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‘International Day of Yoga’ Will Not Solve Climate Change. Here’s Why
https://thewire.in/environment/international-day-of-yoga-will-not-solve-climate-change-heres-why
The challenges of tackling climate change still remain mostly in the realm of politics and economic interests, rather than soft choices over culture and what to wear to a Yoga Day event.
Yoga signifies a distinctly middle-class aspiration and performance of an urban lifestyle.
The International Day of Yoga (IDY) is now in its fifth consecutive year. The theme for 2019, aptly enough, is climate action. The claim, this time around, is that a yogic lifestyle can help prevent climate change by healing humanity’s relationship with the earth.
In the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a “yogic lifestyle” is not only a powerful instrument to tackle climate change through “changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness”, but also a path to wellness that will somehow make us better individuals in “thought, action, knowledge and devotion”.
However, India has a branding problem. Even though it is the home of yoga, it faces huge challengeswhen it comes to handling pollution.
The AYUSH Ministry, which oversees the standardisation of yoga on behalf of the government, adds…