22nd April : World Earth Day 2016 – A call for unprecedented planetary emergency
22nd April : World Earth Day 2016 – A call for unprecedented planetary emergency
NEED OF THE HOUR IS TO MAKE POLLUTION-FREE PLANET EARTH
Planet Earth is one of the best and fortunate among all planets because as of now, the life on this planet is possible so far. Here the life has developed in a very civilized manner; it may be in any of the three kingdoms – human being, animals and vegetation. The life on planet earth is one of the best gifts of the nature.
The nature has kept a balance from the day of taking birth on the planet earth by providing the pure air, water and golden rays of sun.
Hundreds of years back, Guru Nanak Dev Ji had given the status of ‘Mother’ to earth. Not only has this, even in the scriptures of Hindus, the earth been termed as a place of worship. But the human being with the passage of development have looted the precious gifts of nature like devils and polluted the planet earth.
Today, it is very unfortunate that we have to start number of campaigns to create awareness among the society to save the ‘Mother Earth’.
On April 22, in 1970, John McConnell started the Earth Day movement and we have seen billions take part in planting trees, cleaning up local neighborhoods, and pushing government officials to enact more progressive environmental laws.
On this day, number of programmes – seminars, declamation contests, paining competitions and awareness rallies – is organized in schools, colleges and universities to motivate the society to make the earth neat and clean and pollution free. The earth has become so polluted that the survival of animals has even become difficult.
Apart from this, with the increase of nitrogen oxide carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and various other intoxicated gases, the countless patients are increasing day by day with chronic and incurable diseases. It has given a big jolt to the health of the humanity.
We give the status of ‘mother’ to earth but it is now giving us the inorganic products which is result of intensive use of chemicals by the farmers to get the maximum yield of their crops. The use of pesticides have been linked to a number of health problems, including neurologic and endocrine (hormone) system disorders, birth defects, cancer, and other diseases. Children are especially susceptible to the harmful effects of pesticide residues due to their lower body mass, rapid development, and higher rates of consumption of affected products
Even the farm workers are also highly vulnerable to these health threats due to intensive exposure to a variety of pesticides, either from applying these chemicals or from harvesting pesticide-sprayed agricultural products.
The industrial refuse and radioactive substances are also contribution to the pollution to a greater extent. The stubble burning immediately after the harvesting of wheat and paddy crops are polluting the atmosphere to this extended that it is giving birth to number of to respiratory and skin diseases.
The animals too have become the victim of pollution on earth resulting in vanishing of various varieties like sparrows, eagles, owls etc. The farmer-friendly insect’s frogs, snakes are being killed in the holes. Even the standing trees goes dry and standing crops are damaged with the result, the imbalance in atmosphere is increasing day by day and to create awareness among the farmers is also the need of the hour.
With the increase of pollution on earth there is also an increase in the temperature with the result the problems like global warming have cropped up with the melting of glaciers and sea level is increasing which too is a danger to the cities developed on the banks of the seas like Mumbai.
The crops are also maturing early which has an adverse impact on the production and reducing the fertility of the land and the environment lovers are worried about its horror results.
About 75 per cent of earth is water available in the form of seas, rivers, canals, glaciers under the earth. Water is one of the more precious gift of nature but because of human being going against the nature is facing the serious crisis about water which is going down and polluted. There is a need to save every drop of water at any cost to save the earth.
Another feature going on planet earth is continuous cutting of trees unkindly. The forest area which should be around 33 per cent has been reduced to 9 to 10 per cent which is a alarming bell. The increasing urbanization is producing garbage and use of polythene substances especially the bags are converting the earth in the shape of heaps of refuse.
Frankly speaking, the Earth Day celebrations may not be confined to April 22, we should celebrate every day as Earth Day and to see the pollution-free earth, the photo culture by the various social organizations has to be stopped as there is no follow-up to take care of plants planted besides stopping the use of polythene bags, reducing the road traffic by adopting the culture of sharing, use of lead-free petrol, special outlets at the industrial units, using the electronic gadgets only at the time of need etc. All these small steps could also contribute in the Swachh Bharat mission and making the a earth a healthy living place.
Earth is a home to millions of species and you know who is dominating it. It is only ‘us’. Our cleverness, inventiveness and our activities which are the drivers of every global problem we face have modified almost every part of our planet and we are having a profound impact on it. Now, without wasting more time, there is a need to give a call for to contribute to take care of the earth to make it pollution free. With the existing rate of increase of population and polluting the earth, our grandchildren will see the Earth plunged into an unprecedented environmental crisis.
In fact, I believe, we can rightly call the situation; we are in right now an emergency – an unprecedented planetary emergency.
We should never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has changed.
