Policies I Would Like to Establish for my Nationby Natasha Singh | 17-10-2018 00:13 |
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Any country's environmental policy must be in line with the various treaties, legislations and conventions it has signed or ratified. These international commitments make the nation duty bound to put suitable policies and practices into effect. India is party to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (1992), the Montreal Protocol and Vienna Convention (1987), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (1973), the Basel Convention on Trans-boundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes (1989), Convention on Biological Diversity (1992), Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (2003), the Rotterdam Convention (2005) etc. which together comprise and encompass a multitude of environmental safeguards against pollution, depletion and exploitation of natural resources. The need of the hour is to draft a good general environmental policy that fulfills all the necessary obligations and promotes overall eco-health. Firstly, it should be based on approved existing codes of practice and should keep in line with the guiding principles of the nation. Before enacting any new steps, the impact of the old policies and the likely effects of the new one should be thoroughly assessed. Any new actions and efforts should be contextualized historically. Continual efforts should be made to improve performance and to regularly survey the progress made. Pollution, emissions, noise, waste etc. should be monitored with long-term view of reducing and diminishing them. Moreover, a good environmental policy should be inclusive, sustainable and should seek and promote citizen participation. It should raise awareness and train all environmental stakeholders in the judicious use of resources. Both firms and consumers should be encouraged to alter unhealthy production and consumption patterns. Suppliers and contractors must uphold necessary standards within the domestic territory. Customers should be encouraged to use goods and services in an eco-friendly way. All of the important environmental aims and goals must be communicated clearly through the relevant policy. Over time, the scope of the policy must be broadened and other aspects such as public health, sanitation, infrastructure etc must be integrated into the policy. It is important that the policy can translate into ground reality and does not exist in isolation. One policy that I hope is soon established in my country is a federal organisational system where all executive agencies can report directly to a high-ranking council to furnish information about their work. Modelling such a policy has a number of benefits, such as transparency, accountability, responsibility and clear-cut organisation and planning. All countries should seriously work towards evolving a good national environmental policy to facilitate the improvement of ecological health and welfare.
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