Environment Justice Matters- Vol 2. Issue 12
As we resume our bi-weekly newsletter, we invite you to also read the unpublished issues of EJ Matters, which we have archived on our website.
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Author: ESG Author
Week 9 & Final Session: Consolidating visions for Bengaluru’s Climate Action Plan
The outcome of this final session would include voices from all sector and sections of the city that will assist the city in developing its Climate Action Plan to benefit present and future generations, in an intergenerational perspective, and inspired by Vasudaiva Kutumbakam.
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A New Chapter in Decentralised Lake Governance in Karnataka: The Karnataka High Court’s Upcoming Order in Environment Support Group v. State of Karnataka (WP No. 817 of 2008)
On 15 June 2021, at 2.25 pm, the Principal Bench of the Karnataka High Court headed by Chief Justice Oka
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A New Chapter in Decentralised Governance of Lakes of Karnataka: Principal Bench of Karnataka High Court directs the State to constitute District Lake Protection Committees in Environment Support Group v. State of Karnataka (WP No. 817 of 2008)
On 15 June 2021, the Principal Bench of the Karnataka High Court headed by Chief Justice Abhay Oka pronounced an order that will significantly change lake governance across Karnataka state, in rural and urban areas. This order will now pave the way for truly decentralised governance of lakes as commons, allowing the local public direct access to these Committees. The order was issued in response to an application made by Leo F. Saldanha, Coordinator of Environment Support Group, who sought modifications to the landmark 2012 judgment in ESG’s Lakes PIL Environment Support Group v. State of Karnataka (W.P. No. 817/2008), to strengthen lake governance from the ground up.
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Environment Justice Matters- Vol 2. Issue 11
Week 8 of the series saw rich discussions on how to build climate-resilient and inclusive infrastructure for Bengaluru. A major theme that emerged was the need to plan infrastructure for all sections of society, utilising consultative processes from the ward-level up. Read our previous session reports here.
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Week 8: Reimagining Bengaluru’s Infrastructure as Resilient to Climate-Change
The ‘smart city’ projects have skewed relationships between intent and impact, with massive investments being made in gentrified neighborhoods to the neglect of most other areas of the metropolis. Meanwhile, investments in essential social, education and health infrastructure remain stagnant and are even declining. Would turning planning and development into deeply democratic and decentralised processes and promoting self-sufficient neighborhoods be the answer to reducing the carbon footprint of the metropolis and adapting Bengaluru to climate change impacts?
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Week 7 Webinar Report: Securing Clean Air and Inclusive Mobility for Bengaluru
“Environmental justice, transportation justice, street justice are all deeply political matters, and to see it merely from a technical perspective will not give us the answers…It is also important to try and create a network where it doesn’t become a government-driven system alone. As consumers we have power. As consumers, we are not effectively networked to propel the transformation that is essential”
Read MoreRestoring ecosystems to address NCD pandemic
June 5, 2021 marks the 49th year since the UN General Assembly designated the day as World Environment Day, marking the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment in 1972. The day is globally celebrated with meaningful themes relevant to the challenges at various points of time. This year’s theme is Restoring Ecosystems.
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A century in pursuit of freedom
Who would have thought that in 2021, an American corporation known to harvest private communications for corporate profit would stand up against the Indian Government, defending the Right of Privacy of Indians. Ironically, here we are in the middle of the pandemic, worrying about how police can zoom in to suspend our fundamental right of expression, or walk into our homes and take away all that is ours, when the administration should, in fact, be ensuring that not one more person suffers, or dies, of COVID.
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ESG’s Support to Communities Adversely Affected by Covid-19 and the lockdown
A crisis of hunger, and consequent malnutrition, is growing within the Covid-19 pandemic. Even as vulnerable communities were trying to recover from the economic hardships of last year’s lockdown, countless families now find themselves exhausting whatever meager savings they had on food. And they have run out of money already.
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Tackling COVID-19 Sensibly – A conversation with Dr. Kashinath Dixit
Environment Support Group invites you to participate in a conversation with Dr. Kashinath Dixit, an Endocrinologist who has worked for decades in the United Kingdom and been closely involved in responding to the COVID waves that affected the region. He is now also helping a variety of vulnerable communities across India to take precautions, stay healthy and recover from the disease
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Environment Justice Matters- Vol 2. Issue 10
Dr. Tekur, a dear friend and trustee of ESG, left us on 16th May 2021 after he lost his valiant struggle with Covid. As a young doctor he served in the Indian Army, and was even selected to be one of three who would be India’s first cosmonaut, till a training injury put him out of contention. He left the Army as a Captain and dedicated his life to being the People’s Doctor. A very popular General Physician and pediatrician, Dr. Tekur also helped shape Community Health Cell, now Sochara, in its formative years. He spared no effort to be of help and to the very end was in the midst of patients working to save thousands from COVID and other ailments. Yet he found time to paint, and did so with such professional dexterity and beauty. Dr Tekur will be remembered by so many he trained in public health through his work life, and by thousands of children who were eager to see their doctor who always sent them away with a polo mint and an evergreen smile. All of us at ESG miss him so very much.
