About: Dr. Ruchi Sachan is an alumnus of Miranda House. She has completed her PhD in International Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she worked on “Climate Change, Migration and Conflict in East Africa”. She has a master’s degree in Geography and an M.Phil. in African studies, where she received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Vice Chancellor for her outstanding performance. Dr. Sachan has also participated and presented papers in various National and International conferences/workshops, and has publications in national/international journals. She writes regularly on issues of social and political relevance, and her research areas include gender, climate change, environmental security, disaster management, and geopolitics of resources. She has also received a Junior Research Fellowship from the University Grants Commission.
Dr. Ruchi Sachan, Assistant Professor, Miranda House
Q.1) First question, would you mind introducing yourselves to our gripping onlookers? Ans. I would not mind doing that at all, so, I am Dr. Ruchi Sachan, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, here in Miranda House and I have been teaching here for close to five years. This January it will be five years. I am also an alumnus of this college, graduated in 2009 from the Department of Geography. So yes, this was my short introduction to you. Q.2) Could you provide some insight into your academic area of specialization and share what inspired your pursuit of them? Ans. I basically specialize in climate studies, along with its interlinkages with gender; majorly climate adaptation and environmental sociology. So what I looked at in my Ph.D. also was how climate change affects humans, and how the negative impacts lead to migratory movements; additionally how the impacts and the mobility patterns lead to conflict-like situations. My research was based on an extensive field survey in the villages in Kenya, how the people in semi-arid geographies respond to changes in climate, how the scales of vulnerability vary depending upon the category that you belong to; whether it's your gender, economic class, age or demography. Thus, majorly my research areas focus on environment, gender, land, agriculture, and disaster management. What inspired my perusal was that I am a trained social geographer so when I was exactly deciding my research theme, I chose something that is very close to us i.e. environment. The physical part is only one aspect of the environment, but there is more to it and I wanted people to understand how the dynamics of these environments affect the forces around them. I chose environmental sociology as a field because I was passionate about it even as a kid. There's a joke in my family that if they are traveling with me they have to be very careful of not throwing the waste around. This i something I am very mindful of, and I thought of putting it into my research practice
Q.3) How do you envision the interconnectedness of environment, ecology, and ecosystem and what roles do humans play in maintaining this delicate balance?
Ans. Glad you asked this, it is something that I teach to students of Ecology & Environment also. Three words that you took were environment, ecology, and ecosystem; along with humans which all are interconnected. The environment is nothing but the necessary physical and chemical conditions for life to exist. Ecology basically studies how different organisms are interacting among themselves in an environment. The ecosystem represents the holistic network that the organisms and their surroundings have. How the interconnected network functioning between the organisms that might be present in a smaller ecosystem or maybe the part of a larger ecosystem will define the stability and instability of that environment, and this is what we mean when we say that humans have tremendous role to play in maintaining the delicate balance, because with their activity, they can either maintain the balance or disrupt it. I'll give you an example. There are problems like deforestation, tremendous levels of pollution, and climate change. With all these activities our hazards are turning into disasters. We forget that every time we have disasters that are all because of human activities, so when we have activities like deforestation and rising levels of pollution, we have climatic changes that are happening to an extent that you can not even bear, i.e. humans destabilizing the ecosystem which is one negative aspect. The positive aspect is how we can maintain the balance through our conservation practices, restoration efforts, and sustainable practices. When we can balance human needs with environmental stewardship is when we will be able to maintain the environment’s health and the planet’s future.
Q.4) What are the implications of exceeding Global Planetary Boundaries?
Before I tell you the implications, I would like to tell you what Global Planetary Boundaries are. So basically this concept is new which came up in the mid-2000s by a group of scientists from Stockholm Research Centre with one unified goal to define the boundaries of a safe operating space for humanity to flourish, exist and thrive, and 9 Planetary Boundaries were thus identified. Now if you look at all these 9 concepts, everything and anything that has to do with the environment and human survival falls within the ambit and all of these boundaries are impacted by human action, and thus act as a threat to the stability of the planet. If we cross these boundaries, it will act like a domino effect, if we breach one, the other one will automatically be breached. As we say, we never needed ACs in hill stations but now we have blurred the line between needs and wants and started using them there too, which resulted in the increase of temperature such that now they are even required in hilly places. So this is just an example of one boundary and its impact. According to the latest statistics, we have already breached 6 of the 9 boundaries. If we continue at the current rate and keep exceeding these boundaries, it will disturb the human-ecological balance that we need to maintain. We can see its implications in day-to-day lives. This year Delhi recorded 52°C temperature in June and our own physical climate is not meant to survive in that but this is what we are facing. We have breached so many boundaries and if we continue doing that we are just falling into the black hole trap.
