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Meghalayas capital city, Shillong, has undergone substantial changes in its climate pattern. With urbanisation, Shillongs problems like water shortage, inadequacy of sanitation and civic services, choked roads, and a degraded urban environment have compounded. In an initiative to raise awareness on climate change, a radio jockey, popularly known as Bah Manik, is tirelessly spreading the message of abandoning plastic use through his popular programme Hei Kapla. He has emerged as one of the states most knowledgeable and passionate communicators about the urgent need to address climate change.
Taking a cue from the efforts of people like Bah Manik, the Indian business houses can best utilise the current times to dedicate efforts towards mitigating climate change. It is time for them to earn kudos for acting for the environment. They need to check emissions of harmful substances from their manufacturing units in ways that doesnt hamper growth and expansion. They should embark upon ways to bring in efficiency through optimal use of resources by adopting environment friendly mechanisms.
Climate change hits India hard in terms of costs and livelihoods disrupted, even though India accounts for just about 4% of the worlds greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Historically, the responsibility of GHG emissions rested largely with the industrialised world, but developing countries are likely to be the source of an increasing portion of future emissions. As the global economic recession has proven, every crisis brings with it an adversity and opportunity. The one who makes the most of the opportunity in the face of adversity would emerge as the true winner.
Something similar can be said about global warming. It poses a threat to our planet while providing an opportunity to humankind to understand, change and evolve. The threat is in terms of the severe impacts that climate change will have on ecosystems, sea level, crop production and weather patterns.
This, in turn, will lead to increased international pressure on nations as well as corporations across all industries. They will be subject to increasingly stringent environment regulations as well as sustained pressure from customers, employees and investors to deliver on a triple bottom line of social, economic and environmental performance. The opportunity comes in the form of a driving force for Indian companies to discover new technologies, processes, means and strategies to not only meet their business goals but also keep emissions under check.
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