Sukalpa Dhar, Kolkata: Environment is our surrounding which helps a living being to grow, operate and flourish. Our Earth is the only planet in the solar system which supports life and a diverse range of flora and fauna.
The world celebrates world environment day on 5th June every year. It is made to encourage people to think and take care about their surrounding nature. World environment day was established on 1972 by the United Nations (UN) at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. It was first celebrated on 5th June, 1974. It’s theme was ‘Only One Earth’. Since 1974 the world environment day has been celebrated each year on 5th June till date.
The first environment day was hosted by Spokane, United States. Every year the celebration has a specific theme of its own. Last year i.e. in 2020 it was hosted by Colombia and it’s theme was ‘Time for Nature’. This year on 5th June, 2021 it will be hosted by Pakistan and it’s theme is ‘Ecosystem Restoration’.
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2021 – 2030 the United Nations Decade on ecosystem restoration. This ecosystem restoration can remove up to 26 gigatons of greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere. The United Nations Environment and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will lead the implementation.
We are in great danger. It’s high time now that we bend ourselves towards protecting the nature and conserve it’s resources. One after the other natural calamities are hitting us. Human beings are cutting off trees in a mass scale clearing up forests causing soil erosion, less oxygen, global warming, air pollution etc.
Covid19 pandemic is a big challenge that nature has bestowed on us. It is a kind of return to the human beings from the nature. It was first reported from Wuhan, China on 31st December, 2019. That’s why mask has become a constant factor in our daily lives. Early we used to wear it at times to stay protected from harmful gasses released from vehicles, or factories or from dust.
But now it’s compulsory to wear a mask whenever one puts a step out from the home. Human beings have created excessive numbers of motor vehicles, factories, etc, which releases harmful gasses, liquids and solid substances and these gets discharged in the oceans, atmosphere and soil which are causing death of the aquatic animals, terrestrial animals, birds, and other living organisms. Plastic wastes are a big problem.
People throw away plastics in rivers, ponds, lakes and on land. Plastics never mix with the soil and in lieu of it makes it more infertile. We need to avoid using plastic bags and instead use eco-friendly things such as jute bags. The three parts of the earth comprises of water and one part is land. But unfortunately we cannot drink the sea water. So we need to depend on underground water, ponds, lakes, streams. But most of these water resources are drying up and getting polluted with industrial wastes. We need to conserve water, forests, soil and reject plastics. Earthen pitchers are very good for storing water. Nowadays village decor handmade earthen clay water pots with stainless steel tap and lid are available in the market.
It’s benefits are : (i) it keeps the water cool, (ii) it helps balancing the potential of hydrogen (pH) scale because of the alkaline nature, (iii) it is eco-friendly. We should plant more and more trees. We should try to avoid having food which has added preservatives in it. One must avoid taking too much of cold drinks and frozen food substances. If we avoid ready to eat food items it is good for us.
We should always intake all the things whatever is provided to us by our nature. We should intake fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables. We should try to consume fruits with its fibers in lieu of packed fruit juices. Excessive use of pesticides in fruits and vegetables are very bad for our health. Egg is very good for health. Egg contains lots of vitamins as well as iron, iodine and phosphorus.
Deforestation is a major problem in the world now. We should plant more and more trees. It is always good if we wear cloths made of cotton threads. There is a thin line between development and conservation. Development and inventions are necessary but at the same time conserving and protecting our mother nature is also very essential for the well being of our future generations. Many animals and birds have died and are in a verge to get extinct as their habitat has been perished. Insufficient oxygen is a major problem in this Covid19 situation.
The demand for oxygen cylinders has risen up to great heights. Global warming is a constant tension. The current challenges for the human beings are: (i) Natural resources are getting reduced. (ii) The sea level is rising. (iii) The earth is getting warmer and warmer day by day (iv) Pollution is increasing (v) the glaciers are melting causing the rise in sea level (vi) underground water level is going down continuously (vi) one horn rhinos, blue whales, elephants and many other animals are getting extinct (vi) the soil is becoming unfertile due to harmful chemicals. Today it’s an irony, that at one time one of our songwriters, Gulshan Kumar Mehta, pen named as Gulshan Bawra, penned the famous song ‘Mere Desh Ki Dharti Sona Ugle Ugle Heera Motee’. The theme of the song was it glorified the land of India. The poet said that his country i.e. India grows gold, diamond and pearls in its soil.
Here he compared the crops grown by the farmers of India as gold, diamond and pearls. It’s high time now that we manage our solid and liquid wastes properly. We should always keep our focus on the 7 Rs of sustainability. They are: (a) recycle, (b) reuse, (c) rethink (d) refuse (e) reduce (f) repurpose (g) rot. It is best for human society if they try and learn to love and coexist with nature without disturbing the natural life cycle of flora and fauna otherwise they will also get extinct one day like the Dodo or the Woolly Mammoth, etc.
Excellent 👍