Theme:
- India proposed the ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ (LIFE) movement at the COP-26 summit in 2021.
Lifestyle for Environment – LIFE:
- LIFE movement encourages people to become pro-planet people by changing to eco-friendly lifestyles. By changing habits, eco-friendly practices can be incorporated into daily lives. Individual actions can collectively bring a change in society.
- Small actions such as taking public transport instead of own vehicle, switching off lights and fans when they are not in use etc. can help the environment so much. According to the ‘United Nations Environment Programme’ (UNEP), if one billion people out of the total global population of eight billion adopt eco-friendly behaviours in their daily lives, global carbon emissions could be reduced by approximately 20 per cent.
- At present, consumerism is growing worldwide. People are increasingly buying things such as gadgets, clothes and other possessions for happiness. But it is affecting the environment negatively. For example, the fashion industry accounts 10% of global carbon dioxide output – more than international flights and shipping combined. Growing incomes, influencer culture, and equating material wealth with success are some of the reasons for rising materialism. Conscious purchases by analyzing whether we really need the thing we are planning to buy can avoid additional burdens on the environment.
- Throwaway culture is growing. A few years ago, it was a norm to repair and reuse goods. But now, it is a norm to throw away products even if there is a scope to fix them. Moreover, the production of disposable and short-lived products is on the rise. There is a need to change this phenomenon and encourage a circular economy, which involves sharing, repairing, reusing, recycling and upcycling. It can help in saving valuable resources on earth.
- Several countries follow different environmentally friendly practices. For example, in India, old clothes are repurposed into quilts. In Japan, reusable cloth gift wrappers are used to wrap gifts. Sweden’s culture encourages its people not to waste anything. If the countries learn from each other and implement all these practices as much as possible, there will be a lot less burden on the environment.
- Even though individual actions matter a lot to protect the environment, it alone is not sufficient. Governments around the world should take action by bringing policy reforms and implementing several action plans such as transitioning to renewable energy resources, incentivizing rainwater harvesting, eco-friendly businesses etc.
Conclusion:
The Lifestyle for Environment (LIFE) movement encourages people to adopt eco-friendly practices and to become pro-planet people. Individual actions such as taking public transport instead of own vehicle, switching off lights and fans when they are not in use etc. can collectively bring a change in society.
Your Turn…
What’s your take on the ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ movement? Are you a pro-planet person? Express your thoughts through the comment section below. And subscribe to our blog to read answers to the trending GD topics.
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