Red Tape Movement: A battle to protect trees and biodiversity

New Delhi: In today’s digital age, the world is changing. Protection of trees and climate change have become the most debatable issue; they can’t be ignored. To deal with this, we need to think seriously about how to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere. Trees are the best natural way to absorb CO2, helping us fight climate change.

The Red Tape Movement got underway on June 5, 2008, by Prabhat Misra, then District Savings Officer of Etawah, Uttar Pradesh. The goal of this movement was to protect trees and biodiversity. On holidays, volunteers used to go to a village to plant trees and tie red ribbons around the trunks of existing trees with the help of villagers.

The red ribbons serve as a reminder that cutting down trees is harmful for future generations. Thousands of trees have been marked with red ribbons since 2008 to spread awareness among local people about the importance of conserving natural resources and tackling climate change.

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The Red Tape Movement is joining forces with the global “Rise for Climate” initiative. More than 350 rural schools in UP, along with teachers, took part in this environmental action on September 8, 2018, with the purpose to plant trees, communicate people on climate change, and pledge to protect biodiversity and live eco-friendly lives under the “Mission Shikshan Samvad Uttar Pradesh.”

The Red Tape Movement reminds us that real change always starts at the grassroots level. The movement is also a global partner of the “Rise for Climate” event. As the world approaches critical environmental deadlines, local and global efforts are uniting to create a powerful wave of climate leadership.

The year 2024 is a crucial deadline for meeting global targets to tackle the climate crisis. We need local leaders and volunteers to come forward to stop the fossil fuel industry and push for 100% renewable energy. The 21st century should be the “Century of Renewable Energy.” Anything less will not meet the demands of science and justice.