AIR Spotlight: Discussion on Mission LIFE

AIR Spotlight is an insightful program featured daily on the All India Radio Newsonair. In this program, many eminent panellists discuss issues of importance which can be quite helpful in IAS exam preparation.

This article is about the discussion on Mission LIFE: an India-led global mass movement to protect & preserve environment.

Participants:

1. Ashish Chaturvedi, Head of Environment, Energy and Resilience, UNDP India
2. Omvesh Upadhyay, AIR Correspondent

Context: Delegates deliberated on various issues including India’s initiative for the green transition in the 1st G20 Development Working Group (DWG) meeting held in Mumbai in December 2022.

Introduction: 

• India has always advocated the idea of sustainable living and highlighted the issue of climate change at various international forums. 
• India has been vocal about inclusive growth and has taken various initiatives such as Mission LiFE, Lifestyle for Environment. 
• Mission LiFE was first introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at COP 26 in Glasgow and was officially launched by the Prime Minister and UN Secretary-General António Guterres in October 2022.
• The primary objective of this initiative is to make the lifestyle of people environment-friendly and sustainable. 
• Mission LiFE carries the spirit of the P3 model. i.e. Pro Planet People along with highlighting the concept of lifestyle of the planet, for the planet, and by the planet.
• Climate change and sustainable lifestyle will be among the key agendas occupying the centre spot during India’s G20 presidency. 
• Pressing ‘Mission LiFE’ into a global movement the DWG meeting observed LiFE as a key green development pact with an aim to integrate development and climate issues.

Green Transition:

• Green transition refers to transitioning from a carbon-based development model to a more sustainable development model. 
• The world is currently going through an alarming climate crisis, food crisis, and loss of biodiversity, all of them having a drastic impact on the environment. However, green transition can be a way to protect our environment.

India’s Mission LiFE into a global movement:

• The G20 DWG and G20 India are working together to enable an environment for implementing Mission LiFE. They are working to bring all stakeholders on board and support this initiative.
• G20 India also focuses on three core shifts for a global collective approach- reshaping demand, rethinking supply, and a responsive ecosystem.
• The G20 DWG and G20 India will generate consensus among the international community to drive collective action on the enablers of LiFE which are traditional knowledge systems & practices, the power of technology & innovation, nudges for behavioural change, and policy & infrastructure solutions.

Read more on LiFE Movement

Some lifestyle changes that can be adopted:

• People at different levels, especially in terms of affluence were appealed to make small nudges in their lifestyle like keeping the temperature of air conditioners uniform at 22 to 24 degrees Celsius, hot water geysers should be efficiently used, using cars that can give greater mileage in the city/urban areas, etc.
• People of higher income groups are indirectly targeted, as it is this category of the population that uses more than their fair share of carbon emissions. The poor or vulnerable sections are still living sustainably in the majority of regions.
• As a person gets richer, the amount of per capita emission increases, and thus the level of responsibility should also increase.
• Nature should be dealt with in a more positive manner. Forests should be treated as a resource that absorbs carbon dioxide and is a part of life. The focus should be on regeneration rather than exploitation.
• Technology can also be used in this direction. For instance, LED bulbs are considered to be sustainable.
• We can also use traditional approaches and learn from history. For instance, Hawa Mahal in Jaipur was designed in such a way that the natural breeze cools the temperature inside it.
• A new revolution in the field of dryland agriculture is required. For instance, areas like Africa should stress on millet. Millets have always been a part of life that is nutritious, hardy, and more water-efficient being drought-resistant crops.
• Earlier a lifestyle approach in the form of International Yoga Day was also underlined by India. India and the United Nations collaborated on this front and achieved great success.

Read previous AIR Spotlight articles in the link.

AIR Spotlight: Discussion on Mission LIFE:- Download PDF Here