“To prevent planet earth from turning into Mars, people need to act fast as any further rise in emissions of greenhouse gases would spiral things out of control,” said Sonam Wangchuk, innovator and climate activist. Putting across the warning of the impending danger, Wangchuk revealed that living in mountainous region, he is already seeing the crisis unfold and it would not take long for the same to reach the plains.

 

Sonam Wangchuk was speaking on the concluding day of the two-day ‘REJOiCE’, a Rotary District 3030 Internation Conference, at Suresh Bhat Auditorium, on Sunday. “If one’s house is on fire and to douse the flames, if water is poured, why should the action be seen with coloured eyes,” said Wangchuk, equating his fight to stem the Himalayan peaks from getting melted, and people should not unnecessarily doubt any work to save the planet as part of agenda. In Nagpur, to put the facts before the people, who might be aloof to emerging dangers, Wangchuk, who earned a lot of name and fame through the blockbuster movie ‘3 idiots’, expressed surprise as those who are supposed to act are not doing anything, and action of people in Ladakh to save the planet is being dubbed as an agenda. Violators are not questioned, but the indigenous population of Ladakh fighting to save the Himalayas are being targeted, Wangchuk lamented. Ladakh was inhospitable, but years of toil by ancestors made the region habitable and now same stands threatened by rapidly warming climate.

 

The society must act fast and they can atleast contribute by limiting their needs. Countering the targeting of Governments, Wangchuk was of the view that it’s the people’s unchecked desires that are fuelling the unwarranted need for more coal-fired power houses and other projects. The people in power cannot sit silent when they realise the gap between demand and supply. So instead of simply blaming the rulers, society must look inwards and limit their wastage and also make a change in their lifestyle.

 

Living a spartan life and limiting one’s action that contribute to emmission of greenhouse gases can ensure that glaciers, which are the source of drinking water, do not melt. The discussion was moderated by Shabbir Shakir, Past District Governor, Rotary International District 3030, wherein Wangchuk also showed the devastation that happened in Ladakh due to flash floods. What was supposed to be one act that occurred in a century, the Himalayan region has seen floods wreck havoc in 2006, 2010, 2013, 2017 and so on. This is warning sign and any further delay in addressing the situation on hand would only spread the crisis as, without saving the glaciers from melting, the rivers in Northern India would go dry.