Our Environment, Our Responsibility: An Appeal to Action

Introduction:

In the entire universe, the Earth is only known planet till now, which has life on it.  Life on this planet is possible only because of the Environment. It plays crucial role in sustaining life on the Earth. We have been endowed, the air to breath, water to drink and, resources to fulfill our needs. And we ‘The Humans’ are the only living being which understands the relationship between nature and the human. The below Sanskrit shloka expresses this relationship as:

शाश्वतम्, प्रकृति-मानव-सङ्गतम्,

सङ्गतं खलु शाश्वतम्।

तत्त्व-सर्वं धारकं

सत्त्व-पालन-कारकं

वारि-वायु-व्योम-वह्नि-ज्या-गतम्।

शाश्वतम्, प्रकृति-मानव-सङ्गतम्।।

Meaning: -“The relationship between nature and man is eternal. Relationship is eternal. All the elements of water, air, sky, fire and earth are really the holders and the protector of the living beings.”

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The beauty of this relationship could be long lasting only, if we ‘the humans’ will keep fulfilling our responsibilities towards nature. With the growth of human population, various human activities have taken a toll on our environment. Consequently, it has led to the ecological imbalance which could be the reason for extinction of life from this beautiful planet. Hence, it is upon us that how we recognize our responsibility towards the planet. Hence, it is upon us that how we recognize our responsibility towards the boon for us, but be the blessings for our future generations also.

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How we are affecting the Environment?

Can we recall those days when there were no separation of natural entities and everything was a shared resource? In essence everything belonged to each one. It used to express the relationship between nature and human, beautifully.

          Ironically, with the span of time as we grew, we started exploiting the nature for our greed and we, consequently destroyed this relationship. Various human activities have affected the environment badly which must be concern for everyone on this planet.

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The degradation of the environment can be attributed to various factors as it is the result of the dynamic inter play of socio-economic, institutional and technological activities. Environmental changes may be driven by many social, economic, political, administrative and environmental factors such as:

1.    Land clearing and deforestation: - One of the major cause behind environmental depletion is land clearing and deforestation. Forests are considered as the respiratory organ of this planet. Humans for their need and greed, clearing lands mindlessly, which is causing environmental degradation.

2.    Overgrazing: - Overgrazing is one of the activity which may consequent to desertification of fertile lands. Mindful usage of grassland with good management could keep a control over the overgrazing results.

3.    Over-irrigation: - Applying more water than what a crop requires may cause to over irrigation. It disturbs the oxygen balance of the root zone, drowns roots, reduces plant water uptake and stresses plants.

4.    Soil erosion: - Soil erosion occurs due to detachment and removal of soil particles by wind or water. This is one of the major concern worldwide.

5.    Pollution: - Various types of pollutions like air, water, noise, soil etc. are causing the environmental depletion. Today, urban areas are the most affected regions of pollution. It is causing many hazardous diseases.

6.    Urbanization: - Migration to the cities from rural areas has created immense pressure on the urban population and causing expansion of slums. Due to the ecological challenges and the lack of prospects for productive employment in rural areas, people are compelled to move to the cities.

7.    Economic growth: - Industrialization based economic growth has led to the environmental deterioration. With the time span as we are growing economically, the cases of environmental depletion is increasing equally.

8.    Population growth: Population growth is playing key role in the speedy consumption of natural resources and the production of waste which is causing environmental degradation. It is also defined to various environmental pressures like biodiversity imbalance, air and water pollution and increased demand on arable land.

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Why should we preserve the Environment?

          All the living beings on this planet are the part of the ecosystem in which everyone is interconnected and inter-dependent on each other. This forms an intricate web of life on the earth. A disruption in one part of the ecosystem can have cascading effects on others.

        Conservation of biodiversity is very essential for the ecosystem stability and resilience. Biodiversity supports food security and sustained livelihood through overall genetic diversity. Genes regulate all biological process on the planet and increases the ability of organisms to cope with environmental stressors.  If the biodiversity is not safeguarded, it may consequent to the extinction of many animal and plant species.