Q.5) How can traditional knowledge systems complement modern research?
Ans. So the traditional knowledge system, more commonly known as the indigenous knowledge mechanisms, that we talk about, complements modern ecological research. It provides you with localized examples, and time-tested insights along ecosystem management. We have examples of this from around the globe and from India. In Rajasthan, there are the traditional ‘Johad’ structures; Johad are nothing but earthen dams that help recharge groundwater and prevent drought-like situations and even if there is a drought, then how to mitigate it. So that is a traditional practice. Now, we understand it is very important for us because our groundwater is depleting and not just in Rajasthan but everywhere. In the Himalayas, there are communities that practice ‘kyari’. It is a stone embankment, basically a stack of stones to function as an embankment; it prevents soil erosion because the Himalayas have a declining slope. Because of the sloping surface, there is a higher chance of erosion. To prevent water or soil erosion, they are using those stone embankments which have always been known as ‘kyari’. We can utilize such a mechanism to add our modern ecological embankments. Similarly in Australia, which is affected by a lot of wildfires, one of the most Indigenous practices to prevent fire is ‘cool burning’; which along with preventing large-scale wildfires promotes biodiversity. In the Arctic, we have communities that have tremendous amounts of knowledge regarding migratory patterns of animals, how the sea ice behaves, and how they can utilize all that in the long term to aid in the short-term scientific data. This all will come together to provide us with ecosystem management in the long run. We definitely have the Indigenous knowledge which has to be complemented with modern ecological research to have a sort of alternative that we have to create, any sort of utilization of cultural wisdom to promote or to add on to context-specific solutions.
Q.6) How can interdisciplinary research address complex ecological challenges?
Ans. There is a beauty in interdisciplinarity. You can have expertise and insights from various fields to develop comprehensive, multifaceted solutions because you cannot put a boundary on the environment. We can have political borders but we can not have ecological borders, and there are so many examples where we see that interdisciplinary research leads to more holistic solutions. For example- agriculture; where we keep talking about sustainable farming practices, but if we are trying to promote sustainable farming practices without actually interlinking it with ecology, it is not going to really work because there will be one gap or the other. The moment you talk about ecologists, you are talking about environmental scientists; the moment you talk about policymakers, you are talking about political scientists; the moment you talk about agronomists, you are talking about agricultural economists. Thus, we have 4 subjects right here coming together to create a solution for one theme. Another very good example is climate change, which is my field of research. Let's take the impacts of climate change on urban areas. It will impact urban transport, groundwater, urban climate, livelihoods, and urban living as a whole. So, if we can collaborate in a manner that there are climate scientists, policy experts, and also the people who are the most impacted then we can get more effective and sustainable, ecological solutions and that's the power of interdisciplinarity.
Q.7) What role do environmental impact assessments play in informing policy decisions, and how effective are global and national environmental policies in addressing ecological challenges? Ans. These are very broad topics but shortly, of course, EIA ( Environmental Impact Assessment) plays a very crucial role in informing policy decisions in 3 major ways:
1) Identifying the risks
2) Mitigating the negative impacts
3) Balancing the development goals along with environmental protection
Basically, EIA provides a scientific basis for decision-making, alongside promotion of transparency and public participation, and that's why in our own country, there is an Environmental Protection Act that mandates that every large project has to go through EIA so that the ecological considerations are integrated into the planning. Even NATIONAL ACTION PLAN FOR CLIMATE CHANGE (NAPCC) addresses challenges like renewable energy, and water conservation initiatives, through the lens of EIA. Yes, there are gaps in enforcement and compliance, the impacts of which can be seen in processes like deforestation continuing with illegal mining. However, even when we have a policy mechanism like EIA, at least on paper we are trying to do good but when we come to global and national environmental policies and their effectiveness, the results for our own country's environmental acts vary because the local conditions like political, social, environmental, and economic conditions vary. There are challenges in the implementation and enforcement of policies. Even at the global level, for example, the success of the Paris Agreement is not defined by the goal that it has set, but it will be defined by the commitment that the nations or the countries enforce. So, these are global and national policies such as EIA, which are very essential tools for the integration of sustainable practices into our social and economic frame; though there are gaps but we can keep working towards them.
Q.8) How do you stay optimistic despite environmental challenges?
