Prof Mohd. Junaid Jazib
Clean air, clean water, clean soil and a clean ambiance are the basic essentialities of life. In other words, a safe and healthy environment is vital for man’s survival and progress. It should be free from poisonous and harmful additives. But the big question is: who will ensure the availability of a safe and salubrious environment? Does, in the modern democratic system of governance, the responsibility lie solely with the governments? And if yes, so to speak, are the governments really capable of shouldering and executing this kind of assignment. No doubt, it has been recognized in the international echelon that the active governmental involvement in this regard is now inevitable. But the question of governments’ achievements in this regard is rather intricately linked to the day to day activities of world’s common and elite citizenries.
The environmental setup, that surrounds man in all sides, actually forms a life-support-system which makes this planet unique in having life on it. This complex system needs little or no outside interference for its stability. But regrettably it hasn’t remained uninterrupted for long. Man, since his appearance on the scene, has been modifying his environs in order to make it even better place for his living. In the same ardour, he exploited his surroundings for extracting comforts and dumping wastes. This overexploitation of natural environment has resulted into the opening of a Pandora’s Box. Declining natural resources, drastically raised levels of green house gases, an unusual warming of the planet, melting of polar ice caps, rising of sea level, harsher weather conditions, thinning of ozone shield, deteriorating soils, fresh-water becoming a scarce commodity and disappearance of species after species, etc are the distressing indicators of the present environmental situation on our planet. In crazy race of economic progress man has, inconsiderately, sacrificed what actually formed the basis for his economic progression and advancements.
Acquiring of sophisticated luxuries has cost him the very basics of life. For these undreamed comforts he has paid in terms of pure air, pure water and pure land. With aerial and space travelling facilities, air-conditioned abodes, sky-high crop productivities, fingertip-based technologies, etc we have also with us toxic water, poisoned air and contaminated land. Natural resources which stand central for human subsistence and sustenance have been envenomed and squeezed into pitiable limits. This state of affairs has ushered humanity into an era of incessant conflicts and crises.
The environmental complicacies are altogether different from all other types of crises facing humanity. They are local in their origin but global in consequences. Likewise, ecological wrongdoings of the individuals may drag nations and regions into the arena sufferings. Again, speaking ecologically, all natural resources possessed by the individuals or individual groups are simultaneously owned by the international community too. Release of a toxic in one part of the earth may emerge and prove detrimental anywhere and everywhere in the world. Ozone depleted in Antarctica-the southernmost corner of globe-is, for example, caused and enhanced by CFCs and other harmful gases released mostly in the northern hemisphere. Recent tropical cyclones, Kashmir and Uttrakhand floods, Indonesia tsunamis etc are few of the instances of a cumulative ecological disturbances world over.
If eco-crises confronting the humanity are to be reversed or tackled with, every citizen of the world needs to be alerted. Humanity has to come closer to act rationally and wisely for the sake of its own survival. The attitudinal change has to be invoked among individuals and the society. Every individual has to qualify, in his thoughts and actions, for the global citizenship. He has to act constructively, at his lowest level and in his individual capacity, for himself and for the humanity. Planting a tree, avoiding wastage, being kind to nature, sticking to ethics, adopting simplicity, etc. are the simplest but principally the surest eco-friendly and humanity-saving activities.
(The author is HoD, Environmental Sciences GDC Thanamandi, Rajouri)
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