The Editorial Analysis- A New Lease of LIFE for Climate Action

LIFE for Climate Action: Why is it Important for UPSC Exam

LIFE for Climate Action: LIFE or Lifestyle for Environment is a fresh perspective to countering climate change, announced by Indian Prime Minister Mr. Modi. Editorial Analysis of A New Lease of LIFE for Climate Action is important for UPSC Mains Exam (UPSC GS Paper 3- Environment and Conservation).

LIFE for Climate Action: Why in news?

• Vision of LIFE is taking flight as a global mission launched by Mr. Modi together with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who has come to India to show his support.
• The Prime Minister and Secretary-General are calling on all consumers across the world to become “Pro Planet People” by 2027, adopting simple lifestyle changes that can collectively lead to transformational change.

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LIFE for Climate Action: What are the crises world is facing today?

• United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report has warned that global human development measures have declined across most countries in the past two years.
• Multiple Challenges: Our world today is in turmoil, facing multiple, mutually reinforcing crises.
  • Even as we mount a fragile recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, war fuels a devastating energy, food, and cost-of-living crisis.
• Triple Planetary Crisis: World today is facing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.
• Increased Extreme Weather Events: Nine of the warmest years on record have come in the past decade alone.
  • This year’s record-breaking heat waves, floods, droughts, and other extreme forms of weather have forced us to face these increasingly devastating impacts.
• Climate change is a disruption multiplier in a disrupted world, rolling back progress across the global Sustainable Development Goals.
• Unsustainable Production Method: While governments and industry carry the lion’s share of responsibility for responding to the crisis, we as consumers play a large role in driving unsustainable production methods.

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LIFE for Climate Action- Providing a Fresh Perspective

• About: LIFE, or Lifestyle for Environment, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP26 in November 2021, brings a fresh and much-needed perspective.
• Uniqueness: Rather than framing climate change as a ‘larger than life’ challenge, LIFE recognises that small individual actions can tip the balance in the planet’s favour.
• Key Individual Actions: Mindful choices cultivated by LIFE animate this spirit — actions such as-
  • Saving energy at home;
  • Cycling and using public transport instead of driving;
  • Eating more plant-based foods and wasting less; and
  • Leveraging our position as customers and employees to demand climate-friendly choices.
• Use of Nudge theory: Many of the goals of LIFE can be achieved by deploying ‘nudges’, gentle persuasion techniques to encourage positive behaviour.
• The LIFE mission also recognises that accountability is relative to contribution.
  • Emissions across the poorest half of the world’s population combined still fall short of even 1% of the wealthiest.
  • Each ‘Pro Planet’ stakeholder is nudged according to differentiated approaches.

BASIC countries at Glasgow Summit (CoP 26) of UNFCCC

UN Environment Program (UNEP): Countering Climate Change

• The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) employs proven nudging techniques such as-
  • Discouraging food waste by offering smaller plates in cafeterias;
  • Encouraging recycling by making bin lids eye-catching; and
  • Encouraging cycling by creating cycle paths.
• According to the UNEP, more than two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to household consumption and lifestyles.
  • These are the urgent cuts to global emissions we need can only be achieved through widespread adoption of greener consumption habits.

What is India’s Track Record for Promoting LIFE movement?

• LIFE resonates with the global climate justice India has rightfully called for- highlighting enhanced obligations those in developed countries bear, to support climate adaptation and mitigation for those most affected, yet least responsible.
• The average carbon footprint of a person in a high income country is more than 80 times higher than that of a person in a least developed country.
  • It is common sense and only fair to call on the developed world to shoulder a proportionate share of this transition.
  • In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “the world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed.”
• India has a proven track record translating the aspirations of national missions into whole-of-society efforts.
  • The success of the Swachh Bharat Mission, which mobilised individuals and communities across socio-economic strata to become drivers of collective good health and sanitation is an example.

LIFE for Climate Action- India’s Leadership at Global Stage

Factors Strengthening India’s Leadership at Global Stage:

• The Panchamrit targets announced by Mr. Modi at COP26,
• Support for the International Solar Alliance,
• The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and South-South cooperation platforms,
• The world’s fifth largest economy with vibrant businesses making enormous investments in renewables and electric mobility,
• World class public digital tech stack, India brings scale, expertise and legitimacy;
• A well-positioned founding UN Member State bridging the G20 and G77.

Conclusion

• With COP27 next month, and India set to assume the G20 Presidency weeks after, followed by the halfway mark to Agenda 2030 next year, India is all set to give a new lease of LIFE to climate action.

LiFE Movement- Lifestyle for the Environment Launched

LiFE Movement- Lifestyle for the Environment Launched

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