On Tuesday October 20th, Bollywood Star and Oxfam Ambassador Rahul Bose and Cristina Ora gave a presentation during their ‘Voices for Climate Justice Tour’ at University of Toronto organized by Indian Students Society UofT and Climate Action Network. Rahul and Christina gave 5 speeches in Toronto and visited Vancouver as well as Surrey in Canada to make the Canadian population aware of the role being played by Canadian government and it’s policies in global warming. 

Rahul Bose, a Bollywood Star, former captain of the Indian rugby team, and Oxfam Ambassador spoke of how climate change is affecting South Asia where the Himalayan glaciers are set to be reduced in size by 80% in 30 years, threatening the drinking and irrigation water supplies for the 1/6th of humanity that depends on this water flow. Also, Christina Ora a young award winning public speaker from the Solomon Islands shed some light on how rising sea levels brought about by climate change are threatening drinking water and food production on many small island states.

Both South Asia and islands in the South Pacific are suffering from the effects of climate change worst and first. If we do not take action the effects of climate change will worsen.

Their presentation also outlined the Canadian Government’s weak position on climate change, the policies that the Canadian Government should adopt, and what we can do to move Canada from environmental laggard to environmental leader.

The international governments are meeting on December 7th in Copenhagen to agree upon a new international climate change treaty. Unfortunately, the Canadian government has been reluctant to commit to a binding, fair and just treaty that significantly reduces our greenhouse gas emissions and helps poorer countries adopt to climate change and transition into a green economy. 

During his presentation Rahul said that we live in a time when terms like global warming, greenhouse gases, and climate change have become common topics of discussion in everyday talk. But what does global warming really mean to you and why should you care?

Ignoring problems like these won’t make them go away but make them even worse. 

You normally hear people saying that the planet is in great danger, we have to do something before its too late, but to me it has never meant anything. 

What do you mean by ‘great danger’ or ‘too late’?

 7 out of 10 Indians depend directly on the climate for their money, food and welfare of their families. They are fisher folks, farmers and foresters. How will climate change affect them? If they mean temperature rise by a mere 1 degree in India, 10% of the wheat crops will be lost. That means 10% of farming families, round about 55-60 million people will have no food and no money. These 60 million people will vanish into deepest sadness. 

Sardines in the Arabian Sea have stopped swimming there and are only found at the Bay of Bengal because of the rising pollution levels. Because of the rise in sea levels, two Islands in Sundurban have submerged and 6000 people have lost their homes. 

Climate change is a huge problem and its here and now. 840 million Indians are depending on the weather conditions praying for the right amount of rain, so many lives are hanging by this thin thread.

But what can you do about this?

During his interview with Generation Next, he said that students can get into more joint efforts to convince the Canadian Government by signing a petition, “They can start by their own individual efforts and being more politically aware about where Canada stands and they can speak to their political representatives.”

Rahul Bose with members of Indian Student Federation at University of Toronto

When it was brought to his attention that Canadians on individual level are environmentally responsible as Green bins and recycling efforts indicate, he replied, “I think Canadians are environmentally friendly, I think your Canadian government is not environmentally friendly when it comes to the world’s environment. Individually Canadians are extremely environmentally friendly, you have Hybrid cars, you separate your garbage, you recycle your trash.”

He further elaborated, “At individual level you are saving electricity and water, but at the collective level you have to tell your government to be active at an international level. You have to petition and protest at grass root level, you have to speak to your political representatives, write to your government, you have to get your voice heard at the media.”

Finally he addressed the South Asian Youth, “South Asians form a very key voting block in certain areas of Canada, South Asian students can focus on making their leaders understand just how they want those leaders to think on climate change. So, it’s very important that South Asian Youth form this bridge in conveying how climate change is affecting South Asia and that Canadian government should be more active on an international level.”

 Author: Saniya Zahid