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Dr. Shirdi Prasad Tekur left us on 16 May 2021
Over the past year he has saved hundreds from COVID. As the line of patients grew long in his clinic, Tekur stayed, from morning till the last patient got the care. Often I would argue with him- when he regularly went home at 4 or 5 pm to have lunch – what he was doing as unacceptable. He would laugh it off.
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Environment Justice Matters- Vol 2. Issue 9
Electric vehicles have often been touted as a panacea to reduce particulate emissions from automobiles. But data has emerged that the biggest source of PM 2.5 is tire wear, not vehicle exhaust. This could raise questions about the viability of mass transition to Electric Vehicles.
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Webinar Series Update
The webinar is postponed until further notice due to the Covid situation and we have started providing assistance to the heavily impacted communities during the lockdown.
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Restoring ecosystems to address NCD pandemic
The rise in these two NCDs is largely attributed to degradation of our ecosystems due to urban proliferation with decreasing open green spaces, change in lifestyle over the years driven by the nerve-wracking GDP based economic engines, and socio-cultural changes, with a host of other factors contributing to these conditions.
Bengaluru’s ecosystem once comprised of open green spaces such as parks, urban forests, lakes and open public spaces. Such spaces help reduce temperature, improve air quality, cut noise, and provide space for physical activities such as walking, cycling, playing, exercising that help reduce the burden of these NCDs.
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COVID-19: Why we must reorganise cities to deal with the third wave
There have been innumerable efforts in the past by civil society, trade unions, academia, public health experts and others who repeatedly stressed the crucial importance of strengthening local governance as key to mitigating and managing problems. These efforts have reached various High Courts and the Supreme Court too as Public Interest Litigations, trying to make local governance work. But the hubristic reliance and faith in centralised management has been such that even court orders directing public involvement in decision-making have all been disregarded. The whims and fancies of a few in power have prevailed with technology-based solutions for the pandemic.
Read MoreYour Participation Can Make Bengaluru’s Climate Action Plan More Inclusive
Thank you to those of you who have joined us in the ongoing webinar series “Bengaluru’s Climate Action: Making it Participatory and
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Press Conference: CM of Karnataka, act now against communalisation of the Covid crisis
View Full Conference Report Report of Press Conference held via Zoom on 6th May 2021, 3 pm Opening the press
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Letter to CM of Karnataka, act now against the communalisation of the Covid crisis.
We also draw your attention to urgent steps needed to address sufferings of those reeling under COVID.
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Week 7: Securing Clean Air and Inclusive Mobility for Bengaluru
Everyone pays a very high price for mobility in Bengaluru. Incredible traffic snarls cost precious time, money, infrastructure and public health, and substantially erode the ‘salubrious’ quality of the metropolis. With an astonishing 0.8 to 1 vehicle to population ratio, Bengaluru metropolitan area is amongst the most fossil fuel dependent urban spaces globally. Air quality is significantly deteriorating, resulting in severe health impacts, especially for the poor and marginalised.
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Week 6 Webinar Report: Making Bengaluru Energy Independent
“Is it possible to keep this city running with this pattern of consumption and demand for energy? How are BESCOM and KPTCL sustaining this supply? What are the challenges of the petrochemical sector in supporting fuel demands? Is there a way that we could shift to more sustainable sources, such as renewable energy, and can those transitions be just for all involved? Will such just transitions require Bangalore Metropolitan Planning Authorities to imagine futures that are based on sustainable energy systems, in contrast with the prevailing extractive and unsustainable systems? And can we ensure all homes (be they of rich, poor or middle classes), institutions, offices, government buildings will find ways to consume less power and shift to alternate forms of locally generated power?”
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Environment Justice Matters- Vol 2. Issue 8
Bengaluru’s Climate Action Plan- Making it Participatory and Inclusive On March 22nd, World Water Day, ESG began a new webinar
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The Anatomy of a Solar Land Grab: Press Conference Invite
Release of “The Anatomy of a Solar Land Grab”. Report of a Fact-Finding Committee relating to Human Rights Violations, and Environmental & Social Impacts of 15 MW Solar Power Plant being established by Azure Power at Mikir Bamuni Grant Village, Nagaon, Assam .
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Week 6: Making Bengaluru Energy Independent
Date: 26th April 2021, Monday, 6:00 PM India on Zoom Pls note: Registration is not required if you have already
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