Dia Mirza has been actively vocalising her thoughts about the massive changes all over the world due to rising temperatures and global climate changes. She is one of the very few actresses who have never shied away from talking about the issues that climate change is causing humankind.
The actress was recently seen in 'Bheed', which has been getting great reviews from all corners.
Talking to Prateek Sur, Dia Mirza speaks up about climate change issues, how the planet can be saved, government policies that are necessary for bettering up the climatic conditions, and lots more. Excerpts:
Among the numerous things that you do, according to me, climate change is indeed the biggest of issues. Where are we headed if we continue to have climate change at the same rate that we are now? How many years do we have?
Well, we find ourselves amid a fixed mass extinction. We are rapidly using ecosystems, biodiversity, wildlife, and a variety of species. It is also increasing the risks of pandemics, it is increasing social inequities. The climate is changing rapidly because of the imbalance that we have caused in the biosphere. The third problem is the problem of pollution. The only thing that we are completely and entirely dependent on for our survival, well-being, health, peace, and progress is nature. We need to do much more to restore the balance of nature and regulate climate. If we continue to consume, grow, and build the economy on a module that is unsustainable that has caused the climate crisis, the triple planetary crisis, the crisis of climate change, and biodiversity loss, we are headed to a seriously catastrophic future within a decade. We signed The Paris Agreement where all the countries came together and signed the agreement acknowledging the fact that we need to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. But of course, all the recent scientific reports indicate that because of the little efforts made to convert those promises into action, we are looking at a 2.5 to 2.7-degree temperature rise which is going to make most parts of the world uninhabitable because of the extreme weather events and climatic conditions. We have already started experiencing extreme heat waves, torrential rain, and extreme drought in so many parts of our own country and many parts of the world. There have been cases of forest fires due to lack of humidity and dryness and all of this affects everybody, everywhere.
What do you think should be done right now so that our children’s children can also enjoy the planet the same way that we or our ancestors did?
The SDGs have given a thorough way to a collective commitment to improve health and education markers, reduce inequality, spur economic growth, and protect and preserve oceans and forests while countering climate change, and every year, we must do all we can to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We need to start looking at a more sustainable lifestyle as the norm and not the exception anymore. And to do that, more green brands need to come into the mainstream. This is the only way we can ensure our children will also have the same earth as we did.
Are there challenges government-wise or policy-wise because of which climate change isn’t the biggest topic every human being is talking about in today’s time?
As mentioned earlier, scientific reports today are indicating that we are not making enough efforts to fight climate change and I am optimistic about the fact that nature is truly showing us the mirror and making more and more people aware that the climate is changing. Constant heat waves, extreme droughts, and forest fires are some of the many proofs of climate change that our planet is showing us. 5 to 10 years ago there was a strong denial of climate change. So many people were even refusing to accept that this is true. There is some change in the fact that people are acknowledging that the climate is changing. There is an impact on everybody’s life everywhere. It is a social human problem, but are we doing enough? We are not. We need to convert promises into action and do much much more than we already are, to accelerate the work that is beginning to happen, and to truly see the change needed to console and rework the crisis of climate change and pollution and biodiversity.
