up and take serious action

Climate action is something that the world needs right now and activists and organisations world over are doing their bit in different ways this 'Earth Day'.

Ruehie Karri

Just like Mothers' Day or Teachers' Day, Earth also gets her own day where she is made to feel special. Several activities are organised, start-ups and other environmental organisations devise new methods of conserving our everdegrading environment and many hashtags start trending on the internet. Just as celebrating our moms and dads on one particular day rather than every single day is a pretentious effort, so is trying to protect our Earth on a single day.

The world prepares to celebrate 50 years of Earth Day, this April 22, and this day should be focussed on assessing how much has been achieved the past year in terms of environmental protection. How much more needs to be done as it's an endless process, and the destruction of the ecosystem has been relentless. It is no joke how pressing the ginormous challenge of acting on climate change has become. When U.S. Senator decided to force environmental awareness onto the national political agenda!

Gaylord Nelson is the founder of Earth Day, which was founded in 1970. When the ravages of a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California in the year 1969, painted an alarming picture of the consequences to come, Nelson decided to give a voice to these environmental concerns, thereby channelling the energies of the anti-war movement towards this cause.

And, 50 years later, this movement is still going strong, spreading awareness and demonstrating support for all things environmentrelated. This year, the theme to commemorate this day is 'Climate Action'.

Earth Day in India

India is the 14th most climate change affected country in the world, according to the Global Climate Risk Index released by Germanwatch. Economic losses to the tune of Rs 2.7 lakh crores due to climate change were recorded by this report. This is the second-highest record in the world.

All these statistics and reports cement the

fact that we are not doing enough. We need to step up our efforts to battle environmental degradation.

Who exactly can take steps towards environmental conservation?

Nobody is too young or too old to bring about change. Taking that first step to making a difference is all that matters. The following stories are of individuals and startups that work tirelessly round the clock to make the world a better place.

Heralding the next generation of youth activists "As the world warms, climate-fuelled extreme weather events will increase in magnitude and frequency. To fight this, we need a change from grassroots to global levels", writes Licypriya Kangujam, in her e-mail to Earth Day Network. This eightyear-old from Nepal, who is a climate activist, started battling for climate action ever since she was six. She also established an organisation to bring about climate law in India, called 'The Child Movement'. Rightly assessing the harmful impact of climate change on our environment to be both economic and social, she asks the government to transform India into a sustainable, low-carbon and high-impact economy.

Bringing about environmental awareness to the tribes of Aarey

Cassandra Nazareth, the founder of the Nazareth Foundation, works with the Worli women who live in the jungles of Aarey Milk Colony, Goregaon, Mumbai. Facilitating cultural exchange between the Worli tribes of Aarey forests and the urban Mumbaikars, Cassandra collects funding in the form of necessities required by the tribal people. Smokeless chullahs(stoves) have been installed in nearly 3,500 households. This helps in reducing the consumption of firewood by almost 50per cent. Also, 16 bio-toilets have been constructed which help reduce the usage of water. Human waste is converted into a source of gas that can be reused as energy.

Bringing solar power to the Himalayan peaks

A recent act of climate action by Earth Day Network and its coordinator, Prerna Rathuri, resulted in providing solar lighting to the monastery in Markha, Ladakh. Due to the monastery being located on top of a hill with a sheer drop on one side, there was no way of setting up a power grid. As documented by the Earth Day Network on its website, the all-women team, led by Prerna Rathuri trekked for 10 days to a height of 13,000 feet and set up the equipment in the Markha monastery, this enabled the lighting of 10 light bulbs and a street lighting system.

Harnessing new technologies to generate clean energy

It is imperative for our automotive industry to switch to clean energy to ensure a sustainable future. Air pollution is a major contributing factor to climate change, of which nearly 4 million people die every year in the Asia-Pacific region alone, according to the UN Environment's report. Polarity Smart Bikes, co-founded by Sachin Jadhav and Anand Mohan, is a Pune-based start-up that manufactures electric bikes. With a top speed of a 100 kmph, these bikes promise a reduced carbon footprint and of course, run on clean rechargeable energy.

Happy Earth Day!

Together, it is possible to steer our country towards a sustainable, ecologically safe environment and ensure that the next generation doesn't face the consequences of our carelessness. This 50th Earth Day lets join hands to decrease the impact of climate change and pledge the safety of our environment. In the words of Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network, "For Earth Day 2020, we will build a new generation of environmental activists, engaging millions of people worldwide."