U.S Exits The Paris Climate Agreement

Initially, 2015 Paris Climate Agreement was an addition to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climatic Change (UNFCCC). It was agreed among 195 countries present at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in December. China and United States, the two

largest carbon pollutant emitters in the world were part of this agreement.

U.S became part of this agreement under the presidency of Barak Obama. His support and cooperation with China were seen as the major factors leading to the early success of this agreement.

It came into force to bind all the countries together, to fight against the problem of rising temperature on the planet. The main aim of the Agreement is to hold the increase in the global average temperature below 2 °C, over and above the pre-industrial levels, by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

On 1 June 2017, Donald Trump, the current president of U.S., announced U.S.’s withdrawal from this agreement. He stated that this agreement imposed constraints on the functioning of the U.S. economy with its unfair environmental standards. Donald Trump had pledged to withdraw from the pact during his presidential campaign.

At the time of announcing the withdrawal, he claimed that it was in accordance with his ‘America First’ policy. He reasoned that this agreement puts U.S. at a permanent disadvantage and was effecting the American economy, business and its workers.

According to the Agreement, withdrawal by the United States cannot be before November 4, 2020, four years after the Agreement came into effect in the United States and one day after the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Hence, later White House clarified that the U.S. will abideby the four year exit process. Till then, the United States will be obligated to its commitments under the Agreement, like continue reporting its emissions to the United Nations.

While this decision was celebrated by some members of the Republican Party, international reaction to the withdrawal was overwhelmingly negative. It received criticism from religious organizations, businesses, political leaders of all the parties, environmentalists, scientists and citizens from the United States and abroad.

Even with the Federal withdrawal from the agreement, the governors of several U.S. states continue to remain a part of Paris Agreement at the state level by forming United States Climate Alliance. As on February 2018, 16 states and Puerto Rico have joined the alliance.  Similar commitments have also been expressed by other state governors, mayors, and businesses.

WRITTEN BY- ALISHA VERMA
                ( NET IMPACT MEMBER )

CURATED BY - POOJAN SEHGAL

CASUAL RACISM

Mr. Sargent Shriver, an American Diplomat and politician once said: “We must treat the disease of racism. This means we must understand the disease”

Keeping this statement in mind, let us first find out what casual racism actually means. Most of us have seen or heard this term before but not many of us are aware of its true definition. Well, Casual Racism is nothing but a remark or a throw-away comment that is based on negative stereotypes to say something about a person’s race or ethnicity.

Casual Racism is not necessarily a deliberate act to discriminate against someone or to let him/her down because of his/her race rather it is something that is done unknowingly,  just out of fun. But what people usually tend to forget is that it can have a deep negative impact on the person who faces it.
It not only affects their dignity but also their physical and mental health. And unfortunately most of the people who indulge in casual racism, don’t even understand the magnitude of their irresponsible comments.

THERE IS NOTHING CASUAL ABOUT CASUAL RACISM

I want to clarify that the classifications and categories are not bad, what is bad are the stereotypes and degradation that come with some of the categories we’re a part of. For example, colour of our skin - when someone is described neutrally, without indicating colour, most of the times people will assume that the person is white. On the contrary, to describe someone dark skinned, it will be mentioned specifically. This indicates our stereotype, that, whiteness determines humanity.

We have to understand that our constitution has given us a right to express our views, but it becomes our duty to use this right in a responsible manner so that we don’t casually exclude someone from our society on racial basis.

Further, if you are the one facing casual racism, you should not hesitate to discuss about it and express your views on specific comments made by your friends or colleagues and tell them that you are uncomfortable with the comment and this is casual racism.

These tools can really help the society to fight casual racism.

WRITTEN BY - RAHUL VERMA
( NET IMPACT MEMBER)

CURATED BY- POOJAN SEHGAL

*Why is racism still relevant in 21st century*

One maybe tempted to assume that racism, the belief that some races of people are better than others, is a thing of past and that the society has advanced enough to burst this delusional bubble.

Instances of racism are still prevalent in our society, take the case of frequent use of the term " people of colour" to refer a person who is not white. The intolerance shown by perpetrators can scar the victims and their families for life. Stringent laws and anti-discriminatory policies should be framed and put to practice while people should be well informed of their rights and the laws that protect them. Education can enable individuals understand the concept of 'just treatment' better.

RACISM- STILL VERY MUCH PREVALENT ALL AROUND THE GLOBE

This unfair treatment is in practice all around the world, ranging from workplace to politics. People are deprived of opportunities and basic rights based on their origin.  Take the instance of the movie 'Black Panther' that consisted of an all black cast predominantly at a time when the blacks were still struggling to find their place in Hollywood. Racist hate crimes are the most widespread of all the other forms of hate crimes, the share being as high as 60% of the total. Vandalism is a common practice in many places.

Donald J. Trump's xenophobia and racial discrimination along with political and economic turmoils like Brexit have acted as a catalyst leading to a surge in the number of such crimes. African American community is the one most targeted of all the other communities .

Racism may have been more widespread in older times with the white section of the society given special privileges and rights but it is still a matter of concern in current times that needs to be addressed both on personal level and the level of the government as a progressive modern society. Our leaders should conduct themselves in a more responsible manner and we as members of the society should also act in ways that do not cause discomfort to others.


