Rajrupa Sinha Roy, Author at Adamas University

Reinforcing the “Green Tape” for better Environmental Regulation and Advocacy

Let us begin with a hypothetical situation wherein let’s say you are left to fend for yourself in a jungle and with no absolute skills to manoeuvre your survival instincts and thought process. The only company you have is solitude and fear which has overwhelmed your mind so much so that it plays only morbid ideas. The situation is so overpowering that you may not even give a chance to your mind of thinking rationally to overcome the situation. Hence, what is the solution? Do you give up or fight to the end?

The present pan world epidemic fits well with aforementioned problem. But instead we are all together in this and do not have the luxury of available vaccine for the pandemic. Nevertheless, we might ask ourselves, has this stopped us from making possible endeavours to combat the disease? In my view the answer is an absolute no. On the contrary, the world has come together like never before and has prioritised researching new vaccines for COVID-19. Having said this India too have been in the forefront of developing its own vaccine undertaken by India based Bharat Biotech International Ltd[1] and Zydas Cadila Health Care. What does this mean in the present context for India or for that matter the entire world?

This goes on to show that we have not yet given up on our common enemy and efforts are on to defeat this pandemic. We have chosen to fight this enemy with available knowledge in the field of medical science albeit we don’t have remedy for the same. A crisis is a good teacher, it teaches you to find ways explored never before with favourable results.

These difficult times among many things should teach us not to abandon the positive things in our life and be depressed. We need to adopt optimistic and holistic approach in our life like interdisciplinary education. Multiple specialised studies may be encouraged and should be the need of the hour to counter present crisis. This may also set a precedent for future endeavours and pre-empt, lest, any such crisis is encountered. All Academicians, Scholars, Industrialists, pharmacists, virologists and other stake holders should collaborate to design consolidated expertise to tackle such problem present at hand with future references. One such study that should be solicited is in the area of environmental law with robust environmental legislation biding upon all the nations to address such eventuality.

Presently with little improvement in the air and water quality even in urban areas, signifies that the pandemic has lessened the human encroachment on nature even if it is just momentarily. But the real question is what will happen after the pandemic subsides? As the global economy is facing severe challenges the best thing the Governments are expected to do is to stabilise the major setback in the economy. Now while doing so will they overlook all the necessary environmental regulation, or the “green tape” as it’s often called. The UNEP (United Nation Environment Program) is worried about achieving sustainable development goals[2] in post-pandemic era as there is a possibility of increasing threat to different sustainable development goals such as, climate action or responsible consumption or production.

Many corporations might ignore the environmental regulations and might tear off the ‘green tape’ to achieve the losses they suffered in past months. Even the governments may reduce budgets towards various environmental funds to meet the deficits. But the consequences would be severe and the future crisis might be more serious than the present pandemic.

One may think that why am I talking about this while discussing studying environmental law? well environmental law is not only studying about Climate and environment but also to scrutinize the legal issues ascending from matter involved thereto. One can choose a career as a lawyer or a policy maker, or non-profit leader and can make a change in existing policy and law, rather than enforcement. This discipline is so much more than just climate and ecology. It gives you the scope of gaining knowledge concerning advocacy skills which will help you to put the ‘green tape’ on the legal framework rather than tearing it off.

The local government machinery in collaboration with Universities, Government Institutions and other participants should play a pivotal role in developing practical solutions factoring in environmental consequences that may arise as result of any unknown pandemic. The aspiring students should not shy away from taking up environmental law as their mainstream courses and should come forward with great fervour in being responsible and valuable world citizens to address such crisis.

On a concluding note it may be said aptly that crisis comes with opportunities and open up avenues never treaded before. However, it depends on whether or not we want to move out of our comfort zone. Time is synonymous to change, a change we shall all be ready to adapt to cater to our present while looking forward for building a better future for the world. This is the time where we should focus more on returning back to the mother earth and think of maintaining the balance by fulfilling the goals of sustainable development.

It is the time where we should explore the route of environmental lawyering as a career and help the world with better environmental regulations and policies which never leads to tear the ‘green tape’ off.

[1] Available at https://thelogicalindian.com/fact-check/covaxin-bharat-biotech-vice-president-vk-srinivas-human-trial-22117, last visited on 27.07.2020

[2] Available at https://www.iucn.org/news/world-commission-environmental-law/202004/environmental-rule-law-pandemics-now-and-next-time-americas, last visited on 31.07.2020

Exploring Master in Laws as a career opportunity

“Do not wait: the time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand, and work whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along.”

– Napoleon Hill

You are standing at the very end of your five years journey and counting the days to be a law graduate and suddenly everything changes. A global pandemic threatened all that you planned for the past few years. The recent developments in relation to an ensuing pandemic is a harbinger to a state of hopelessness and uncertainty. The world seems to drown in chaos and wilderness with no immediate solution to counter impact the horrors of COVID- 19, yet this may pave a path for our race for absolute resilience and open a new avenue for future discourse in defeating the same. The adage “opportunity in adversity” seems to be the new calling for this generation. The world, unlike the erstwhile order, has to unite like never before to defeat this pandemic and must come out all guns blazing to set a precedent for the future generation under the aegis the established laws of nature.

