Dia Mirza Instagram – I learnt so much about #desertification , #climatechange and the need to protect #biodiversity at this UNCCD COP14. What I have understood is that all these are interconnected. We cannot address one without addressing the others. Government agencies need to start co-ordinating and planning mitigationation with each other. Road-railways, urban development, forest and climate change, health, education and economics need to integrate holistically and define policy to combat the severe impacts of desertification, climate change in order to respond to the needs of millions of people, their aspirations, well being and progress. The intensity and frequency of extreme weather events like droughts, floods and rising temperatures are not so natural calamities, these have been created by man, taking away the development dividend that governments work so hard to secure. So if we truly want peace, progress and development it cannot come at the cost of the environment. 200 species are going extinct everyday, we are already witnessing a 6th mass extinction. In the face of this reality we humans have the opportunity to reverse these extreme conditions we have created for ourselves by our patterns of consumption and economic models of ‘growth’. The time to act is NOW. And we can each make a difference. Start with informing yourself. #ActOnClimate #GlobalGoals #SDGs #FridaysForFuture @moefccgoi @narendramodi @unitednations @unenvironment @unsdgadvocates