Indian civil society groups join global counterparts for actionable COP-21

From the streets of the Connaught Place here to the various districts of Telangana, Rajasthan and Karnataka, Indian civil society groups joined their global counterparts on Sunday to press for an ambitious agreement at the Conference of Parties (COP-21) summit beginning in Paris on Monday.

"Today, Raahgiri Day reinforced its linkage with thousands across the global in calling for strong action on sustainable development - one of the defining issues of our time," Sarika Panda of the Raahgiri Foundation, a citizens movment that originated in Gurgaon, adjacent to the national capital, said.

"At the COP 21, governments must agree on a robust, universal agreement through which cities, which are free from pollution and other negative externalities, become a reality and not just a distant dream. Climate change affects us all and we are uniting today from all walks of life to demand action and as world leaders gather in Paris we wish our voice is not ignored," Panda added.

At Raahgiri in seven locations, action/2015, a movement of 2000+ organisations from over 150 countries united by the belief that 2015 is a critical year for progress in the fight against climate change, organized a Walk for #ClimateAction in which nearly 20,000 participants united their voice while walking for a safer environment.

"The participants were encouraged to give a missed call to 09590461100 to pledge their support for the climate" which will be delivered to Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, a statement from the organisers said.

Amitabh Behar, national anchor for action/2015 India, said: "Addressing climate change and ending poverty and inequalities are two sides of the same coin. We cannot deliver sustainable development without tackling climate change and we cannot tackle climate change without addressing the root causes of poverty, inequality and unsustainable development patterns."

"If leaders want to fully implement the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals, aimed at tackling inequality and ending poverty within a generation, they will need to take sustainable steps and adopt and implement a transformative agenda at the COP-21," he added.