The career prospects for any students in the post Pandemic period are myriad and immense. Though there are mainstream faculties one can choose from like economics, engineering, medicines, agriculture, one field that stands out is ought to be Law, as this area shall pick up pace in the post Pandemic period owing to change in policies that will be introduced by the contemporary government to suit the ever-changing dynamics of the nation. Henceforth, prioritising activities in the field of law is indispensable to be brought about by reforming academic policies at the grass-root level that shall encourage young minds to pursue and explore this area as a well-defined career prospect.

After studying the five years course most of the students either opt for advocacy or judicial services or work in a law firm or company. These choices are all great but another option which could have a little edge over other professions in this situation could be higher studies. Master of Laws or LL.M shall help build an experience in a particular area of law that may encourage the students to challenge their intellectual stimulation, thrive for the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of the law.

Doing a master’s degree in law doesn’t only ascertain one’s career in academics but also improves their career prospects, whether in practice or judicial service or any other allied field. An LL.M degree from a renowned institution offers all of these things. It is believed that one should “do what one loves and love what one does”, hence a student who wishes to learn more about the subject that is close to his/her heart may seek answers in an LL.M program.

The program entails specialisation in a specific area that can groom a student to achieve a successful career. A candidate’s proclivity towards a particular area that has been taught at graduation level, may opt the desired subject as a specialisation in the post-graduate program. For example, taking up an offbeat program like environmental law as a specialisation may augur well for a candidate in the post Pandemic period as environmental policies form the core of government well-defined policies. However, other programs like Constitutional law, Criminal law, IPR, Corporate law are also as good from career-building perspective.

In-depth study on the theoretical and the practical aspects is divided by a fine line of critical thinking and analysis, which can be put into effective usage by studying the master in laws. A focused study on a specific subject/ area helps a student to persevere a better understanding of his future. A student can develop a skill where he/she can find out issues of common specialisation of law which are unexplored with the help of culmination of a research-oriented study in the legal domain. When pursuing LL.B degree one doesn’t get the opportunity to study a particular area critically and analytically. However, in contrast, the higher study provides that scope to discover more and teaches the best possible way to learn beyond textbooks.

For a final year student choosing a good institution for higher studies is as much challenging as deciding a suitable career for him/her. In our country, one can opt for any institution as per his choice. There are plenty of good institutions offering an LL.M degree, with both annually and biannually. The choice of the institute should be based on the specialisation/ area that a student wants to pursue and not on how reputed that college is. From my own experience as an LL.M graduate from national law school, I can say that in that duration all that matter the most is whether you are learning anything from that specialisation or not. All the details are available on the website these days so think before deciding the most important paths of our life. This one right step can be life-changing.

It is understandable that a good college must have all the basic amenities at its disposal to offer the best that is required for all round development of the student. For example, institute must be able to offer the best academic support, best faculties, best libraries, and the most importantly, challenges that brings best out of you. From my personal experience, while doing LL.M, we were put through various situations that were quite challenging at that time, but now when I look back, I see how much those challenges helped me in transforming me into a strong person.

One can also opt for doing LL.M from foreign institutions. These days mostly we have quality master degree programmes offered by great institutions throughout the world. But yes, the fees structure is quite higher than what we have in India but there are several scholarships available for Indian students which cover most of the expenses. The full bright scholarship is one of them which offers a wide range of specialisation for interested candidates. Mostly all the countries offer an ample number of scholarships programme for foreign nationals and you can select the suitable one for yourself and prepare accordingly.

So, on a concluding note it is suggested that though higher study sounds challenging, yet it can offer best of experiences in life. The present pandemic situation offers to rethink various career opportunities for graduating students. Throughout the world, the admission dates and entrance examinations have been postponed that gives more time for a law graduate to decide. But again, don’t enroll to a higher degree just to be safe. Choose this path only if you are interested not because it was an easy choice during a global crisis. The LL.M programme is one of the most highly regarded master degree courses in the world that is rigorous and intellectually demanding. Almost everywhere it is taught by some of the finest academicians, and they train you to be best.

So dear students take a deep breath and close your eyes and think clearly. As a law graduate you have plenty of options but choose the correct one wisely. By this time, you all know your strength and weaknesses, use them to make this decision for you. This is your time and this is your chance to be the person your parents and teachers believed in. Hence, choosing the right career will not only bring you success but also help to make the “right you”.

Sustainable Development in the wake of Covid-19

Since the pandemic Coronavirus, we have been noticed that there’s a change in our environment. Venice canals are filled with clear water, blue skies over Delhi, Olive Ridley sea turtles nesting in the beach of Odisha and even the wild animals are roaming confidently in locked-down cities. For a moment this news brings joy and happiness in us and we start sharing this news over social media. But if we take a step back and think we will realise our mother nature was supposed to be filled with clear water, air, soil and the wild and human will presumably coexist. Unfortunately, which took thousands of lives to realise the importance of the environment.

