Editorial 1: Face the climate
Context:
- This year has seen India record its warmest ever February and the driest August since time-series temperature and rainfall data became available from 1901.
- The current year seems on course to set new benchmarks in the annals of climate change. Its effects are no longer confined to just damaging the wheat crop weeks away from harvesting or delaying the pace of kharif sowings.
What is climate change?
- Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions.
- But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas
Effects of climate change on
- Weather
- Higher average temperatures
- Longer-lasting droughts
- More intense wildfires
- Intense and frequent cyclone and storms
- Industries
- Climate change, , is now being flagged as the “single biggest business risk” by consumer good firms. Unseasonal showers during the last summer season crimped demand for ice-cream and cold beverages as well as sales of air-conditioners and refrigerators.
- Environment
- Melting sea ice
- Sea level rise
- Flooding
- Warmer ocean waters and marine heat waves
- Agriculture
- Less predictable growing seasons: For farmers, coping with the vagaries of the monsoon is a challenge probably as old as agriculture itself.
- But climate change isn’t simply about monsoon failures. Instead, it has to do with fewer rainy days and extended dry spells, interspersed with intense precipitation and also extreme temperature deviations.
- Impact on non-farm activities: As a consequences of it, it is also effecting non-farm businesses as bad monsoons basically impacted rural incomes and, in turn, sales of tractors, two-wheelers and fast-moving consumer goods.
- Reduced soil health Healthy : soil has good moisture and mineral content and is teeming with bugs, bacteria, fungi, and microbes that in turn contribute to healthy crops. But climate change, particularly extreme heat and changes in precipitation, can degrade soil quality
Carrying out business activities as per changing situation due to climate change
- The milder summers, shorter winters and unseasonal rains do much more, by creating less-manageable uncertainties for companies used to planning production and building stocks based on established demand patterns.
- Therefore, there is need to diversify product portfolios to ensure there’s always enough of something to sell through the year. If a “season” turns out good, treat it as a bonus.
Framing and implementing the agriculture policy while considering economic growth
- It’s not farmers and businesses alone. Even economic policymakers need to incorporate climate change into their growth and plan models.
- There has to be more investment in knowledge about all potential outcomes and probabilities of occurrences with regard to extreme weather events across sectors.
- Such knowledge generation, extending to breeding of temperature stress-tolerant or drought-resistant crops and timely forecasting of large storms and heat waves, is essential in a world of both adaptation to and mitigation of climate change
Conclusion:
- Since climate change isn’t sparing anyone, including the big FMCG players, and adaptation is something that’s of more immediate interest, it makes sense to get everyone on board.
- Let government, industry, meteorologists, agricultural scientists and disaster management specialists together draw up a national climate adaptation strategy for India.
Editorial 2: The Wait continues
Recent Context:
- Recently, The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, received the President’s assent .
- It seeks to reserve one-third of the total number of seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi for women
- But t there is still a caveat to the Act. It cannot be enforced until and unless a new Census and the delimitation process is undertaken.
Current position of women in law making procedure
- The issue of women’s reservation is a long awaited one. There are only 78 women members in the Lok Sabha who account for less than 15 per cent of the total strength. Women account for only 14 per cent of Rajya Sabha members.
- Their representation is worse in the state legislative assemblies – only 9 per cent of the total number of members on average. The National Policy for Empowerment of Women (2001) had stated that reservation will be considered in higher legislative bodies.
Historical perspective of women reservation
- The journey of women’s reservation and increased representation in Parliament and state assemblies began in 1996.
- In Manmohan Singh’s tenure in 2010, it did pass in the Rajya Sabha but could not in the Lok Sabha. Since then, the promise to India’s women has not been kept, including in the current form that it has been cleared.
- The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts which institutionalised grass-root level democracy provided for women reservation. These Constitutional Amendment Acts were tabled in the Parliament in 1992 and came into effect a few months after their introduction.
Significance of the Women's Reservation Bill
Gender Equality
- Historical Underrepresentation: Historically, women have been significantly underrepresented in India's political landscape. This underrepresentation perpetuates gender inequality as it restricts women's ability to influence policies and decisions that affect their lives.
- Political Empowerment: The Women's Reservation Bill is a proactive measure to ensure that women have a fair opportunity to participate in the highest levels of decision-making in the country, promoting gender equality in politics.
- Symbolic Importance: It signifies that Indian society recognizes and values the contributions of women in politics, sending a message that women’s voices and perspectives are essential in shaping the nation's future.
Empowerment
- Access to Political Arena: The Women's Reservation Bill empowers women by granting them equal access to the political arena. It breaks down traditional barriers and prejudices that may have discouraged women from entering politics in the past, such as social norms and lack of opportunities.
- Enhancing Political Skills: As more women enter politics and gain experience, it helps in building their leadership and governance skills. This empowerment extends beyond politics, as women who succeed in the political sphere can become role models for others, inspiring greater participation in various fields.
- Policy Influence: Through political participation, women gain the power to influence policies that directly impact their lives and those of their communities. This empowerment translates into tangible changes in areas such as healthcare, education, gender-based violence, and economic opportunities.
Diverse Perspectives
- Addressing Gender-Specific Issues: Increased female representation in politics brings attention to gender-specific issues that may have been overlooked in the past. Women often advocate for policies related to maternal health, childcare, gender-based violence, and economic opportunities that directly affect women and families.
- Enhancing Decision-Making: Diverse perspectives lead to more comprehensive and balanced decision-making. When women are actively involved in policymaking, the resulting laws and regulations are more likely to consider the needs and interests of the entire population, not just a segment of it.
- Social and Cultural Change: Female political leaders can challenge traditional gender roles and norms, inspiring broader social and cultural change. Their presence in politics can help break down stereotypes and create a more inclusive and gender-equal society.
Criticism over provision of passed Act
- The current Act doesn’t have a clear time frame for its implementation. In this case, it depends on two factors, that is, the Census and delimitation.
- Just to reiterate, the Bill could have been made immediately implementable like the 73rd and 74th amendment was done within six months and without linking it to Census and delimitation.
- So this amendment becomes, perhaps, the only one to be passed, but whose implementation is left for a future undecided date.
- Even, the government hasn’t clarified what will be the status of women’s reservation when the delimitation exercise is on-going.
Conclusion:
- A country that gave equal rights and opportunities for representation to all its citizens when the Constitution came into effect, unlike the women of the West who had to fight for their voting rights, is now having to constantly push the idea of women’s representation to a later date. This delays the ideas of our visionary founders.