The Supreme Court of India has issued notices to eight central ministries in response to a petition by 8-year-old Riddhima Pandey, expressing concern over carbon emissions and its impact on the environment, according to a report by ndtv.com.
The concerned ministries are the ministries of new and renewable energy, power, urban development, road transport, petroleum and natural gas, mines, science and technology, and textiles. The court said it appeared that the ministries overseeing environmental issues are working in “silos.”.
The bench also advised a re-assessment of the existing laws protecting the environment, including the Environment Protection Act and the 1981 law on control of air pollution.
Calling climate change “one of the most existential global predicaments,” the bench of Justices P. S. 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.
