Climate change strategies need to think beyond carbon footprints. Reducing plastic and water footprint alongside carbon footprint is the need of the hour. India's Mission LiFE focuses on water and energy conservation as well as reducing plastic use.

Aligning with the global 'Beat Plastic Pollution' campaign for World Environment Day, it is time to reflect on India's efforts to ensure a better tomorrow for her citizens. Converged efforts involving decarbonisation, renewable energy deployment, reduction of water and plastic footprints, and disaster risk reduction hold great promise.

Similar levels of attention are required to reduce water footprint-promoting conservation, efficiency in agricultural use of water, and reuse of grey water. Reducing plastic footprint requires plastic waste management through the strategic collection, sorting, and processing of plastic.

Empowering leaders at district and block level, especially Sarpanches through training and tools will push them to make conscious choices to reduce energy, water, and plastic footprints. Also Read- Banyan Nation: Climate warriors chipping away at India's plastic problem.

Schemes like Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Catch the Rain campaign, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employee Guarantee Act, Atal Bhujal Yojana, More Crop Per Drop, grey water components of Swachchh Bharat Mission, Year of Millets all optimise for water, but they need to work together. Convergence is the key here; so if a village has water supply infrastructure, it also practices efficient water use in agriculture, grey-water reuse and keeps plastic from choking drains and ponds.