Asian Law College inaugurated its new batch of 5-year B.A.LL.B. & 3-year LL.B. on Thursday, 7th October 2021. The inauguration week scheduled from Thursday, 7th October 2021 to Saturday, 9th October 2021 provides a perfect platform for interface of experience of legal professionals who are called to interact with students and aspiration of young law students who have started their professional journey.
At the ALC Orientation 2021 Day 2 ceremony that was held on Friday, 8th October 2021 at its campus located in Sector 125, Noida, PADAM BHUSHAN, PADAM SHRI Dr. Anil Prakash Joshi – better known as an Environmentalist, Green Activist, and Founder-Himalayan Environmental Studies & Conservation Organization – was an eminent guest who delivered a powerful thought-provoking session under the Legal Lecture Series (LLS) 2021 at this august gathering.
Dr. Anil Prakash Joshi is an environmentalist, green activist, and the founder of Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organization (HESCO), a Dehradun-based voluntary organization. His work majorly includes developing sustainable technologies that are ecology inclusive economy for ecosystem development. He has coined G.E.P (Gross Environmental Product), an ecological growth measure parallel to G.D.P. Gross Environmental Product (G.E.P) has been accepted as a growth measure by the state of Uttarakhand on 5th June, 2021. He was selected as the ‘Man of the Year’ by Week Magazine in 2003. He is a recipient of the Jamnalal Bajaj Award and is an Ashoka Fellow. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honor of the Padma Shri, in 2006, for his contributions to Indian society. He was also awarded Padma Bhushan 2020 for the environmental crusade in Uttarakhand. Dr. Joshi appeared in the Kaun Banega Crorepati, Karamveer episode aired on 25th December 2020.
Delivering his eminent guest address on Day 2 of the ALC Orientation 2021 on Friday, 8th October 2021 at the Asian Law College campus, Dr. Anil Prakash Joshi, as expected, spoke majorly on the topic of ‘Environment ‘, which is “so crucial for human existence”, and how mankind has not cared for it as they should have and have thereby invited nature’s wrath in several ways, putting their own survival at stake. Giving the example of ‘Global Warming’, he said, “70% of mankind today suffers from some kind of respiratory problem, which is not a happy situation.” He then traced the origins of today’s environmental issue of ‘Global Warming’ to the 1950s when there were rampant employment issues all around the world, which necessitated the latest phase of ‘Industrial Revolution’ that centered around ‘Luxury’. In the debate on ‘Needs versus Luxury’, Luxury scored higher and led to such ugly situations where owning 2-4 cars in one house became a common status symbol and their emissions cumulatively contributed in bringing about a not so good climate change by way of Global Warming. Dr. Joshi also shared the frightening fact that more than half of the world’s forests have depleted and trees are being cut in the name of infrastructural development which has put nature’s free gift to humanity – viz., air, water, etc. – under tremendous pressure and has, in effect, jeopardized the very human existence. To quote his words, “DEVELOPMENT is the most terrorizing word today. It was not our nation’s word; our nation’s word was all-round PROSPERITY, which included NATURE as well. This disease called DEVELOPMENT cannot be called PROSPERITY because we have lost our forests and the green cover. The life-giving rivers are leaving us due to large-scale cutting down of forests in the name of infrastructural development; snow-fed rivers are getting polluted and rain-fed rivers exist only where there is rainfall, which again is adversely affected due to deforestation. This has led to a serious drinking water crisis, which the so-called scientists are trying to offset through the invention of the concept of bottled water and water purifiers. This has no doubt led to an increase in the GDP of the nation, but new diseases and unheard-of cyclones and climate changes have become the bane of our existence today. If you do not understand today, you will lose everything soon!”
He concluded his powerful thought-provoking talk by further stating, “NATURE provides everything FREE. Therefore, Nature is Mother or GOD. In fact, Nature is the Pratyaksh (Visible) GOD. Let us respect and regard it as such. It is here that GEP or Gross Environment Progress becomes more important than GDP! Finally, remember Jan Hai Toh Jahan Hai. So, SAVE LIFE!”