Working In "Silos": Top Court Notice To 8 Ministries Over Climate Change

Eight Central ministries have been asked to cooperate to counter climate change following a petition on the matter by an eight-year-old. Issuing notices to the ministries, the Supreme Court said it appeared that the ministries overseeing environmental issues are working in "silos". 

The notices have been issued to the ministries of New and Renewable Energy, Power, Urban Development, Road Transport Petroleum, Mines, Science and Technology and Textiles.

The petition filed by child activist Ridhima Pandey has expressed concern over carbon emission and its impact on the environment.

Calling climate change "one of the most existential global predicament", the bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Misra said it had ramifications that go beyond environmental degradation. 

"Escalating temperatures, erratic weather patterns, and the proliferation of extreme climatic events such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves not only imperil ecosystems but also disrupt human life, livelihoods and socio-economic structures. The economic ramifications are equally profound, as climate change exacerbates vulnerabilities to public health, low per acre yield leading to declining agricultural productivity and increase in energy consumption amongst many other effects," the judges said.

The socio-economic repercussions of this are "particularly acute in fast developing nations like India" the judges added, pointing out that addressing climate change is crucial to economic resilience, social justice, and sustainable development.

The bench also advised a re-assessment of the existing laws protecting environment - including the Environment Protection Act, and the 1981 law on control of air pollution. 

In response to another petition, a bench of Justices BR Gavai and Augustine George Masih has directed all the states and Union Territories to form expert committee to prepare a lands, including forest like areas, unclassed and community forest lands.

In February last year, the top court took note of a submission that the definition of forest under the 2023 amended law on conservation left out nearly 1.99 lakh square kilometer of forest land from the ambit of "forests" and made it available for other purposes.