No place for religion or dynasty! Keralites now want Climate change to be an electoral issue after 2018 floods

Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 26: Indian elections are largely known for communal interest or dynastical politics. The dynasty and religion/caste are major forces in Indian politics. Rejecting all this, Keralites want Climate Change on Agenda of coming Lok Sabha elections.

With memories of last year’s floods are fresh in the minds of people of Kerala, people want the issue of climate change to be an important subject of the electoral discourse in the run-up to Lok Sabha polls beginning April 11.

A total of 483 people lost their lives in the August 2018 floods, which were the state's worst in a century. According to the Kerala government, one-sixth of the state's total population was directly affected by the deluge and related incidents.

As per the opinions of Keralites, the need for climate change to be one of the main discussion points in the impending elections. According to a UN report released last year, which assessed the damage caused by the floods in Kerala, the state would need about Rs 31,000 crore for recovery and reconstruction.

Thiruvananthapuram-based writer K S Manu said the floods were a time when people realized the incapacity of politicians as a majority of the rehabilitation work was undertaken by young volunteers.

He said the deluge was a man-made disaster which was allegedly caused by "an eccentric political decision when more than 22 dams were opened one by one." The floods not just led to the loss of lives, but also the loss of property and means of livelihood, he added.

Citing a report released by the IPCC last year -- Global Warming of 1.5 C, noted Indian climate expert Chandra Bhushan said, 2 degrees Celsius warmer world will have devastating effects on communities, economies, and ecosystems.

Bhushan, who is also the deputy director general of the New Delhi-based advocacy group Centre for Science and Environment, urged the politicians to listen to the people and take steps to minimize the impact of climate change.

In a speech in September last year, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had referred to the devastating Kerala floods to highlight the urgency of the climate crisis, which, he said, was nearing the point of no return. The UN chief had also emphasized the need to step up efforts to reverse the course of climate change.