive consumption—with a circular economy, which would be defined by mindful and deliberate utilization.

Why India should lead the narrative of addressing climate change?

• The average carbon footprint of a person in India is 0.56 tonnes per year, compared to the global average of 4 tonnes.
• India’s traditional knowledge, social norms and daily household practices strongly positions it to lead the narrative of addressing climate change through individual behaviours, in the form of a mass movement (Jan Andolan), LiFE.

Approach of LiFE Campaign

What is LiFE Global Call for Ideas and Papers?

• The LiFE Global Call for Ideas and Papers is an initiative of the Government of India to invite papers/ ideas from across the world aimed at individuals, households and communities to drive climate-friendly behaviours.
• There are some priority sectors for the LiFE Global Call for Ideas. The key priority areas are :
  1. Water
  2. Transport
  3. Food
  4. Electricity
  5. Waste Management
  6. Recycle
  7. Reuse

What kind of triple planetary crisis we are facing?

• We are in the midst of a triple planetary crisis: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.
• These crises have been entirely created by decades of relentless and unsustainable consumption and production.
• How we live and consume matters, and matters greatly.

Conclusion

With more than 1 billion people and home to a thriving generation of innovative entrepreneurs, India is central to global environmental action. In fact, every person and every country need to lead for the planet.

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