NEW DELHI: President of India Droupadi Murmu on Sunday called for stronger climate resilience through people-centred and community-based adaptation approaches rooted in traditional knowledge.
She also stressed the need for a well-structured framework of policies and actions involving governments, legal experts and communities affected by climate change to address the complex challenges posed by a changing climate.
Addressing the valedictory session of the two-day International Conference on ‘The Future of Environment and Climate Dynamics’, organised by the National Green Tribunal, President Murmu said climate change was creating imbalances across multiple levels of human existence.
“Climate change creates imbalances across multiple levels of human existence. Issues such as biodiversity loss, water stress and land degradation are deeply intertwined with it. Climate change is also having serious repercussions on food security, health and livelihoods,” she said.
The President emphasised that an effective response to climate change must involve not only governments and legal experts but also communities that are most vulnerable to its effects. She said particular attention should be given to rural and forest-dwelling communities, small farmers, women and other vulnerable groups, who often bear the greatest burden of natural disasters.
“Special sensitivity towards the needs of rural and forest-dwelling societies, small farmers, women and other vulnerable communities is crucial, as they bear the brunt of natural disasters,” she said.
President Murmu also highlighted the importance of traditional knowledge, local practices and the lived experiences of communities in strengthening climate adaptation.
“We must strengthen climate resilience through people-centred and community-based adaptation approaches rooted in traditional knowledge,” she said.
She said sustainable afforestation could also play an important role in building climate resilience. Afforestation programmes, she noted, should promote biodiversity and be suited to local conditions.
“The true objective of sustainable afforestation is not merely planting trees, but restoring healthy and self-sustaining ecosystems,” she said.
Recalling her childhood experiences, President Murmu spoke about the reverence for nature that was part of her family’s traditional way of life. She recalled how her father would bow before the Earth before tilling the soil.
“I used to ask, ‘Why do you pray before tilling the field?’ He would say the Earth is our mother. What all it bears, whatever products we grow, we are able to do it because of the Earth,” she recalled.
She said this sense of humility towards nature was deeply rooted in Indian culture and reflected an understanding of the fundamental relationship between human beings and the natural world.
“We believe in live and let live,” she asserted.
The President also called for a change in practices that place excessive pressure on natural resources. Referring to the practice of selling leaves and timber, she questioned how trees could grow and thrive if their leaves were continually removed.
“If you keep plucking leaves annually, then how would a plant become a tree? How would they live?” she asked.
She said individual and collective behavioural changes were essential to tackling environmental challenges, observing that if people changed their approach towards nature, the environment would also respond positively.
“If people change themselves, then the Earth will too change itself accordingly,” she said.
President Murmu further stressed that developing countries needed to pursue a climate strategy that strengthened resilience while allowing development to continue. Climate commitments, she said, should be consistent with national development priorities and economic aspirations, while remaining technically feasible.
“Commitments to responsible climate action must align with the country’s development needs and economic aspirations. They must also be technically feasible,” she said.
She noted that several of these issues had been discussed during the conference and praised India’s efforts to promote environmental awareness by involving citizens, particularly young people. Highlighting the Government of India’s Mission LiFE initiative, she said it had demonstrated how ecological restoration could be advanced through public participation and community ownership.
The President also appreciated the National Green Tribunal for bringing together experts, judges, jurists and key stakeholders from different countries working on environmental issues.
She expressed confidence that the deliberations and action plans emerging from the conference would contribute to building climate-resilient societies founded on inclusive policies and effective action.