‘To protect our country, we need to protect the Himalayas’

Simone Kunegel from Dialogues en humanité, Lyon, said, ‘’In the morning when you take a shower, try not to use excessive water. Make sure not to put air conditioner at 17 degrees and then cover yourself with three blankets. Conversely, during the cold weather, do not turn the heating too high.”

A farmer leader from the Himalayas, Harish Chauhan, provided an insight into challenges of farming community due to climate change and water scarcity. “The apple belt is getting higher and higher. How can we turn a blind eye to this shift? The Himalayas must be protected,’’ he said.

Dr R K Kohli, Vice Chancellor, Central University, Bathinda, said India is blessed in terms of its geographical location and abundance of resources. “But the problem is we don’t know how to use these resources for we are bad managers. In order to protect our country, we need to protect the Himalayas. After all, energy transfers from top to the bottom,” he said.

Maj Gen I P Singh (Retd), Director, Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institute, Mohali, underlined the power of making small changes in daily life. “Change takes place from the top, but revolution comes from society. In order to bring change we need to educate people outside four walls. We must reach out to the people who are not aware of these problems,” he said.

Genevieve Ancel, one of the panelist from Russia, also called for small initiatives. ‘’We do not have enough confidence in ourselves to take up these challenges. Each one of us has a role to play. We can’t separate ourselves from the nature so it’s better is to start living with it.”

She futher said, “Stop using polythene gasbags and start planting tress in your surroundings. Also, propagate the idea of recycling as much as you can.”