Mahabahu’s World Environment Day Webinar 2025: “People at the Frontlines – A Fight for Survival”

Mahabahu’s World Environment Day Webinar 2025: “People at the Frontlines – A Fight for Survival”

KAKALI DAS

In observance of World Environment Day on June 5, 2025, Mahabahu hosted a powerful and insightful webinar themed “People at the Frontlines: A Fight for Survival”, aligned with this year’s global focus on “Ending Plastic Pollution Globally.”

Eminent Panel of Discussants

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• Prof. Dr. Anabel Ternes Von Hattburg, a renowned sustainability pioneer, futurologist, TEDx speaker, entrepreneur, and best-selling author from Germany
• Anjan Sarma, Founder-Editor of Mahabahu and Mahabahu Climate Forum
• Rituraj Phukan, global climate activist, founder of Indigenous Peoples Climate Justice Forum, National Biodiversity Coordinator at Climate Reality India, Director of Healthy Climate Initiative, and Climate Editor at Mahabahu

The webinar was moderated by Kakali Das, Assistant Editor of Mahabahu.

Key Discussions and Insights

Mr. Rituraj Phukan highlighted the evolution of the environmental movement, noting how plastic pollution has become a defining challenge since the 1970s focus on air pollution. He emphasized the inevitability of plastic in modern life, from phones to packaging, and urged a shift from viewing plastic solely as waste to embracing the concept of plastic wealth through circular economy principles.

“We cannot get rid of plastic; instead, we must create sustainable systems to convert plastic waste into wealth,” said Rituraj Phukan. He also noted that despite India’s comprehensive ban on single-use plastics declared in 2022, more innovative and sustainable solutions are needed.

Dr. Anabel shared experiences from Germany, where large-scale cleanup organizations involve schools, universities, and companies in clean-up drives. These efforts also focus on education—teaching young people the importance of cleanup activities and environmental stewardship from an early age.

Anjan Sarma identified plastic pollution as humanity’s greatest environmental crisis, pointing to its deep entanglement with daily life and its persistent environmental impact. He spotlighted the Brahmaputra River, central to Mahabahu’s work, as a victim of plastic pollution, which aggravates flooding and disrupts aquatic ecosystems and livelihoods in Guwahati and beyond.

He urged immediate action beyond discussions and webinars, promoting eco-friendly alternatives like reusable bags from Mahabahu Climate Forum as small yet impactful contributions.

Dr. Anabel highlighted biodiversity loss as the most critical challenge, citing a 10% annual drop in biodiversity in Germany and its health impacts, such as a 300% rise in autoimmune diseases over 13 years, caused by environmental degradation, poor food quality, and chemical exposure. She called for a holistic approach recognizing the intricate links between environmental health and human well-being.

Rituraj Phukan lamented how the human cost of climate change often becomes just “numbers and figures” in mainstream discourse, losing the emotional and personal dimensions. Citing Assam’s recurrent floods, he painted a vivid picture of children losing school materials and dreams due to displacement, with generations trapped in cycles of vulnerability and limited attention to climate anxiety and climate injustice among frontline indigenous and local communities.

He called for empathy, urging the global community, especially in the West, to see beyond statistics and recognize the real human suffering occurring today.

Dr. Anabel stressed the power of storytelling in shifting perspectives, moving from viewing affected populations as passive victims to active participants with agency. With climate-related disasters displacing millions globally, media often focuses on environmental metrics, side-lining personal stories.

She urged media practitioners to embrace narratives that humanize and emotionally connect audiences to frontline experiences, highlighting the political and economic forces that often suppress these stories.

While highlighting Mahabahu’s role in Climate Awareness and Action, Anjan Sarma traced Mahabahu’s climate journey from its founding in 1980 to the release of its first special climate change issue in 2023. Accredited by the United Nations and active at UNFCCC summits, Mahabahu has worked tirelessly through writing competitions, tree plantations, awareness programs, and publications dedicated to biodiversity and climate conservation.

A new initiative, “the Mahabahu Climate Forum” is set to launch this year, expanding their commitment to grassroots climate action and education.

Rituraj Phukan reflected on the resilience of indigenous communities in Assam’s Brahmaputra valley and the broader Northeast region. While traditionally adept at weathering climatic shifts, these communities face unprecedented challenges due to intensified climate events. He advocated combining indigenous knowledge with modern scientific and technological tools to build effective adaptation strategies.

He also warned of geopolitical risks, noting that water conflicts in the region could trigger broader global conflicts if unresolved.

Youth empowerment emerged as a vital theme. Rituraj Phukan emphasized instilling pride in indigenous heritage and traditional knowledge among young people. Concurrently, young researchers should document and enhance these systems with scientific rigor, ensuring representation of Northeast India’s frontline communities in global climate negotiations—currently a significant gap.

On strengthening Journalism and Storytelling on Climate Voices, Anjan Sarma underlined journalism’s critical role in amplifying marginalized voices affected by climate change, particularly in vulnerable regions like the Eastern Himalayas. Mahabahu has published over 300 articles focusing on such stories, fostering platforms for students, youth, and activists to share their experiences and advocate for climate justice.

Closing Thoughts                             

This webinar was not just about policies, it was about PEOPLE. Climate justice is not just about carbon targets, it’s also about humanity, equity and inclusion. The solutions must be as local as they are global, as empathetic as they are scientific.

While plastic pollution is a major concern, it is also one of the most fixable of today’s concerns. So, let’s end plastic pollution one bottle at a time.

06-06-2025

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