PRAYAGRAJ: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said
climate change
is drying up rivers and causing a rising frequency of extreme weather events, as he urged people to take responsibility and work collectively for its mitigation instead of blaming each other for rising emissions and environmental degradation.
“Temperatures are rising due to the continuous release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which will have catastrophic consequences in the coming years. It’s high time we act collectively and individually and take responsibility,” said Adityanath while addressing the country’s first-ever conference on
faith and climate change
held at Mahakumbh.
The Uttar Pradesh govt on the occasion released the ‘
Mahakumbh Declaration on Climate Change
’ and pledged to turn religious centres and shrines “green” across the state, making them models of
sustainability
by taking multiple clean and environment-friendly measures.
The steps to be taken in this regard by the state govt under the Mahakumbh Declaration include installing solar panels, implementing rainwater harvesting systems, recycling waste, banning single-use plastics, and creating green zones around sacred spaces.
The state’s pledge also includes funding faith-based organisations to promote environmental and climate education, campaigns, and actionable practices. Initiatives like eco-friendly pilgrimages, green festivals, and sustainable temple management will be part of the efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of religious practices.
“The message from this holy Maha Kumbh is that we need to channel our faith to conserve our environment,” said Adityanath.
Underlining his govt’s efforts to rejuvenate (both cleanliness and uninterrupted flow of water) the rivers, he said this is also one of the reasons why the Maha Kumbh is witnessing such a large crowd every day since its beginning on January 13.
“Because the river water is clean and arrangements are good, people are coming in large numbers to the Kumbh. Around 10,000 to 11,000 cusecs of water are ensured in the river Ganga all the time, making it convenient for the people to take a holy dip,” said the chief minister.
“Religion and faith hold immense power to influence society. Climate action cannot succeed unless it resonates culturally and emotionally with the masses. Unlike scientists or policymakers, faith leaders know how to take a message to a people,” said Chandra Bhushan, climate change expert and CEO of IFOREST, a New Delhi-based think tank which is the knowledge partner of the conference.
Many faith leaders, including Swami Mukundananda, founder of the Jagadguru Kripalu Yog Trust, and Swami Chidanand Saraswati, President of Paramarth Niketan, attended the day-long conference and spoke on how the religious beliefs of people can be leveraged to protect the environment and fight the menace of climate change.