Ans. Initiatives such as the ‘Green Guru Gathering’ initiative are also an example of optimism where we are trying to initiate a conversation about finding solutions to the problems. These are our own very small actions, but if we accumulate all the actions together, it will lead to a solution. There are many individuals, communities, and organizations that are tirelessly working towards finding one or the other environmental solutions. There is MH Vatavaran in the college doing amazing activities for the environment. We have to focus on positive actions and solutions. That's what optimism is. As a student , you have taken the step. Every positive step adds up to something better and if we really want better in the future, we have to keep walking. Yes, we will fail but at least we tried, and there is beauty in failing when you are trying. So that's optimism. Also, hope is the rope around which the world revolves, and if we lose belief in hope, we will stop living.
Q.9) Looking ahead, what innovations, collaborations, or paradigm shifts are necessary to address the complexities of environmental sustainability, and how can the next generation of ecologists and environmentalists contribute to this endeavor?
Ans. Well, it's a very technical question, but the innovations, collaboration, and paradigm shifts that we are talking about, to achieve or to address the complexities of environmental sustainability, have to come across sectors. We cannot say that one sector will do well while the other sector will not. If we talk about technological advancements like renewable energy, carbon capture, and precision agriculture which can actually reduce environmental footprints. For example International Solar Mission launched by India in collaboration with France which focuses on renewable solar energy, vertical farming, and hydroponics (set-up of hydroponics is also present in our own college), are examples of technological advancements/mechanisms by which we are trying to achieve a level of environmental sustainability. When we talk about collaborative efforts, collaborations are something that will take us forward. One of the major collaborations is public-private partnerships which are very essential in scaling sustainable practices because intention is one thing, but being able to do it requires a lot of resources, investment and where is that going to come from. So, the Public-Private partnership model has to be efficiently functioning. Another important thing that we can do in terms of collaborative practices is community engagement because it is the communities that are getting impacted the most, that will always be impacted the most. For example- Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Andolan- the campaign although focuses on girls and women literacy, it also trains and highlights the importance of educating and empowering women in environmental sustainability which ultimately is enhancing community resilience. When we had the Chipko movement which was an example of community resilience and community management. When we talk about paradigm shifts, our transition towards circular economies means focusing more on resource recovery rather than waste. Waste reduction rather than creating a generation of waste, having an ecosystem waste management; promoting a culture where we are focusing more on recyclable goods, not promoting consumer culture; ensuring that we all can carry a mug or a bottle every day so that we do not have to use a disposable cup from Nescafe; these are very small actions that we can take in our daily practices but these are important. Coming to the last part of the question, the next generation of ecologists and environmentalists have to take up leadership roles, engage in opportunities for global collaboration, play an active role in transforming consumption patterns, influence policy, and foster community management at the same time, like clean up drives, tree plantation drives in MH Vatavaran are the examples of empowering the students to take up the leadership roles, actions, engaging in advocacy and activism. For example- Greta Thunberg is a household name these days; she sat on a climate strike asking for her right to have a good environment. So, when you actively participate in ensuring that you will be part of the solution rather than being part of the problem, that is where we see the hope in the future, which is the next generation, which is you guys.
Q10) Lastly, ma'am do you love plants, and if you were to build a garden of your own, what plants would you choose and why?
Ans. Of course, I do love plants. I have been trying to build a garden of my own, but basically in my house in Lucknow, we have a flourishing garden but that is taken care of by my parent. However, where I stay here in Delhi, I have been trying to take care of plants, and taking care of plants is a huge responsibility and that's why we should all learn to love plants because we become more responsible citizens . I have been trying to do that, and I am doing it to some level if I really can one day build a garden of my own, I would love to have all sorts of plants like colorful flowering plants because of course everyone loves colors; why should life be devoid of colors, everyone should have colors and good fragrances. So, plants like marigolds, roses, and one of my favorite flowers, lilies. Then I would love to have some indoor plants like snake plants, money plants, and aloe vera; the green herbs which are fascinating because they require very little maintenance, but are very utilitarian like spring onion, coriander, tulsi, and mint. Also, in our Indian cooking, we require all of this, we can just sprinkle some green leaves and it will be more beautiful and that's why green is a very very nice soothing color, and so, yes, I would love to have all these plants.
Credits:
Interviewed by: Nivedita, Sonam Rai (MHV Editorial Team Volunteers)
Edited by: Aditi, Tanya Chaudhary (Editorial Team Volunteers)
Picture credit: Gurmeet (MHV Social Media Team Volunteer)
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