Letter: Make 2016 the year we all start doing our bit to fight climate change

This content was originally posted in 7DAYS UAE website at: Letter: Make 2016 the year we all start doing our bit to fight climate change 2015 was an epoch making year for the future of our planet. This year marked the end of the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) and the adoption of the 17 sustainable development goals which, over the next 15 years, would seek to bring about a balance between economic progress, the environment and society. As a 15-year-old youth leader, I feel that young people like us have a pivotal role to play in the successful implementation and realisation of a sustainable future. The MDGs had very limited success with economic progress being achieved at the cost of our environment, ignoring the ominous effects of climate change. The glaring irony of the situation lies in the fact that these issues are acknowledged and discussed in conference after conference, road maps are charted, milestones set, yet for every forward step taken we seem to regress further with time. Why is it then that on the year of completion of the MDGs, instead of celebrating environmental sustainability, we look forward somberly to yet another set of goals to reduce global warming. There needs to be a far greater level of empowerment and engagement for us, the youth, since it is our future that is at stake. No longer can we afford to while away another decade in fruitless negotiations and posturing while a minority reap the benefits of economic progress at the cost of the environment and society. If we are to save our tomorrow, we need to take action today. The onus is on all of us to shake off this veil of complacency and indifference and act with decisiveness. Each one of us can make a difference. Global warming is the most potent threat that can jeopardise our survival. As we move into the new year, let us pledge to adopt a lifestyle that is zero carbon and sustainable. Let us also take heed of Robert Swan’s famous quote: “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” Every action matters – take that first step. Kehkashan Basu, Dubai Read the original story at: Letter: Make 2016 the year we all start doing our bit to fight climate change