The ongoing Pandemic COVID-19 has thrown up unforeseen challenges to the world. The world is more than a century since the Spanish Flu hasn’t seen something big a disaster of such magnitude and scale. This pandemic has not only brought about deaths but has brought the world to its knees in terms of economy, geopolitics, social developments, health care, international relations, and most importantly Sustainable Development. The moot question that arises from this Pandemic is the world is yet ready to achieve the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)? Having said this, it is also pertinent to know where the world stood before this Pandemic. Were the countries were rigorously following the SDGs or there were lacunae in implementing the same. Is the world going to be the same after the end of this pandemic? Probably the answer is in the negative.

Sustainable development goals (SDGs) vis-à-vis Covid-19

If there was ever any uncertainty that our world tackles mutual challenges, this pandemic is leading that idea categorically putting our mind into critical thinking. The present crisis leads us to think about the interdependence of our world. It has carried to the point where the imperative need for universal action to meet people’s basic needs, to save the planet, and to build a better and further secure world. We are challenged with common, global challenges that can only be resolved through common and universal tenacities. This is what all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are all about.

Unfortunately, this fierce, unexpected on-set pandemic has stricken at a moment when the SDGs were receiving decent response and acceptance and a substantial number of countries were making quite a progress in implementing those in their national front. But the spread of coronavirus is also diverting the priorities of the countries from SDGs to the economic, political, and social front for their survival. At this very moment, the priority for any country is to save lives over anything, and while doing so the countries are reallocating their natural resources to deal with the current threat. Which is the right thing to do as the lives of human beings among others are one of the priorities when it comes to the survival of the fittest?

However, one question remains, do we even have the right to invest all our natural resources to combat Covid 19? Or can we completely disregard the importance of SDGs while saving mankind over the mother nature? Because these SDGs are the world’s best plan and solution towards a better future for mankind and the environment and their coexistence by the year 2030. The United Nation adopted the SDGs in the year 2015 and selected 17 alarming issues[1] which need serious attention of us to endorse prosperity while shielding the environment. The recent pandemic has been a peril to some of the SDGs such as, ‘zero poverty’, ‘zero hunger’, ‘good health and well-being’, ‘decent work and economic growth’, and ‘responsible consumption and production’. It is showing that what we are doing for the environment and mankind is not enough and they are still vulnerable to a condition like this. The situation more and more trying to convince us to recognise the importance of SDGs in saving the world after Covid- 19.

In this global pandemic, any country alone cannot fight for a better future. It needs the support and expertise of institutions like the United Nations. Recently, the UN has requested the support of all the nations in analysing the immediate health threats worldwide and requested help to conquer the transmission of the deadly virus. They believe that to terminate the global pandemic we can no longer ignore the sustainable development and its goals especially those which focus on ‘people’ particularly, women, youth, daily-wage workers, vulnerable groups, etc. who are already at risk. At this moment working together will lead us to restore the balance in nature, saving lives, reinstate livelihood, and will help to bring the global economy back on track.

Nonetheless, even in this emergency, we cannot afford to move natural resources away from priority SDGs’ actions. Yes, the response towards the pandemic should be our main focus right now but even so, we cannot divulge from our responsibilities to the SDGs, because before the pandemic the world was not in a position to spare any natural resources. However, attaining the SDGs will place us on the right path and strengthen our capacity to deal with universal health risks including deadly viruses and other vulnerable diseases (Sustainable Development Goal 3[2]).

The UN with the help of its efficient research team has adequate information that mostly all the 17 SDGs have been compromised more or less during this global pandemic. Unfortunately, for the survival of humankind and the environment, this is quite dangerous and upsetting for our future. People all over the world are losing their jobs, livelihood, millions of students have been forced away from education and most nations are unable to control this rapid change. Many countries are incapable of combating Covid-19 due to the higher poverty rate and increasing pollution in the environment. At this point, we need to admit that we will not be able to face this crisis if we overlook various SDGs relevant to this pandemic. At this critical hour, we cannot refute the fact that the crisis is teaching us a very important lesson which is working towards a future where mankind coexists with nature.

Building towards a better future:

No matter how difficult the situation is in front of us we must try to turn the table here. We should attempt to make this crisis into a prospect to achieve the necessary and important SDGs globally. All the nations are trying to keep aside their differences and supporting each other to fight against the deadly virus. The same enthusiasm can be used to protect and conserve our environment. We should put our hands together as one and support the sustainable development goals to achieve the balance which helps to restore the earth towards a better future.

We have the knowledge and technology to strive for a better future and attain all the SDGs. It is only when no pandemic can drag us back to the horrifying state where are people dying without the proper mechanism to combat the deadly virus and also without necessities. If we take these SDGs seriously then only it is possible to restore global prosperity. We should walk forward to a healthy and safer world where the Venice canals are filled with clear water, blue skies over Delhi, and Olive Ridley sea turtles nesting on the beach of Odisha without the threat of any pandemic. We need a world where human values the importance of environment and his surroundings without the fear of any global crisis but out of pure responsibility starting with the extending his support towards achieving the sustainable development goals.

References:

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200326-covid-19-the-impact-of-coronavirus-on-the-environment
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1062322
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/category/covid-19/

Image Reference : https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2015/12/sustainable-development-goals-kick-off-with-start-of-new-year/