Founder's Note
Dear Fellow Inhabitants of Earth!
It is the 5th of May 2020. Lockdown 3.0 has been imposed in the country. We are living through unprecedented times. COVID-19 has overwhelmed all of us. But the threat of climate change still looms large. We have all heard about climate change in some form or the other. While we have acknowledged our vulnerabilities, the warning by our experts have failed to catalyse the kind the intense action needed to combat climate change. Just like we trusted the experts with their warnings and guidance in the COVID fight, what is stopping us from doing the same with climate change?
Who would have thought a large scale response to the global crisis is possible or that we could see nations work together in solidarity? Most of the things we thought was impossible became a reality. The world’s and India’s response to COVID- 19 has proved to us that our climate action is only limited because of our lack of conscious choice to make a transition and work on a low carbon path. There is absolutely nothing stopping us from making the change.
India has most definitely performed considerably well over the past few months and we can attribute this success to every individual who made a conscious choice to stay home. Why can’t we now make such a choice for climate change? Isn’t it our social responsibility? We must move away from the mindset that says an individual’s action will not make a difference. It most definitely will. A big one. I would like to quote Margaret Mead here :
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.
Unlike the COVID-19 situation, flattening the curve will take years of consistent action with climate change. We should stop procrastinating and start prioritising mitigation over adaptation. Things will get extremely complicated and there is no cure to extreme weather events that will continue to occur.
I invite to you to contribute to ENACT, learn from others and engage in discussions. Lets share knowledge and help each other become better versions of ourselves. It’s a small step but a very important one.
As we take in the uncertainty of what’s going on around us and come to grips with our current truth, we should embrace this time as a rare window of opportunity to restore our community, economy and the planet as it should be. There is still hope for humanity and I truly believe we can be the change we wish to see. Let us recreate, together, a better, brighter future not just for us but for the entire planet.
Happy Enacting!
Yours,
Hemavathi S Shekhar
Founder, ENACT