From now on, Mission LiFE will be India’s flagship initiative at the UN and other international platforms to showcase climate action and early achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
So what is Mission Life? It all started at COP26 in Glasgow last year when the Prime Minister invoked a concept called LiFE, or Lifestyle for the Environment. In doing so, he gave expression to a reality that the world has overlooked to its great peril. We cannot go on living as we have been living. The “use and throw away” lifestyle has to give way to habits that reflect a conscious orientation towards the planet.
In August, the Union cabinet approved India’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which was reported to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The first of the eight points listed in the updated NDC emphasizes the need to “introduce and continue to propagate a healthy and sustainable way of life based on traditions and values of conservation and moderation, including through a mass movement for ‘LiFE’ as a key to combat climate change”. During India’s presidency of the G20, the maintenance and promotion of LiFE will be among the key focus areas for deliberations.
How sustainable is Mission LiFE? It contemplates a circular economy through the participation of people. It also plans to nurture a global network of people, namely “people for the planet” or P3, who will have a shared commitment to adopting and promoting environmentally friendly lifestyles.
Niti Aayog and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, in partnership with other institutions, have launched a global call for ideas to drive climate-friendly behaviors among individuals, households and communities; for innovative solutions to promote wider adoption of traditional climate-friendly practices or create livelihood options for communities that may lose their jobs with a shift to climate-friendly production; and for scalable best practices to achieve climate-friendly behavior change.
Public, academic and private institutions were asked to submit idea papers by the end of 2022. The 100 best ideas will be part of a compendium to be published at the Global LiFE Conference in 2023. And the best ideas will be awarded at COP28.
Ideas can change the world. However, there is always an implementation challenge that needs to be addressed. But in this case, failure is not an option and the luxury of procrastination is simply not available. Adjusting to a new life would entail a massive disruption requiring the cessation of old habits and the adoption of new ones. It would require a fundamental change in the way we live, every minute and second. Changing behaviors is a challenge, and sustaining the change is even more so.
A successful move to LiFE requires a focus on three elements: a stakeholder-based approach, the adoption of “planetary guidance” as a talisman, and sustained buy-in from citizens. Adopting a pro-planet lifestyle is no longer the responsibility of the “other”. The responsibility stops with each one of us, whether they are institutions, nations, societies or individuals; or whether they are governments, corporations, businessmen, universities and schools or NGOs.
Dogged commitment has been the vital ingredient for the success of the International Solar Alliance championed by India. Similarly, consider the recent ban on single-use plastic in India. A stakeholder approach, involving collaboration between industry bodies, manufacturers, scientists, schools and educational institutions, civil society groups such as RWA, the media and local agencies, has a better chance of developing and disseminating sustainable alternatives. to these plastics.
For each stakeholder, the “planetary orientation” must become a talisman to judge their thinking, ideas and actions. The DNA of all institutional and individual policies and programs, decisions, practices, functions, behaviors must be permeated with a “planet first” approach. Sustainability and environmental preservation can no longer be the sole responsibility of a single ministry in a government or the sustainability division in a company. Governments and multilateral institutions must ensure that regulations, laws, and public infrastructure encourage and require business practices and citizen behavior that favor the planet.
The business world needs a green shake too. Business performance, accounting and auditing practices, human resource standards and employee appraisals, production and R&D, packaging, marketing and distribution and all other functions should be evaluated against the stone of touch of planetary orientation.
In the final analysis, the success of LiFE would lie in people’s popular adoption of green behaviors, resulting in a Jan Andolan for an earth-friendly lifestyle. This is easier said than done, as changing ingrained habits requires a lot of self-control, effort, willpower, and mindfulness. In addition, there will always be reasons to continue as before. For Mission LiFE to be successful, the acceptance of humanity is imperative.
Making planet orientation a top personal value can instantly drive seemingly small but big-impact behavior changes. It would make us turn off appliances when we don’t need them, use less water while brushing our teeth, be plastic-conscious, dispose of our e-waste responsibly, walk or bike to our neighborhood markets, and carry our own bag jute for shopping. .
As always, LiFE will be at its best when the action starts at home.
The writer, civil servant, has a doctorate in Consumer Behavior from HEC Paris, France.
Source: news.google.com