Sunita Narain: Rio’s stepchild must become the parent in our climate-risked world

“I believed that world leaders who had gathered for the Rio Conference in 1992 were actually going to avert climate change and reduce emissions. Clearly, I was innocent,” said Sunita Narain, director general of Centre for Science and Environment. She spoke at the Global South Media Briefing on Desertification organised by the New Delhi-based non-profit on September 5, 2019.

“Today, close to 30 years later, when the world is beginning to see the deadly impacts of climate change, this forgotten, this neglected convention, must shed its stepchild image,” wrote Narain in her latest editorial published in Down To Earth.

The ongoing United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification's (UNCCD) 14th Conference of Parties (CoP 14) in New Delhi is focussed on restoring land to sustain life.

If we can improve our management of land and water, we can shave off the worst impacts of climate change, she added.

Climate Change India

India Environment Portal Resources :

• Review of water and climate adaptation financing and institutional frameworks in South Asia
• Socio-ecological resilience as a sustainable development strategy for remote rural settlements in different geo-climatic zones of India
• Impacts of climate change on farming systems and livelihoods in the Near East and North Africa
• Review of water and climate change policies in South Asia