Green Update
TreeTake Network
Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav inaugurated the India Pavilion at the 27th Session of the Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, recently. Welcoming the delegates from various countries to the India Pavilion, Yadav said Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi had provided a simple solution to the complex climate change problem. He said India believed that climate action started from the grassroots level and hence designed the India Pavilion with the theme of LiFE- Lifestyle for Environment. He also felicitated the COP Young Scholars from India who worked towards positive climate change solutions. “I am confident that, throughout the duration of COP, India Pavilion will continue to remind the delegates that simple lifestyle and individual practices that are sustainable in nature can help protect Mother Earth,” said the minister. “India looks forward to substantial progress in the discussions related to climate finance. We also look forward to the introduction of new technologies and new collaborations to facilitate technology transfers,” he said.
India is hosting a pavilion with the theme of LiFE- Lifestyle for Environment at COP 27. The Pavilion has been designed to send out the message of LiFE through various audio-visuals, logos, 3D models, set-up, décor, and side events. The guiding thought in the design of the pavilion is that for centuries, Indian civilizations have practised and led sustainable lifestyles. Eco-friendly habits are encoded in the Indian culture. Several practices are rooted in daily life showing respect for the natural environment. They can prove to be invaluable in our fight against climate change. This deep-seated knowledge of sustainability passed through generations over a thousand years, has led the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to give the world a Mantra of LiFE – that aims to have a substantial impact on the health and wellbeing of the planet. LiFE movement is India’s contribution to handling the global climate crisis. The LiFE movement seeks to transform persons into ‘pro-planet people’, who would adopt sustainable lifestyles in the modern world. In respect of the Pavilion logo, the colour green which is indicative of Green Earth has been used in gradient shades in the logo. The leaf on the periphery represents nature and icons represent how balance and harmony with nature can be achieved through various initiatives of the Government of India. The central part of the logo represents a balanced nature with the Sun encompassing trees, mountains, water, and biodiversity. The slogan has been inspired by the core messaging of Life - May everyone be happy!
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi gave the mantra of LiFE to the world in 2021 at COP 26 in Glasgow and this movement has since been widely supported by world leaders. India has spearheaded Mission LiFE as a global mass movement that harnesses the power of individual and collective action across the world to address the climate crisis. It aims to resurrect the delicate balance between man and nature by encouraging a shift from mindless and wasteful consumption to mindful and deliberate utilisation to protect and preserve the environment. Mission LiFE is designed with the objective to mobilise at least one billion Indians and other global citizens to take individual and collective action for protecting and preserving the environment in the period 2022 to 2027. Within India, at least 80% of all villages and urban local bodies are aimed at becoming environment-friendly by 2028.
SC stays HC order quashing transfer of NGT cases from zonal benches to Delhi
The Supreme Court recently issued notice on a plea filed by the National Green Tribunal challenging the order of the Bombay High Court, which has quashed administrative notices issued by the Registrar General of NGT transferring cases from the western zone bench at Pune to special benches at the principal seat in New Delhi. A bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and BV Nagarathna was told by senior advocate Arvind P Datar, who appeared for the NGT, that the high court’s order would have pan-India ramifications, as the notices had been quashed in their entirety. This would mean that transfer of cases from other zonal benches to Delhi would also be affected and not just the transfer from the western zone bench. Taking note of this, the Supreme Court stayed the operative part of the impugned judgment. The Apex Court, however, clarified that since two members, one judicial and one expert member, were now available for the western zone bench, all matters pertaining to the western zone, including matters arising out of the states of Goa and Maharashtra would be heard by the Pune bench sitting at Pune. Senior advocate Dushyant Dave also appeared for the NGT. Senior advocate Indira Jaising appeared for the NGO the Goa Foundation, which approached the Bombay High Court challenging the transfer of cases from the western zone (which includes Goa) to Delhi. The senior lawyers appearing for the Tribunal informed the bench that the transfer orders were issued in view of the unfilled vacancies at the regional benches. The notices were issued between September 6, 2021, and August 26, 2022, and were challenged through a PIL by NGO, The Goa Foundation. The 3-judge bench of the high court, in its 41-page judgment of September 21, 2022, affirmed the view taken by a division bench of the Bombay high court in an October 2017 judgment. In that judgment in suo motu writ petition No. 1 of 2017, the high court had recommended that the authorities must consider a proposal to establish a circuit bench at Panaji in Goa. “It is fair to say that the environmental concerns of Goa have been pivotal in shaping the face of environmental law in this country. Those struggles to preserve that land and its environment have continued; as indeed they should. We, therefore, reaffirm such recommendation, that far from moving Goa-centric matters away from Pune, every endeavour must be made to set up a circuit bench in Panaji. This is the only way that true access to justice can be achieved and access to justice has been held to be a part and parcel of the right to life,” the high court order reads on this point.
SC stays Bombay HC order against public feeding of street dogs
The Supreme Court HS ordered that no coercive steps shall be taken in pursuance of the order of the Bombay High Court (Nagpur Bench) which prohibited the public feeding of street dogs. The court also stayed the HC’s observation that people who feed street dogs must adopt them. A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and JK Maheshwari stayed the following observation in the high court’s order: “If these so-called friends of stray dogs are really interested in protection and welfare of the stray dogs, they must adopt the stray dogs, take home the stray dogs or at least put them up in some good dog shelter homes and bear all the expenses for their registration with municipal authorities and towards their maintenance, health, and vaccination.” The bench passed the interim order while considering a special leave petition filed by a group of dog lovers against the HC order. The court also directed the Nagpur Municipal Corporation to ensure and take steps for the general public to feed the stray dogs at appropriate locations demarcated by them. Till the locations were identified, it would be open to the municipal authorities to deal with any nuisance caused by the street dogs in accordance with the law.
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