We are living in a time of panic and distress, yet we continue to be in a state of delusion. Climate change is real. If we do not accept this truth and take control of the situation, we will face extinction.
While an overload of information we receive every day on climate change dehumanises the crisis and makes it distant and unreal, a huge chunk of the subject that usually gets left out from the data, statistics and reports is the human cost. Greta Thunberg and Venessa Nakate have said: “The climate crisis isn’t just about extreme weather. It’s about people. Real people. And the very people who have done the least to create the climate crisis are suffering the most.”
The Gobar Times of my dreams should address this shortfall. It should cover the social and community-wide impacts of climate change, as well as advocate for futuristic and realistic solutions.
Because of access to information online and awareness campaigns by NGOs and civilians, most people today are aware of the technical impacts of climate change. But it is also imperative to understand the urban-rural and societal inequalities that can risk our communities and disrupt our society’s progression. Sustainable development, as a concept, aims at ensuring that our future generation has the resources and environment to survive. We have to encourage processes, ideas and action plans that can carry forward this notion.
As humans, we are not superior forces and cannot fight against the power of Nature. A shift in mindset is essential. This can be done through persuasive and urgent articles that clearly bring out the timeline required to resolve the problem. Climate change can’t wait to be solved in 2040 or 2060; it is crucial to solve it NOW. This message should be brought out in every article.
Also, as there are multiple facets to climate change, assigning one sub-topic to each week or month could allow the publication to cover all issues over time. The publication should be a testimony to innovative re-modelling of people’s mindsets and modernistic ideologies and solutions.
These are my ideas for the Gobar Times of my dreams.
Student of Class IX, The Shri Ram School, Moulsari, Gurugram