Topic: Climate Change – An Existential Threat to Humanity

Climate Crisis Framed as an Existential Challenge

• Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar described climate change not just as a serious issue, but an existential challenge for our planet.
• He emphasized the complexity and urgency of the crisis, calling it a critical and cliff-hanging issue that affects all of humanity.

Role of Institutions like NGT

• Dhankhar praised the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for its significant role in containing and managing environmental issues.
• He said NGT is helping catalyze efforts toward solutions and stressed the need for strong institutional frameworks to tackle ecological issues.

Call for Responsibility and Stewardship

• The VP stated: “We need to realise we are trustees of the Earth.”
• He stressed the intergenerational responsibility to pass on the planet in good condition to future generations, admitting that humanity has largely failed in doing so.

Reference to the Bhopal Gas Tragedy

• Dhankhar highlighted the Bhopal gas tragedy (1984) as a prime example of “mega environmental negligence”.
• Even after four decades, families continue to suffer, especially with genetic disorders, due to inadequate regulation at that time.

Justice System’s Role in Environmental Protection

• VP referred to Justice Prakash Shrivastava’s contribution as NGT chairperson in pursuing justice for environmental victims.
• Also referenced Justice P.S. Narasimha, who emphasized the need to shift from an anthropocentric to an eco-centric approach in legal thought.

Legal Philosophy Shift Needed

• Justice Narasimha pointed out the inherent bias in international jurisprudence which puts humans above nature.
• Ecology should be seen as a part of our being, not as something inferior to human needs.

Ground-Level Legal Action

• Solicitor General Tushar Mehta mentioned steps being taken to curb water and air pollution, especially due to untreated sewage and industrial waste.
• He warned that water pollution has impacted rivers, ecosystems, and urban life, leading to monsoon unpredictability and extreme weather events.

Key Quotes from the Article:

• “Our planet faces… an existential challenge, not an ordinary one.”
• “We are trustees of Earth… have we done justice? Certainly not.”
• “We did not have an institution like NGT that could address these issues.”
• “That shift has happened because that is how we lived – in harmony with ecology.”