Wednesday, May 6, 2009

We are outward mirror of our own inner condition.


Environmental problems & Sustainable Development has a direct relationship with the economic development of the country and our existence. It is balancing conservation of natural resources with economic development.
Factors that lead to environmental problems are - Population growth, Deforestation, carbon emission & toxic waste from industrialization, excessive use of plastic bags etc. These problems ultimately effect the food production, water supply, energy, health etc. There is a gradual decrease in the producers of the commodities (farmers, fishermen, miners, loggers) and the population is increasing at startling rate in the cities. According to one of the surveys, the flow of people from villages per day in India was estimated to be 2000, 800 and 400 respectively for Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai in 1996. The facts state that for every one truckload of goods produced, around 34 truckloads of waste is generated.

Switching off the lights when you don’t need them or closing the tap properly, sounds very ordinary but shows the degree of our responsiveness towards the environment. A dripping tap can waste up to 15 liters of water a day which is equivalent to almost 5500 liters per year! The damage had mostly been on a smaller scale but now it has blown up on a global scale. “The problem is fundamentally a culture problem. It’s at the level of our culture that this illness is happening”, says Thom Hartman, Times best selling author of 19 books.

Today, we know about the TV shows at the tip of our tongue but we are ignorant about the plants and animals native to our own place. To help spread environmental awareness and draw attention to this climate crisis, we need groundbreaking environmental policies that would result in cleaner air and provide healthier environment; especially for those living near factories and power plants. The government can support for alternative and renewable energy development by raising energy taxes and reducing some other taxes.

Wind and solar power is one of the fastest growing modes of electricity generation in US. There is immense potential in India to tap energy from renewable sources and to use it extensively to meet our growing and diverse needs. But a major back off in the country is lack of infrastructure.

We can give back what we take from nature by taking care of what is ours and around us on a daily basis & be responsible. It is horrible to see some of the well educated and refined people who are negligent towards our environment. The action must be started from the ground level. If we are the source of the problem we can be the foundation for the solution.

Actually, it is not about Global warming, or problem of generating too much waste or carbon emissions, it is about the way we think. It is truly said, like inside like outside. We are what we think and perceive. We need to change our perspective towards our consumption. Consuming less does not show our frugality and represent poverty. It indicates optimum utilization of resources. As Perter Warshall says” You got to take an earth perspective than a human perspective.”


1 comment:

  1. very true....although this post is old...but truly depicting the problem yet prevailing till date...

    ReplyDelete