            Climate change: We need to take up arms against Climate change as it is one of the most pressing issue we are facing today. Human-induced climate change is proceeding towards the deterioration of the environmental balance. Ozone layer is thinning day by day, which is like direct invitation to the UV rays and many incurable diseases to the human and other living organisms.

          Combatting Pollution: - The main contributors to the environment deterioration are air and water pollution. Contaminants brought into the ecosystem by pollution have potential to harm and even eradicate some animal and plant species from this planet.

          Human health has got significantly negative effects due to environmental deterioration. Around the world, lack of access to the pure water is causing millions of deaths and billions of illness each year. Water shortage and a reduction in the quality of foods are two effects of environmental depletion.

          Shortage of Natural Resources is also one of the negative effect of environmental degradation. It includes arable land, water, genetic resources, medicinal plants and food crops. In order to get rid of this scarcity, we need to preserve the environment.

          Reduction of Green House effect is required as industrial development has played major role in the emission of Greenhouse gases which have caused Global warming. Every year it is observed that global temperature is increasing and causing glacier melting. If it keeps melting with an extraordinary speed, It could cause the rise of sea level and sinking of many land parts on the earth. 

 

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How can we accomplish our Responsibilities?

Responsibility is the ethical obligation we hold to fulfill our duties and commitments, considering the impact of our actions on ourselves, others, and the world around us. It circumscribes accountability for our choices, decisions, and behaviors, whether they pertain to personal, social, or environmental spheres. If the responsibility is related to the conservation of Environment, it becomes equally important to be accomplished as we understand that the sustenance of life on this planet is dependent to the sustenance of environment. Embracing this responsibility towards conservation of environment requires us to be aware of the consequence of our actions and to be focused on the positive outcomes.   

          It’s not like we are unaware of our responsibilities. However, it requires more endeavor towards conservation of environment as the human activities are deteriorating it swiftly. The world is divided into undeveloped, developing and, developed nations. Generally, these nations throw balls to others court when it is to fix the accountability for the environmental deterioration. However, everyone will have to carry the accountability accumulatively whether it’s a small nation of a big.

Let’s make a note, what can be done:

Sustainable Practices: Encircling sustainability involves making choices that meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This includes responsible consumption, waste reduction, and supporting eco-friendly products and services.

Spreading awareness and Educating people: A sense of responsibility among individuals about the environment and the nature is required to be generated. In this direction, Educational institutions may play a key role in order to disseminate this information among the people. Governments can make it mandatory to the educational institutions, social, economic and political platforms to spread awareness and educate the people about their responsibilities towards the environment.

Blue prints and Laws: Worldwide, Industries are more responsible for environmental degradation. Hence, it is required to make strong strategies and regulations that hold industries accountable for their environmental impact. Governments should step forward in this direction to frame blue prints and legislations so that an accumulative responsibility should be fixed.

Let’s have a Look into the History!

 The Conservation Movement, also known as Nature conservation is a political, environmental and, social movement that seeks to manage and protect natural resources for the future generations. The conservation movement can be traced back to John Evelyn’s work “Sylva”, presented as a paper to the royal society of England in 1662.

          The conservation was revived in the mid-19^th century, with the first practical application of scientific conservation principles to the forests of India. The Madras Board of Revenue started local conservation efforts in 1842, headed by Alexander Gibson, a professional botanist who systematically adopted a forest conservation program based on scientific principles. This was the first case of state management of forests in the world.

          With the emergence of Industrialization and urbanization, governments started making serious efforts towards environmental conservation. In 20^th century, especially after the world wars when UNO came into existence, specific organizations started working towards it. In year 1992, the famous Earth Summit held in Rio De Janeiro of Brazil, shown how serious it was to take steps in order to think about the environment. Efforts like, Agenda 21, the concept of Sustainable Development and thinking about the Global warming became essence to the world.

Conclusion:

An appeal to action is required as our environment is a finite and insubstantial resource that demands our attention and care. The well-being of future generations depends on the actions we take today. By recognizing our responsibility to the environment, embracing sustainable practices, and advocating for change, we can work towards a healthier and more harmonious planet. It’s not just a duty; it’s a moral obligation to preserve the beauty and diversity of the world we call home.