Rabbi joins Greenpeace activists as they occupy a billboard in Delhi to highlight the effects of Climate Change.
The Greenpeace report, 'Blue Alert - Climate Migrants in South
Asia: Estimates and Solutions' (1), authored by Dr. Sudhir Chella
Rajan professor of Humanities & Social Sciences at IIT Madras,
warns that if greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow under the
business-as-usual scenario as projected, leading to global
temperature rise by 4-5°C, the South Asian region is estimated to
face an enormous wave of 12.5 crore climate migrants. These people
will be displaced by the impacts of climate change, including sea
level rise and drought associated with shrinking water supplies and
monsoon variability. The report states that if global and local
policy measures are implemented to keep global warming below the
2°C tipping point, then the number of displaced can be reduced by
95%.
Speaking at Jantar Mantar, from the Sangharsh rally bringing
together peoples' movements impacted by issues of displacement,
social activist Medha Patkar on behalf of NAPM (National Alliance
of Peoples' Movements) said, "Every project displaced person in
India is a living proof of the utter immorality and callousness of
the Indian state and the complete failure of rehabilitation in the
country. It is shocking that given this track record, the
government should even talk about rehabilitating 12.5 crore
people. The only real option is to prevent this disaster by acting
on climate change. There is little doubt that creating
decentralized energy options based on renewable energy will lead to
true economic development while avoiding disastrous large projects
and preventing climate change. We must insist on such a vision"
Climate Migrant Sukamal Sahoo from Ganga Sagar in the Sunderbans
who had come down to Delhi to demand action from the Government
said, "I have already lost my home once to the sea, and maybe I
will again. More than half of Goramara in the Sunderbans where I
lived is now under water. Climate change has not only changed my
family's geography, but my identity as well. My social status as
son of Panchayat Pradhan has been washed away along with my
land."
Taking time off specially to highlight the issue of climate
change, singer Rabbi spent the day in the scorching summer heat in
Delhi, as an activist on the billboard, to talk to Delhi about what
could be if global warming was not addressed. "I have realized that
every thing we do can either hurt or save the climate, and our
future depends on the choices we make. No one can afford to stand
by and watch on the issue of climate change. 12.5 crore homeless
people is shocking. We can not live in our cocooned gated colonies,
we need to take a stand on climate change and that is why I am here
today. It's clear to me that we need to prevent this catastrophe
and I'm willing to stick my neck out for that."
Greenpeace is concerned that the National Climate Action Plan is
being decided with no public debate whatsoever. Climate and Energy
campaigner Natasha Chandy, also an activist on the billboard said,
"The Blue Alert Campaign in vulnerable coastal cities, showed us
that the citizens and coastal MPs want action now to prevent
climate change. They are not taken in by the government's claim
that we can do business as usual and adapt to climate change when
it happens. It is shameful that the government that uses the low
per capita emissions of the poor as a justification to avoid
international obligations to tackle climate change should so
callously put millions of the same poor at risk by its inaction. We
demand that the government stops hiding behind the poor (2) and
frames a NCAP that aims at containing global warming below
2°C."
For further information, contact
Vinuta Gopal, Greenpeace Climate & Energy campaigner: +91 9845535418
vgopal@dialb.greenpeace.org
Shweta Ganesh, Greenpeace Communications: +91 9845068125
Shweta.ganesh@greenpeace.org
Notes to Editor
(1) Blue Alert – Climate Migrants in South Asia: Estimates and Solutions, a paper authored by Dr Sudhir Chella Rajan, professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Madras, and a climate expert was released on the 25th of March in Kolkata.
The report can be downloaded at: http://www.greenpeace.org/india/blue-alert-report
(2) Hiding behind the Poor: Greenpeace released a report on the internal climate injustice in India in November last year. The report can be found online at the following link: http://www.greenpeace.org/india/press/reports/hiding-behind-the-poor