Fw: EFC #19 - 'Sustainability as Election Campaign issue - How?'

[Sandeep Anirudhan]

FYI

 

Our planet is getting destroyed, but our politics is not even discussing it!  How do we bring the discussion into elections and election manifestos?

An Aikyam Community and Citizens' Agenda for Bengaluru Event!  Sustainability as an Election Campaign Issue - How? Please Note:  The timings for this edition are from 1 PM  - 5 PM.   Can we citizens change the discourse during elections, from things that dont matter, to ones that actually matter, such as 'whether we'll have a planet left to live on', whether the air will be clean again, or water will be plentiful and clean, to whether the forests will return, whether there will be policies for sustainable living, etc.,? Recent elections have seen Citizen Groups jumping into the fray to present 'Citizens Manifestos', which is an attempt at raising the bar on the debates. Which is an improvement, yes, but still, talk of sustainability is still missing. With problems looming in the area of clean water, food, air, quality of life in general, and destruction of our habitat reaching alarming proportions, isn't it time the condition of our planet itself becomes an election issue? What will Govt's do to reverse the global warming, what will Govts do to end the overconsumption of resources, to prevent pollution of our habitat, to end the proliferation of plastics, to stop and reverse the destruction of forests, to stop and reverse the destruction of water sources, to incentivise regenerative agriculture, sustainable manufacturing, mass transit, build sustainable cities. Why cant the UN Sustainability Goals reflect in our local and national politics? What policies can political parties put in their manifestos about the kind of sustainable world they will help build through their policy making, if elected? Citizens' Manifesto for Sustainability, anyone? Our Speakers for the day are: Sonal S Kulkarni, Urbanist and Sustainable Transport Activist Sowmya Reddy MLA Jayanagara, Activist turned Politician Ramprasad Rohini Tanaya Dasa, Founder - Friends of Lakes Sathya Sankaran, the first Bicycle Mayor of Bengaluru Srinivas Alavilli, Founder - Citizens for Bengaluru. There will be short talks from each of the speakers, followed by a Panel Discussion moderated by Sudhir Krishnaswamy, faculty at Azim Premji University. Please share the event, bring your friends. For more details:  https://www.facebook.com/events/677495022448025 RSVP