By Zaineb Akbarally
However, whilst the science is clear, the action processes have remained inconsistent in addressing this truly global challenge of our times.
It is now 50 years ago in 1972 that the world first came together on the topic of environment at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden, to deliberate and formulate an action plan that recognised the linkages and importance of the responsible management of the environment for economic growth and development. Twenty years later, in Rio de Janeiro, the “Earth Summit” of 1992 had a primary objective to develop a new blueprint for international action on environmental and development issues that would have sustainable development at the forefront at the dawn of the 21st Century.
However, the sad reality that faces my generation is that despite these calls to action in proceeding generations, the actual remit of achievement has remained limited and ineffective. The most recently published report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicated that we are already living in the last decade in which we can influence the changing climate.
Greta Thunberg, a vibrant voice for youth speaking just before the most recent global climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, last year, criticised global leaders for the continued rhetoric they unabashedly recite by emphatically saying: “Build back better. Blah, blah, blah. Green economy. Blah, blah, blah. Net zero by 2050. Blah, blah, blah.”
This points at the crux of the issue at hand. While rhetoric calling for action on climate is widespread across the spectrum today, the enforcement mechanisms in place for climate governance lack accountability and are predominantly loosely based on coalitions of the willing. This means that states can enter and leave international agreements at will on the hunches of the electoral landscape – as was most recently demonstrated with the US withdrawing and re-entering the Paris Agreement. Similarly, climate finance is another critical cornerstone in climate discussions. Yet, despite pledges being made from the developed world to the developing world to support the transition to a low-carbon economy, evidence indicates that these pledges are not being met. In fact, many states pledged to increase their financial pledges at Glasgow in 2021, despite not even having met the Paris Agreement target to mobilise $ 100 billion per year by 2020. These failures in accountability only keep pegging us backwards in meeting targets to mitigate and adapt to a changing planet.
These failures in implementation and weak governance structures have firmly placed the burden of challenges we face on the world’s youth. We see internationally that youth are galvanised and are pushing forward with rigorous action plans to make amends. Greta Thunberg gave birth to the #FridaysForFuture movement when she sat in front of the Swedish Parliament every school day for three weeks to protest the lack of action on the climate crisis. The movement soon went viral galvanising children and youth across the globe to take a stand for the climate. Last March, in Sri Lanka, the WNPS Youth Wing joined in with a coalition of youth-led organisations for the Global Climate Strike organised by the #FridaysForFuture movement. We painted a highly emotive mural of what would remain of our country if we don’t make amends urgently and address the challenges directly of environmental destruction that fuels the global climate to change.
The WNPS Youth Wing also educates and works closely with youth from over 70 schools in Sri Lanka to educate them about the environment; we believe education is not an abstract or theoretical concept. Hence, we take our youth out on educational field visits into nature so they can connect to nature and lastly, we recognise that for lasting positive change, we need sustained engagement. Hence, we encourage children by providing seed investment to initiate sustainability projects such as organic farming, reforestation, beekeeping, and upcycling waste at schools or in their communities. Earlier this year, we launched the storybook Finding the Mighty Little Girl in the Land of Machines, which tells a story about a group of friends who set out to explore the jungles, mangrove forests, and coral reefs of Sri Lanka. They witness the challenges facing the natural world during their journey due to the machines cutting down forests, snares trapping leopards, and turtles suffocating on plastic bags. This inspires this group of friends to embark on a mission to work to save their home, the wild, and beautiful landscapes of Sri Lanka.
Through this educational work, we hold on to a positive beacon of hope that by educating the next generation, we will be ready to face the daunting challenges we are bound to have to tackle due to the failures of the preceding generations.
(The writer is an environmental scientist, conservationist, and environmental educator. She is a General Committee Member of the WNPS and is the Chairperson of the WNPS Youth Wing, which works on environmental educational initiatives that engage and inspire Sri Lankan youth on biodiversity and conservation issues)
The history of wildlife protection in Sri Lanka is almost synonymous with that of the Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka. At 128 years old, the WNPS is the third oldest non-Governmental organisation of its kind in the world and was responsible for the setting up of the Wilpattu and Yala National Parks in Sri Lanka, and of the formation of the Department of Wildlife Conservation.