We sent this email out to our network in India. The team there is organizing a twangout (twitter+hangout) for anybody who has questions on climate change (impacts, perceptions, solutions..) with relevant experts from the region. The call will predominantly be focused on the Indian context but anyone around the globe can join the call on October 18th, 11:30 GMT by signing up on the links below.
Check out these recent headlines from India’s leading newspapers:
1. Planet heading towards 2 degree celsius temperature rise: UN Report – Times of India, September 30th
2. Despite the hiatus, Global Warming is unequivocal – The Hindu, September 30th
3. Impact from greenhouse gases could linger for centuries – Financial Express, September 28th
All of them are speaking of the IPCC report that 800 respected scientists put together on global warming. Their verdict last week was very clear: manmade greenhouse gas emissions are the main reason behind the rising temperatures around the world. And this temperature rise, they say, will result in more extreme weather.
If you’re interested in learning more about this report or climate change, join us for a chat on October 18. It will be your opportunity to have any questions answered and learn how to speak more convincingly about the climate crisis.
A few weeks back, we asked you and many others to tweet or write to Indian celebrities, asking them to connect the devastating floods in Uttarakhand to global warming. We did not hear back from them. We realized that global warming still isn’t a mainstream issue in India. We have corruption, poverty, energy and other crises to deal with and we should.
But here’s the crucial challenge, as shown by a large survey done across India: people are already experiencing the severe impacts of global warming. It’s making poverty and other issues worse across the country. People want the government to act, but they feel helpless. For some of us, who are privileged enough to avoid global warming’s impacts a little longer, we have a responsibility to call out our leaders to act.
But the first step to that is education. We are trying to answer some of the queries that you have about climate change.
“Education is the strongest weapon to change the world”- Nelson Mandela.
Sources:
1. BBC Climate Asia Survey across South Asia. Out of over 8000 respondents in India, 90% felt the impacts of climate change and 71% expected the Governemnt to support them.