World Environment Day: Building Climate Resilience

World Environment Day reminds us of the urgent need to address the growing challenges of climate change and environmental degradation. This year’s theme focuses on Climate action, emphasising the need to respond to the increasing impacts of climate change and to build a sustainable future for generation to come.

Climate change is no longer a distant threat; it is a present reality affecting communities across the world. Nagaland has already begun experiencing the effects of changing climate. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, devastating floods, and water scarcity are becoming increasingly common. These changes are largely driven by human activities such as deforestation, unsustainable land-use practices, excessive dependence of fossil fuels, and environmental degradation.

Nagaland is not immune to these challenges. The state has witnessed an increase in forest fires, the drying of springs and other water resources, changing rainfall patterns, soil erosion, landslides, declining agricultural productivity, and growing human-wildlife conflicts. Traditional farming calendars that once guided agricultural operations have become less reliable due to unpredictable weather conditions. Biodiversity and forest ecosystems are also facing unprecedented pressure from climate-induced changes.

In this context, climate action must move beyond symbolic tree planting events and focus on long-term, sustainable solutions. The need of the hour is to undertake sustained afforestation and reforestation initiatives throughout the year, particularly in degraded forests, abandoned jhum lands, watersheds and landslide-prone areas. One effective approach is the promotion of climate –resilient land-use practices such as agroforestry systems.

Plastic pollution and improper waste disposal have emerged as major environmental challenges in our state. Strengthening waste management practices and reducing plastic consumption are vital climate actions that protect ecosystems, reduce pollution, and support a sustainable future. Renewable energy adaptation, biodiversity conservation, sustainable livestock management, bamboo-based enterprises, and environment education among youth are also essential components of a climate-resilient future.

The climate crisis is not merely an environmental crisis. It is also a crisis of human behaviour. For decades, we have consumed more resources then the planet could regenerate. We treated rivers as dumping grounds and soil as disposable resource. Yet our food, water, health, and livelihoods all depend on nature remaining healthy. Without healthy ecosystems, there can be no sustainable future.

The year 2026 must not be remembered as another year of promises; It must be remembered as the year for real and measurable action. UNEP’s global campaign, #NowForClimate, calls on governments, businesses, communities, and individuals to take meaningful steps toward climate resilience.