Written By- Sohal Bagri

CURATED BY- POOJAN SEHGAL

Orphanage visit- Bal Sahyog

 To celebrate the spirit of love and happiness, the Net Impact Delhi University team visited Bal Sahyog Orphanage, Connaught Place during the diwali week. It is a Children’s World, serving thousands of children in its Home and Contact Centres in the slums of Delhi by providing nutrition, health care and protection. It provides homes, open shelter, middle school and Vocational Training through NIOS.

 

“Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they’re not real before you hold them in your arms, but once you do, everything changes.”

                                                                                                               -David Platt

A DAY WELL SPENT

The members involved the children into various fun activities. Painting competitions, talent hunt and storytelling sessions were organized for them. In the interactive sessions with the children, they told us their stories, their daily routine, their ambitions and much more. There was a lot of singing and dancing to spread happiness to the young children. The members also brought sweets and other stationery material and even played badminton and cricket with the children. The visit surely left the young children with a priceless sparkle in their eyes. The members of Net Impact definitely succeeded in making their day happy and cheerful.

After visiting the orphanage and interacting with these children, you start appreciating the little things in life when you see people who don’t have them. Only at such times do you tide over the insignificant and immaterial things and appreciate the bigger picture. We cannot do all the great things for these children but we can do small things with great love and bring a smile on the faces of these little humans. Our very purpose of visiting the place was to leave a little love and happiness and I can assure you that our purpose was fulfilled. 

-THANK YOU

WRITTEN BY- SAKSHI BANSAL

CURATED BY- POOJAN SEHGAL
                                                

Learn the secrets to startup success 

Setting up a business startup is not a difficult task these days. It doesn’t require a big working space, all you need is a dedicated team of members that can meet or discuss its strategies and plan in a café or at home or in a small room or anywhere it wants.  

It’s correct to say that, the next Bill Gates will not build an operating system and the next Mark Zuckerberg will not create a new social network. So this gives us a message that copying is not a shortcut to success, it will not help you to achieve your dreams. You need to think innovative, something different and out of the box. 

Always Remember: 

• The biggest leaps in progress are vertical, not horizontal. 

• Monopolies are good for both business and society. 

• Founders need a vision to take their business to a next platform. 

“Brilliant thinking is rare, but courage is in even shorter supply than genius.” 

What’s important in a startup is to start small and expand slowly in a focused effort. Just like in any career or study, it is not necessary to have a diverse curriculum but to be superior in a limited set of things. Every company needs to lay a solid foundation to survive in the long run. So when you start out on the long road of building up a business, the first days are absolutely crucial. 

The key message: A startup can survive by making incremental improvements to existing products and services, but it will only really become a giant if it can get high-profit margins. It is hard to say what the future will look like when even the most farsighted founders can’t look more than 20-30 years ahead. We can’t take for granted that the future will be better, and it means that we need to start changing the today. We need to go from zero to one to infinity.

AUTHOR'S PROFILE- 

WRITTEN BY - JASKIRAT SINGH SAHNI

CURATED BY- POOJAN SEHGAL

GENDER EQUALITY IN A WORKPLACE

Gender equality has been a trending topic of today’s world but its solutions are still unknown to many. This issue is often talked about but it still remains isolated in the world where opportunities are taking birth every second, without defining whether it is meant for a man or a woman.

 A Pew Research Center study revealed that close to 50 percent of entry-level employees are women, but women hold only 17 percent of the senior most jobs.  This is not really a great advancement compared to the last survey conducted in 2012, when that number was 16 percent. Hence, it is imperative that this issue is still a matter of discussion.

Your Gender Doesn't Define Your Capability

The question arises, what really is the practice of gender bias at the workplace? Well, inequality in gender pay, inadequate recruitment of women at the workplace, and of course, the mentality of the society on the role of a working woman are some of the many examples observed in our country. In fact, according to the research of the World Economic Forum (WEF), India is nowhere even close to the top 20 countries with equal gender pay. If we want to change it, the people of our society have to start thinking about gender bias as a material issue.

 Is there a way out? Yes, there is! The first and foremost being the promotion of gender equality through training and education. The management personnel should be made aware of the gender bias going on in the organisation. Not only this, increasing the recruitment of female employees is another effective solution. Another point of consideration is the act of showcasing the successful women of the companies as it will not only be a reflection of women solidarity at the workplace but also a source of encouragement for junior female employees to work hard. Another measure is to establish a policy that ensures equal compensation for men and women performing the same task. Beyond equal pay for equal work, the policy should also ensure that both genders are treated equally in terms of other aspects such as recruitment, training, hiring and promotion.

There are many solutions to the gender bias in a workplace

The solutions to this issue do not reach an end point here. There is yet another solution for this problem, that is, the implementation of quota system for women. India is truly a country for the reserved and not the deserved. The quota system has helped so many undeserving citizens get decent jobs in the country. But if the country's government really wishes to overcome the problem of gender bias then why can’t it introduce quotas for women? If the quotas can be introduced to those who hang around in expensive cars and live in lavish homes but pretend to be helpless in front of the government then they can surely be introduced for the women who fight for their rights every day.  In today’s time there cannot be a better answer to the issue of gender inequality than the introduction of quota system for women. This can increase the recruitment of female employees in an organisation, act as a relief for young girls with aspirations and improve the overall status of women in a workplace.

In the end all I would like to say that the women of our country are like flowers of a plant, all they need to bloom is adequate manure and sunlight in the form of support and opportunities.

AUTHOR'S PROFILE-

WRITTEN BY- PRABHASIS SINGH

CURATED BY- POOJAN SEHGAL