”The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” said the famous explorer Robert Swan. The statement is suggestive to the fact that it is not someone else’s duty to save the planet from natural calamities which are taking place because of the exploitation of natural resources by human beings.
Exploitation of Natural Resources
Deforestation
In the pursuit of development and progress, the man has plundered and despoiled this beautiful planet, Earth. When nature made this Earth, it was the most beautiful place with serene beauty to live in. But in the past 14000 years ever since the man appeared on this planet, he has given it a new shape and form. The coming generations will never pardon their ancestors for handing them over a dilapidated legacy.
We will give them a land full of scorching deserts, barren fields and naked landscapes. Greenery will nowhere be seen. This change has adversely affected the climatic pattern of this planet. To satiate his greed, man has mindlessly carried out deforestation.
He has cut trees to make way for housing, agricultural fields, roads and factories. To add fuel to the fire, he has dug out a variety of minerals and petroleum products from its deepest core. The fossil fuels which he has extracted from the Earth to run his machines and vehicles has created a chaos.
This mindless burning of fossil fuels has drastically changed the climate pattern. It has also become a cause of variety of diseases.
Melting of glaciers
A Canadian ship captain, Geoff Green takes a batch of 200 high school students from 22 countries to the Antarctica in his ship. He shows them how the glacial ice at Antarctica is melting fast giving rise to the water level in the sea.
When the whole ice melts, the 95% carbon records which are buried under the ice would get released into the atmosphere. This would be an end to all life forms on the Earth. It is evident that the countries or cities situated on the sea shores get submerged in the sea.
That is why Maldives held their parliamentary meeting under the sea. With this act, they sent the world community a strong message that this would happen to them also one day or the other.
Water
Our scientists have predicted that the next World War would be fought on water. The countries will fight each other only for one drop of water. Water is our lifeline and is needed by one and all to sustain their lives. Without water, life is unimaginable. Surprisingly, three fourths of out earth is filled with water yet there are millions of people who don’t have access to safe drinking water.
We don’t realise the importance of water and keep on wasting it vehemently. Water being so precious and important, it is out moral duty and obligation to conserve it. At all costs, we should never let a drop of water go down the drain. We must use it judiciously.
The rain water normally goes waste in drains and gutters during monsoon. It should be conserved in underground tanks to be used in lean periods in the summer months when the supply is meagre.
Pollution
Pollution has also become one of the greatest concerns of modern life all over the world. Pollution is mainly of four kinds: air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution and sound pollution. Among them, air pollution is the worst. It is caused by the indiscriminate burning of fossil fuels in our vehicles and factories.
Similarly, all water bodies across the globe are highly polluted. This is due to the dumping of garbage and release of contaminated water into the water bodies. The sound pollution is also increasing day by day in the metropolitans. This is because of increase in vehicular traffic.
Garbage disposal
Garbage disposal is one such other problem which continues to plague our cities. We blame for others for throwing around trash and littering.
We blame others for the stinging smell and mosquitoes near our hoses. But we often forget that we ourselves do the same. We litter our trash here and there not bothering about someone else’s home. The government has initiated some measures regarding garbage disposal. But these measures are not enough to cleanse the city.
Population increase
The world population is bursting at its seems. The world population is going to cross 8 billion this year. This exerts pressure on public services.
The government is unable to arrange and provide infrastructural facilities to the rising population. The increase in population has also led to an increase in usage of natural resources.
Remedial measures
The situation humans have created is like a pending disaster waiting to happen. And it will strike the global population so hard that they won’t be able to tolerate it’s after effects. Testing nature is dangerous. But the humans continue to test its patience by plundering its beauty.
Environmental problems can only be tackled when the forces of the world unite together to combat it. Sustainable development should be brought into practice. Nature and progress should go hand in hand to complement each other.
The answer lies in balanced development. It can be made possible by switching over to green fuels such as CNG, PNG, LPG, solar power and nuclear power. Trees and plants should also be grown more.
Also, a revolution is mindsets are required to change the thinking of people. Because it is easy to write blogs and conferences but it is very difficult to initiate those changes yourself. Without the thinking that this planet is ours and it is for us to save, nothing can change. Governments cannot save the planet overnight .It is we who can do this if we join hands.
However, it is heartening to note that a few years back a world convention was held in Denmark. The heads of the Government from all over the world participated in it. They agreed to sign a treaty to reduce carbon emissions in a phased manner. This is one such movement in the history of mankind when the whole world community has come to a single platform.
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