A section of environmental activists and environmentally conscious citizens of India accused all the major political outfits of ignoring the environmental issues soon after the 18th Parliamentary Elections (held from April 19 to June 1, 2024). The same tone was heard in the statements made by historian Sugata Bose. Speaking at an event in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, Bose, the Gardiner Chair of Oceanic History and Affairs at Harvard University, recently said that the political parties neglected the issue of Climate Change during the election, although it needed to be given top priority!

Addressing an event, titled The Gangetic Delta and the Bay of Bengal, Contemporary Lessons from Environmental History, in mid-June, Bose stressed that social movements were required to prevent further damage to the environment. He believes that pressure can be created on the Government of India, as well as on the Provincial Governments, through social movements for these to be effective.

According to Bose, meeting pollution control targets was comparatively easier half a century ago. The issue of prevention of pollution needs to be clarified at present, stated the historian. Although he expressed satisfaction that the Environment Department of the Provincial Government in West Bengal gave utmost importance to the issues related to Global Warming and Climate Change, Bose claimed that the political parties were causing constant despair of present and future generations regarding the environment.

Many consider the opinion of the historian quite significant as Bose expressed his views in the presence of Environment Minister of West Bengal Mohammed Ghulam Rabbani, Additional Chief Secretary of Environment Department Roshni Sen, State Pollution Control Board Chairman Kalyan Rudra, Board Member Secretary Rajesh Kumar and other high-ranking administrative officials.

An environmentalist reportedly said: “Bose reminded everyone of the most serious issue from the official platform that people have been demanding for so long. He clearly said that nothing is possible without political will.”

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das