Today the world is going through an unprecedented situation. Existence of billions of species of plants, animals, flora and fauna including humans is under threat due to climate change. This crisis is much more severe than the world wars, more dreadful than epidemics, and deadlier than nuclear bombs.
There is an increase of holes in the ozone layer and in the acidity level of sea water. Nitrogen and phosphorus cycles are already dismantled. The planet is warming up day by day. The consequence: melting glaciers, increasing sea levels, aggression of deserts, extinction of animal and plant species, unexpected drought and flood situations every day somewhere on the earth. The more dangerous consequence is climate change, which is devastating agriculture, giving cancer and T.B. an epidemic form, submerging coastal areas and threatening coastal populations with displacement. Drought in Bundelkhand, devastating calamities in Uttarakhand especially in Kedarnath valley, floods in Jammu & Kashmir and increasing incidents of landslides tell the heart wrenching story of environmental crisis. This brings about food grain deficit, blows to the working class and a miserable life for women.
The race for more and more profit rolled the wheel of environmental exploitation after the Industrial Revolution, which increasingly ruptured the consistency and relation between human society and nature. The change in balance of power that took place in 1990 accelerated the unipolar world system and imperialist globalization. Now the rate of environmental exploitation and destruction of the planet have received a greater impulse. Subsequently the phenomenon of climate change has crossed all limits. As evidence, the following information will be enough: carbon emission between the years 2000 and 2013 was one fourth of that during the preceding 250 years, from 1750 to 1999.
The effluents and smoke produced by the factories have toxified the atmosphere. River water is no more lifesaving, rather life threatening. Every year 2.4 million people die of diseases caused by air pollution. The neighbourhoods of Valsad district of Gujarat, Alang Port, farms of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh are now engendering cancerous crops due to pollution. Medical science every day faces a new kind of challenge presented by the toxic environment. The ruling class of the world has not learned anything from the consequences of the dangerous radiation in Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and Fukushima nuclear accidents. Yet the government is determined to build nuclear plants in Jaitapur (Rajasthan), Mithivirdi (Maharashtra) and Gorakhpur (Fatehabad) despite people's continuous opposition. Today the world is facing many such burning problems due to climate change and environmental crisis.
During last two and half centuries, capitalist development has relegated the medieval, nature-dependent feudal production system to the pages of history. On the one hand, it has built big industries, fast transportation and communication-led skyscrapers with heavenly facilities, and on the other hand, it has led the majority of the population to a hellish life of destitution and danger. The activities of Multinational Corporations are inviting destruction of nature each moment. These corporations exploit the environment relentlessly, destroy biodiversity and accelerate towards the crisis by making a nexus with the ruling governments across the globe. As a result, each year we are seeing 6 million hectares of land turning into deserts. Overuse of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, genetically modified seeds and over-pumping of ground water are making the land barren and destroying biodiversity.
Research and conferences by many governments and non-governmental agencies on environment have shown clearly that USA, Japan, the European Union and the oil producing countries are primarily responsible for climate change. These countries had a fixed target of reducing carbon emission by 5.2 percent, abiding by the Kyoto Protocol. They ended up increasing it by 11 percent. Now, developed countries are even denying the token responsibility of mitigation efforts, and the heavy cost is coming upon the poor population. Each year 10 million children die of enteric and respiratory diseases which are caused by polluted environments and an anti-human socio-economic system. None of the dimensions of human life is untouched by environmental crisis.
If we do not take action against this destructive game, soon the planet will become a hell where greenery, clean rivers and a healthy atmosphere will turn out to be only stories. Sharp debates on the reasons for and solutions to this crisis are going on along with local level spontaneous movements by people on various local issues pertaining to this crisis. Many are personally and/or through organisations working on reforms like plantation, water conservation etc. But without understanding this all- pervasive phenomenon, we cannot approach a solution. The ruling class' addiction to ever-growing profit has engendered the crisis, and is still continuing the disaster. None of the climate conventions (Kyoto, Copenhagen and Cancun) have provided a conclusive remark that would help. One can be sure of not getting any solution from the free market and consumerism promoting ruling class, which is going to discuss this issue in New York on 23 September 2014. So, we cannot leave it to them, or to the opportunists living on them. At this point, it is our responsibility to add this agenda to the programme of radical change in social relations along with building a mass movement on these issues. Along with a view that captures the totality of the issue, the participation of more and more people in this protracted struggle is necessary. To what extent are we supposed to sacrifice our present and future for the sake of an antihuman system called capitalism? The need of the hour is a collective effort in a right direction.
Our Objectives
1. To study, campaign and build up a mass movement on following issues –
2. Restore the balance of relations between man and nature.
3. Wild exploitation and pollution of nature in the name of development have to be stopped.
4. Ensure safe food, water and atmosphere for every citizen as their fundamental right.
5. Ensure protection of health from the diseases and natural disasters engendered by climate change and environmental pollution.
6. Take steps to replace consumerist and luxurious life style by a rationally and scientifically just socio-economic system.
7. Conservation of bio-diversity as a means to secure the existence of human species.
Programme
1. To unite all concerned scientists, environmentalists, intellectuals and activists for this global problem
2. To publish and distribute books, booklets, and pamphlets in order to improve understanding of the problem as well as to find a right solution.
3. To make people aware of this problem through mass campaigns, debates, seminars, conferences etc. Conduct debates, film screenings and other creative programmes among the youth.
4. Study and research on the results of environmental crisis, as well as take it to the people and raise the issue in front of the ruling authorities.
5. Reveal the government's anti-environmental policies and show concrete examples of such activities.
6. In place of carbon emission-driven consumerist life style, propagation of alternative development policy dependent on balanced relation between society and nature.
7. Opposition to displacement and destruction of lives and livelihoods of various tribes in the name of development.
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