The first session of the two-day ‘The Conclave 2023’ organized by the Pratidin Media Group was on the topic - “Climate Change and Sustainable Development: Northeast India Perspective”- where a host of issues about climate change and geographical sustainability was discussed.

The panelists of the session include Jadav Payeng, Forest man of India; Dr Purnima Devi Barman, Wildlife Biologist; Prof. Santonu Goswami, Founder of Community Climate Lab; and Shweta Mahanta, Founder of Earthful Foundation.

The session was moderated by senior journalist Nayan Pratim Kumar.

During the session, forest man of India, Jadav Payeng highlighted the importance of nature conservation and the responsibility that every individual bears for its protection.

“I have planted trees in drought-prone areas for 42 years but it is the responsibility of the 3.35 crore population of Assam to conserve nature,” Payeng said.

He further said, “I attended a meeting in Tamil Nadu where leaders from five countries assembled. At the summit, it was said that the northeastern region of India would run out of water and become a desert in the next 100 years, while a French scientist recently stated that this region will face water scarcity in the next 28 years. Following this, I gathered information on the matter and realized that in my forest area, the water level of the Brahmaputra River has decreased by some significant meters in the last four years. We are unable to bore water from the hand pumps. This is a matter of serious concern so to prevent ourselves from facing such kinds of incidents, we must plant more and more trees.”

The moderator, Nayan Pratim Kumar, referring to the Indian Forest Reports of 2019 and 2021, said that according to the data on deforestation between 2019 and 2021 1,020 square kilometres of forest were destroyed in seven northeastern states. Assam, on the other hand, has 28,312 sq km of forest area in 2021 out of 29,700 square kilometers of forest land in 2019. This means 1,020 sq km of forest cover has been destroyed in these two years.

On this, Prof. Santonu Goswami said, "Before thinking about climate change, we have to think about how the environment is being destroyed. Things like environmental degradation will continue till a sense of responsibility is aroused from the mind against environmental degradation.”

The environment, he said, will continue to deteriorate until a plan is prepared responsibly. Development is also associated with environmental degradation. He said, “Development must be required for the country to move forward but when planning is going on for development, we should start asking a question. Responsible planning is essential for sustainable development.”

Referring to the destruction of forests, he said, "People are doing this because of irresponsibility. This action will contribute more to climate change.”

Meanwhile, another report by the Assam government said climate change has caused variations in temperature and rainfall in the state. As a result, the structure of the growth of trees has changed. The water levels of the four forest boundaries have decreased. The required water needed for animals has decreased due to global warming. Owing to this, the man-animal is increasing at a high rate. In response to a question put forward by Nayan, Dr Purnima Devi said, “Now, when we talk about climate change, warming, etc., we should not exclude the ordinary villagers.”

She said, “Now, when we talk about climate change, warming, etc., we should not exclude the ordinary villagers. The issue of climate change is still limited among students, scientists, researchers, etc. This topic is confined to books only. It has not been taken to the common man. So, the issue should be able to be taken out to the public.”

Referring to the recent mega plantation drive under Amrit Briskhya Andolan, an initiative taken by the Assam Government, Nayan asked Payeng, “You say that it is not necessary to plant in the state as it automatically grows because of the environment in Assam, however, what do you want to say on the mega plantation drive conducted in the state.”

Payeng said, “The government will do the work of a government. Because not all countries, from the country where the sun rises to the one where the sun sets, are taught to love the earth. The lack of this policy has resulted in climate change. To change this, environmental science must be taught from primary school. Environmental teachers must be employed and an environmental university must be established. How many trees will grow in the world if a student enrolled in primary school plants one tree and nurtures it for five years and then plants another tree every five years?”

He, referring to the stone age, said “Since trees taught people to wear clothes in the early days, birds taught them to fly in the sky, people all over the world started using nature as slaves and as a result, the climate has changed.”

On the other hand, speaking on rainfall, Prof Santonu said, “The situation in Assam is very bad. Rainfall in the state will decrease further in the coming days. The drought-prone areas will become drier.”

“After studying the data of the last 100 years, it is clear that Assam will witness rainfall in the near future but long rains will come at once. This will cause significant damage to the agricultural sector. Several places in the North East are in poor condition. In addition, extreme heat waves will even kill people.”

Furthermore, Shweta Mahanta highlighted the importance of circular economy which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible.

Speaking at the session on climate change, she said, “What we are doing is get the raw material, manufacture a product out of it, use and throw it whereas what nature does is make use of each and everything. A tree grow, produce fruits and flowers and when these produced fruits and flowers falls in the ground, a new tree grows out it. Everything is consumed in the nature. This is what the inspiration of circular economy is.”

“Overall what is happening is that there is so much of production and things are getting consumed without us being aware of where it is going. When we consume and throw it away, it becomes heaps of mountains of waste. This is something that we need to think,” she said.

Speaking on the waste management system, Mahanta said, “Almost everyone goes to picnic like in earlier times. But something is different from those times if we compare it with the present. Earlier, we used to carry food and fruits and it has mostly been our habit to throw the leftovers away, however, now what we mostly carry is chips, and chocolates.”

“When we compare the earlier times with that of the present then the only difference is organic and inorganic. Fruit peels and foods can be easily consumed in nature but plastics are not. These artificial items which nature doesn’t accept need to be done something. Recycling is one option but how much of it could be recycled? That is a very technical thing as not everything can be recycled for certain reasons,” she said.

“But what could be recycled is not put to use because it is dumped with the mixed waste. We mostly dump all the waste, organic and inorganic, together in a dustbin which is why it is important to segregate the waste for a circular waste management system,” she added.

The conclave is being held for two days on September 23 and 24 and has been organized in the national capital with the view that voices from the Northeast are heard in the power corridors of the nation.