Adverse Effects Of Climate Change Need Serious Consideration : Justice BR Gavai

The Supreme Court Judge was delivering the inaugural address at the Commonwealth Legal Education Association's International Conference on "Law and Technology: Sustainable Transport, Tourism and Technological Innovations" in Kumarakom, Kerala.

“The adverse effects of climate change are to be looked into seriously,” he said.

He emphasized the need to ensure that the nation's development doesn't occur at the cost of the environment. It was stressed that human's greed for more may tend to cross boundaries of ethics and may jeopardize the future of coming generations.

“For the progress of the country, development is necessary. But at the same time, the development must not be at the cost of the environment. Man has always been greedy, but the greed should not go to such limits wherein there is no concern for the future generations.”

Justice Gavai underscored the need for a proactive approach to the pressing issue of climate change and underlined that life will not be worth pursuing if we cannot even enjoy the basic rights to clean air and water.

Justice Gavai praised the advancement of environmental jurisprudence in India over the past ten years. He cited the landmark M.C. Mehta case, where the Supreme Court took action against pollution-causing buses in Delhi, mandating the use of CNG vehicles. Thus he stressed the role of the Top Court in ensuring that eco-friendly solutions are implemented to advance the expanded understanding of Article 21- Right to life and personal liberty

“The right to live has been interpreted as the right to an environment which is pollution free, the right to potable and clean water and so on. The right to clean air has also been recognized as one of the fundamental rights and therefore we see that in the last decade, the emphasis has been on transport,  that is to have fuel which is not polluting. The initial stress was on CNG and now it's on electric carts and so on.”

Dwelling deeper into animal v human conflict, Justice Gavai recalled how recently the Top Court directed to regulate tourism and safari activities in Tiger Reserves and Wildlife Conservation Sites.

In conclusion, Justice Gavai urged immediate action on climate change, quoting George Bernard Shaw: "Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." He emphasized that addressing climate change is crucial for our survival and the planet's future.

Justice Suryakant Kant, the Chief Patron of the Commonwealth Legal Education Association, also emphasized that while public transportation may be revolutionized by the potential of automated vehicles, it also come with a set of ethical and regulatory challenges that need careful consideration.

Chief Justice of Seychelles Rony Goviden was the Guest of Honour.

Justice AM Muhammed Mustaque, Acting Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, Attorney General for India R Venkataramani, and Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta also spoke during the event.

The speakers expressed condolences for the victims of the recent Wayanad landslide tragedy.