Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE)

On the occasion of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP26), Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the "LiFE" (Lifestyle for the Environment) campaign to involve citizens in minimizing the negative consequences of climate change.

This effort promotes a way of living that emphasizes careful and intentional resource usage, intending to change current "use and dispose of" consumption behaviors. The objective is to persuade people to make little adjustments in their everyday lives that influence climate change.

Another aspect of the LiFE objective is to leverage the power of social networks to influence the climatic landscape. The goal also intends to build a global army of environmentalists known as "Pro-Planet People."

LIFE's three pillars are:?

• Individual Behaviors: Awareness of the harmful effects of single-use plastic; understanding of sustainable transportation methods such as bicycles and e-vehicles; awareness of water waste; knowledge of environmental labels; consumption habits and making them greener (while carefully considering personal carbon footprints); use of renewable sources; and so on.?
• Co-create globally: It means putting forward scalable ideas for global impact. For example, understanding the negative effects of carbon-polluting sectors, being conscious of environmentally favorable investments, adopting smart energy use, and so on.?
• Utilize Local Cultures: Awareness of community gardens, understanding of waste-to-product creation, literacy in clothing recycling, the value of urban farming, decreasing food waste, community-building activities, and environmental teachings should be taught in educational institutions.

What crucial steps can be taken?

In the face of a global environmental collapse, and as India approaches the G20 presidency, it is crucial to acknowledge our country's leadership on both sides of the climate change issue: by walking the talk on our climate promises and leading people-powered climate action.

Individual and communal actions have the potential to mitigate climate change.

• Adopting an eco-friendly lifestyle: According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), if one billion individuals out of the world's population of over eight billion adopt environmentally beneficial behaviors in their everyday lives, global carbon emissions may be reduced by around 20%.?
• Turning off air conditioners, heaters, and lights while they are not in use, for example, can save up to 282 kilowatts of electricity.?
• Avoiding food waste may cut a person's carbon footprint by 370 kilograms per year.

LiFE, on the other hand, is envisioned as a first-of-its-kind global movement led by India in collaboration with other countries. It aims to bring together a one-of-a-kind people-powered platform to persistently focus on bringing individual and collective actions to the center of the climate action narrative.

How people's actions may be influenced by the LIFE moment?

• Consume with caution: The prevalent belief that environmentally friendly behavior inevitably means modest living has played a significant part in keeping communities throughout the world from embracing a sustainable lifestyle. LiFE intends to progressively dismantle this mental paradigm by urging the globe to consume responsibly rather than less.
• Implementing a behavioral technique: Building on the unique insights of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), LiFE will employ a variety of tried-and-true behavioral tactics such as nudges, social behaviors, and norms that can influence the mindsets of the masses.
• Produce responsibly: The community and markets mirror each other. Any shift in our consumption habits will be only temporary if the supply side does not promote sustainable choices. By influencing societal purchase habits on a large scale, LiFE can provide a significant boost to the sustainability industry.?
• Live responsibly: The COVID epidemic reminds us all that no matter how much technical progress we achieve as a global civilization, we are still at the whim of nature. In a global community of people sharing a common natural world, a threat to one is a threat to all.?

In this environment, the LiFE movement may play a critical role in not only reversing the consequences of climate change, but also mainstreaming a peaceful and aware way of life through its multi-dimensional, multicultural, and worldwide approach.?

Conclusion?

As the world proceeds in leaps and starts towards a common commitment to ambitious climate objectives, the moment has come for India to take the lead and mainstream the LiFE movement into the climate narrative.