Developed nations must take action on planetary health: VP | Latest News India

New Delhi: The developed nations must transcend the political boundaries in environmental thinking. Adopting models where planetary health becomes foundational to human prosperity and well-being, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Sunday during the valedictory session of the National Conference on Environment- 2025, organised by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Recalling the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, Dhankhar said, “The Bhopal gas tragedy lesson is still unlearned. The Union Carbide Leakage of 1984; it was a mega environmental negligence. Even after four decades, families suffered, generation after generation– genetic disorders and groundwater contamination….. Just imagine how pathetic the lack of awareness was. We did not have an institution like NGT. We did not have a regulatory regime that could address the issue. Things would have been very different if there had been a regulatory regime of the current level then,” he said.

“There is a global need to evolve and believe in environmental ethics, this underscores human’s moral obligations to protect and preserve the environment……. We have to be aware the planet is not exclusive to us,” he added.

“We are not its owners. Flora and fauna must flourish and blossom alongside, and so must all other living beings. In such a scenario, man will have to learn to live in harmony with nature and other living beings. Are we doing it? No….There will have to be individual focus on optimal utilisation of resources of the nature. This has to be our habit. Our fiscal power, our fiscal capacity cannot determine the use of natural resources. Consumption has to be optimal,” Dhankhar said.

The conference, which was attended by environmental and legal experts, focused on air, water pollution, forest and biodiversity.

Justice Anand Pathak of the Madhya Pradesh high court stated that every citizen has a duty to promote the environment by planting the right trees in the right places. He proposed a range of ideas such as transforming minor penalties into plantation initiatives, corporate climate responsibility, creating National Carbon Credit Bank and establishing Sovereign Funds for conserving biodiversity.

Technical Session IV, titled “Reflections and Key Takeaways”, provided a comprehensive review of the discussions held in technical sessions over the two days. Chaired by Supreme Court judge, Justice P S Narsimha, the session summarised key environmental concerns and proposed a roadmap for legal and policy advancements. Narsimha emphasised the effective execution and implementation of policies. Focusing upon institutional integrity, he proposed to strengthen and empower the regulatory bodies to function effectively at the grassroots level.