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“I first read about Buxwaha through a report published in Dainik Bhaskar. But when the message resurfaced on our WhatsApp groups, we realised it needed immediate discussion. We conducted a
zoom meeting and called our environment action groups to join in. Youngsters suggested conducting Twitter storms and it is only when the issue started trending and media reached out to me, I
realised the wonders that social media could do for the environment movements,” says Dr Dharmendra Kumar, who hails from Bihar but has been actively campaigning on ground in the Chhatarpur
district to save the Buxwaha forest. “Through digital platforms, anyone who cares for the climate can join in the movement and extend support. And with cleaner skies witnessed during the
pandemic, people envisaged the kind of post-pandemic world they want to live in. People realise one common cause; climate change,” says Avinash Chanchal, a campaigner with Greenpeace. “The
protest and the issue is not new. Adivasis here have been protesting for years, but with social media, support for them is pouring in from across the country. Buxwaha has supporters from
Punjab, Kerala, UP, Gujrat, Delhi and many other states,” Abhishek Khare, a local of the Panna district says. “In the future also, we are determined to stand against any project which is a
threat to our ecosystems. No matter what or where. When it comes to the environment, all of us come together despite differences in our political leanings and opinions,” he adds. With
smartphones in hand, people realize they could have a voice and be heard if they stand together. Their actions whether it’s sharing a post, or retweeting a thread or sending an email could
add to the voice of the movement. An online _petition _by Jhatkaa.org for the Buxwaha forest has garnered more than 88,000 signatures. A youth-led group, _There Is No Earth B_ says, “we are
amplifying the voice of the people fighting to save Dumna. We have been hosting its official site, helping with tweet decks, content and AR (augmented reality) filters for more than a year.”
With more campaigns sprouting everyday reporting the flaws of these projects and their blindness to the ecological impacts, the ones supporting are labelled as anti-developmentalists and
anarchists. “Environment vs development debate is created by corporations. You have to define development. Is having access to clean air and water not development? Not putting people at
serious health risks, not development?” asks Yash Marwah, founder of environment collective, _Let India Breathe._