Right to Ecologically Safe Habitats and Livelihoods

Distinguished members of IHRO group,

Mrs. Sonia Gandhi ,the president of Congress has called for addressing the root causes of rural unrest especially in these regions where tribals. There is call for defending the rights of villagers in Kalinga Nagar for their habitats. We know for sure that it is for the expansion of ecologically hostile urban habitats that these mineral rich regions are being acquired violating the recommendations of the recommendations of the Bhuria Committee. Prof.B.K. Burman had called for correction of provisions of the Forest Act for accomodating the interests of forest dwellors and their rights. Thus, there is need to work for rights of farmers and villagers to their ecologically sustainable habitats and livelihoods . Nothing compensates for the guarunteed agriculture and forest based livelihood for those who for generations and millennia have been dependant of that. People have lost lives and land and the story of Gladson Dungdung is an example http://transitionurbanindia.ning.com/profiles/blogs/am-i-a-maoist-by-gladson.

Many of us migrants in urban areas would realise that our ancestors survived on agriculture. Ecologically intelligent decision would be to halt the expansion of the ecologically hostile urban habitats and stick to the spirit of National Climate Action policy. We must call for ecologically safe governance, prepare for the end of petro-modern times as we do not have gurunteed supply of energy for running the expanding ecologically hostile urban habitats. We can see evidence of increasing rate of decline of fossil fuels and this has been acknowledged by Fatih Birol ,Chief Economist of Paris based International Energy Institute http://transitionurbanindia.ning.com/profiles/blogs/drfatih-birol-chief-economist

No one has fixed a target for us. China is geostrategically adopting an ecologically hostile policy following the lead of nations, even China needs to prepare for the end petro-modern times and it might get ready soon, though this appears difficult. Nonetheless, we need to have community based ecostrategic planning http://transitionurbanindia.ning.com/forum/topics/community-based-ecostrategic with total consent and not a consent derived by coercion and monetary compentation.

I am marking copies to President, Vice President and Prime Minister of India for the needful consideration.

Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam

58-C, Top Floor,DDA Janta Flats, Ashok Vihar-III,Delhi-110052,India
Tel:+9968345380
http://slideshare.net/mukhtaralam
http://transitionurbanindia.ning.com
http://ecostrategiccommunicators.ning.com
http://muhammad_mukhtar_alam.tigblog.org
http://architectsofanewdawn.ning.com/profile/DrMuhammadMukhtarAlam






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From: "Subhashini_Ali@yahoo.com"
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Sent: Sat, 15 May, 2010 8:58:28 PM
Subject: [IHRO] Fw: Maoist Killings



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From: "Communist Party of India \(Marxist\)"
Date: Sat, 15 May 2010 15:09:35 +0530
To: Communist Party of India\(Marxist\ )
Subject: Maoist Killings



Class enemies?

Inter-Faith Commons for Mitigation of Climate Change. Transforming Ecologically Hostile Leisure,Consumption,Production,Finance System and Habitats

Children are getting conscious of the reality of the climate change and they want governments to act for mitigating the climate change. Ambreen Fatima ,a class V stundent of Lion's Public School, Ashok Vihar,Delhi is calling for reducing the emissions through avoiding personal vehicles and using public transport .Her video can be seen at the link for promoting carbon neutral leisure at http://ecostrategiccommunicators.ning.com. There are different levels of awareness and different levels of action for climate change.It is interesting to note that a poll conducted by Hindustan Times Next (October 27,2009) has shown that views of the school children are as varied as the position of the government of India and the climate negotiators from the industrialised countries. This variance could be seen as the reflection of the debate on the emission norms that developing and developed countries must adhere not only for the collective ecological wellbeing but also for the sake of the future of their own children.Some children want India to accept the emission norms that are set by the Industrialised nations and they consider the need to address the climate change. Sakshi ,a class XII student of Homerton Grammer School,Faridabad feels that India should consider the current scenario and as a country and society should ask these questions-"do we want to wreck our national heritage? Can our indegenous people and our forests take this relentless assault on them?" She is asking these questions oppossing the contention of the government that India should oppose the caps. Shipra Awasthi, a class VI student of St.Paul's School calls for the technological and financial support for the transition to renewable resource based development.Shivam Gupta,a class XII student of SRDAV School,Dayanand Vihar calls upon the developing countries to recognise the reality of climate change and take the necessary steps for mitigation. However,he supports of the call of India to West for agreeing to a time frame for reducing the emissions as if they did not so, developing countries will bear'disproportionately severe' impact of the climate change.He feels that with 'necessary steps' India's emissions will not increase beyond those of industrialised nations.


