Letters to THE EDITOR: Accelerating urban action for a carbon-free world

Accelerating urban action for a carbon-free world

All living beings need a place whether human beings or animals or birds. In simple terms, the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or another organism can be termed as habitat. There are many people around the world lacking a proper place to stay and it is difficult to stay in urban habitats. Currently, 1 billion people (approx) live in overcrowded settlements with inadequate housing. By 2030, that number will rise to 1.6 billion. Action is needed now to provide low-income families and vulnerable populations with affordable housing with security of tenure and easy access to water, sanitation, transport and other basic services.

Due to the pandemic, the situation is again the worst in a few parts of the world. The necessity of improving living conditions has been brought to the forefront by COVID-19, which has shocked the lives of millions in cities. Access to clean water and sanitation, along with social distancing, are key responses to the pandemic. Yet in slums, it has proved difficult to implement these measures.

Each year World Habitat Day (WHD), which is observed on the first Monday of October, focuses attention on the state of the world's towns and cities. The theme for this year's WHD is 'accelerating urban action for a carbon-free world.' The theme recognizes that cities are responsible for some 70 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions with transport, buildings, energy, and waste management accounting for the bulk of urban greenhouse gas emissions. Events and activities during WHD will explore how national, regional and local governments and organizations, communities, academic institutions, the private sector and all relevant stakeholders can work together to create sustainable, carbon-neutral, inclusive cities and towns.

WHD shall strengthen the global Race to Zero Campaign and encourage local governments to develop actionable zero-carbon plans in the run-up to the international climate change summit COP26 in November 2021. The United Nations designated the first Monday of October of every year as WHD to reflect on the state of our habitats, and the basic right of all to adequate shelter. The Day is also intended to remind the world that we all have the power and the responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns.

In 1985 the United Nations designated the first Monday of October every year as WHD. The idea is to reflect on the state of our towns and cities and the basic right of all to adequate shelter. It is also intended to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat.

Maimunah Mohd Sharif, the Executive Director of UN-Habitat in her message said that "the climate crisis is widely recognized as the number one threat facing the world today and it is our cities and towns which are responsible for much of the climate change, which is resulting in devastating floods, droughts and violent storms."

"The recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity for the world's cities to put climate action on top of their agenda. This is a chance to change how we generate our power, construct our buildings, heat, cool and light up our offices and homes, and travel around from home to work. We need clean, resource-efficient energy, to replace fossil fuels. We need energy-efficient infrastructure to encourage walking and cycling," she added.

Let us make our cities the incubators of innovation and new technology. There is no option but we have to harness ideas for a better solution to combat climate change. We need climate-friendly planning and initiatives that can contribute towards a carbon-free society. As the theme suggests we must accelerate action for carbon-free towns and cities and also a carbon-free world which is challenging but we must take action and make our earth climate-friendly as we do not have any other planet to live in.

Ranjan K Baruah,

Guwahati

Shame

The urge for power can be brutal as people tend to forget their ideologies and principles. Assam Jatiyobadi Parishad (AJP) born from the womb of the AASU has shown that lust for power can make people go wild. Recently, former AASU general secretary and presently president of AJP Lurinjyoti Gogoi shared a common dais and addressed the media with state Congress president Bhupen Bora to declare that both the parties have decided to jointly fight the upcoming by-elections slated for 30th October. Is this the right way for Lurinjyoti Gogoi and company to pay homage to the 855 martyrs of Assam Andolan? Who would have ever imagined a regional political party born under the umbrella of the AASU just one year ago to fulfil the aspirations of the jatiyobadi-thinking people and led an ex-general secretary would ally with Congress? There seems to be no difference between Sherman Ali and Lurinjyoti Gogoi. Just 6-7 months back, before the Assembly polls the then ever-fuming Lurinjyoti Gogoi, who was fresh from leading anti-CAA protests in the state, was boldly issuing statements before the media that the AJP would not jump into the lap of any national and communal political parties to thrive on their oxygen. Now, after being brutally routed in the polls, where many of the candidates lost their security deposits, Lurinjyoti Gogoi and his troop have thrown their principles and ideologies into the Brahmaputra. The impatience to taste success at any cost would lead them down.

While Gorukhuti eviction was debated, the power-crazy Lurinjyoti Gogoi played a very diplomatic card. He neither issued any statement in the support of the eviction nor did he stand against the illegal encroachers.

Julie Bhuyan,

Gaurisagar.

Pseudo stage play

Every Indian was deeply hurt by the 3rd October violence at Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh in which four protesting farmers and four BJP workers laid down their lives. It goes to its credit that the state administration very professionally handled the situation by engaging with the farmers' representatives and clinched a mutually acceptable deal. In an open-air joint press meet held immediately both the UP police led by an Additional Director General and Rakesh Tikait led peasants representatives announced the details of the deal; such prompt action of the state administration was instrumental in controlling the highly charged situation and averted further escalation. But the motivated opposition parties found the tragic incident as political opportunism and made a sham of democratic culture. The Congress is exhibiting the most irresponsible behaviour by attempting to reach the incident site with a huge cavalcade with a devious motive to keep alive the tense situation. Rahul Gandhi accompanied by two Congress Chief Ministers of Punjab and Chattisgarh had collected a huge crowd of party leaders and workers who were jostling with the state police to show the state law and order in poor light. Another sibling of the Gandhi duo Priyanka Vadera already camping in Lucknow was making frequent attempts to rush to the site. It did not befit the 136-year-old Congress party to do such sinister politics over dead bodies for scoring some political points. Such display of muscle power on the street has exposed the party as cold-hearted and unemotional and their outward empathy is all but crocodile tears.

On the other hand, the police in Rajasthan, a Congress-ruled state, were ruthless on the protesting farmers who were demanding MSP for their grains by heavily lathi-charging them to foil their protests on the same day, but the Gandhi sibling and other Congress leaders preferred to keep mum. A popular chemist of the valley Makhanlal Bindoo was killed by the terrorists in Srinagar on 5th October (reportedly four bullets were pumped into his body), but Congress did not condemn the brutal act. The chemist and his family had weathered the most volatile period of mass killings, rapes and exodus of the Pandits from the valley in the 1990s but the Bindoo family with two sibling doctors had rallied around in the explosive days. The oldest political party thus has debased national politics and indulged in cheap theatrics.

Pannalal Dey,

Guwahati