In these statements, it can be seen that children in India are getting increasing conscious of the need to address the climate change, protect the ecologically sustainable habitats, ensure collective ecological wellbeing.Some of them appear to imitating the government demand on financing the green technologies as government is asking for this financing for the new technologies and its transfer. In stead of calling for technologies, we should be adopting the ecologically sustainable measures for reducing the demand for energy intensive services and demands. That is very much possible rather than trapping children in usurious debts for getting green technologies. As a matter of fact, recognising the peak oil estimates, there is a need to decelerate the consumption of fossil fuel based resources rather than seeking acceleration of demand for energy intensitive services and habitats.

We can see that there is absence of concern for the sustainability of services and commodities that are based on fossil fuels and it is assumed that energy crisis would be addressed eventually through technology solutions.This assumption could be proven wrong. It is quite likely.What will happen then? What will happen to the livelihoods that are based on the supplies of fossil fuels and hydrocarbons? What would happen to the millions who have migrated to cities in search of livelihoods hoping for a dream that would never end? What would happen to those families who have sold their land in their villages and build houses for earning rent? Recognising such uncertainties ,it is not wise to pursure the expansion of habitats that primarily assumes the supply of energy.Recognising such uncertainties about the supplies of energy, Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam, founder director of Centre for Ecological Audit, Social Inclusion and Governance had called for preparation for the end of petro-modern times. Now it can be seen that there are transition movements that are active in several countries with vibrant transition communities involved in communication and practice of ecologically safe local self reliant communities.http://transitionculture.org is an important initiative that calls for adoption of transition model for communities across the world. Movement for Transforming Ecologically Hostile Habitats initiated in 2009 http://transitionurbanindia.ning.com is working for creation of policy environment for meeting the exigencies of energy crisis and making habitats ecologically safe.

We need to listen to the calls of the children who may inherit this Earth in say 40th century. We need to listen to the calls and cries of poorest who have not got right to homestead land even in Indepedant India. Pravin Sinha ji of FES,India speaking on the occassion of a workshop organised by Deshkal Soceity rightly asked the questions regarding the claims of Shining India and Incredible India.Inflation is creating difficulties for many with the adoption of a development policy that has made India the 5th largest emitter of green house gases. China is second largest emitter of green house gases and its championing of ecologically hostile growth targets has created problems for the ecological safety of the children in India as more than not Chinese development indicators and GDP growth rate is cited for adoption of a development paradigm that is based on acceleration of the growth and expansion of energy intensive consumption,production and habitats. It is sad that both China and India has agreed to oppose the norms of emissions while demanding deep cuts in emissions from the developed countries. It is getting increasingle difficult for nations to agree to the norms and reduce emissions as it gets directly linked to growth, employment, prosperity whose definitions and measurements has not been factored the ecological costs.Centre for Ecological Audit, Socail Inclusion (CEASIG), a collaborative programme of Sewa,Labour League Foundation and Sufi Trust ,Delhi has been calling for adoption of inter-faith commons for mitigating the climate change and eradicating the problems of poverty that gets exacerbated with the adoption of environmentally and ecologically hostile development paradigm. A detailed presentation can be seen at http://slideshare.net/mukhtaralam