Saving environment for future generation, our duty

By ML Satyan

Bengaluru, July 29, 2023: Ecological imbalance; environmental degradation; global warming; and climate change are the most widely spoken topics these days at various levels – national and global.

I regularly watch news, debates and some tele-serials in Sun TV and other Tamil channels. Of late I have noted a few attractive and brainwashing advertisements in all Tamil channels and social media. They are about the flourishing Real Estate business around Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Almost all the land captured and promoted by the land mafia happens to be agricultural land. With the money and muscle power the mafia manages to convert the agricultural land into construction land. For construction of villas and apartments, the ground water is being used and that natural resource is depleting. Moreover, the construction activities cause a lot of pollution.

I moved into Bengaluru in 2003. At that time, I could see a lot of agricultural land between Bengaluru and Hosur. During my younger days, I have seen plenty of agricultural activities going on between Coimbatore and Somanur (distance of 30 km), my native place in Tamil Nadu.

These days I am sad to note that a vast portion of the agricultural land has been converted into housing plots by Real Estate business groups. As a consequence, most farmers – big, medium and marginal – have abandoned agriculture and moved into some other occupations. This is a matter of serious concern and hence this study.

This is just one example of an environmental degradation. What is environmental degradation? It means the disintegration of the earth or deterioration of the environment through the consumption of assets, for example, air, water and soil; the destruction of environments and the eradication of wildlife. It is characterized as any change or aggravation to nature’s turf seen to be pernicious or undesirable.

Types of Environmental Degradation

 Land and soil degradation: Degradation of soil quality from poor farming practices, excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides, leakage from landfills etc.
 Water degradation: Pollution of water from trash dumped in oceans, illegal dumping, disposal of large amounts of industrial waste into nearby rivers or lakes etc.
 Atmospheric degradation: This includes air degradation, particle pollution and the depletion of the ozone layer.
 Several other kinds of pollution: Apart from land, water and atmospheric degradation, many other kinds of pollution such as noise pollution, light pollution that are part of environmental degradation.

Causes of Environmental Degradation

 Land Disturbance: Numerous weedy plant species grow on the land. A rupture in the environmental surroundings provide for them a chance to start growing and spreading. These plants can assume control over nature.
 Pollution: Pollution, whether it is air, water, land or noise, is harmful to the environment. Air pollution pollutes the air that we breathe, which causes health issues. Water pollution degrades the quality of water that we use. Land pollution results in the degradation of the earth’s surface as a result of human activities. Noise Pollution can cause irreparable damage to our ears.
 Overpopulation: Rapid population growth puts strain on natural resources, which results in the degradation of our environment. More population simply means more demand for food, clothes and shelter. The need to grow food results in deforestation.
 Landfills: It pollutes the environment and destroys the beauty of the city. Landfills come within the city due to the large amount of waste that gets generated by households, industries, factories and hospitals. It poses a great risk to the health of the environment and the people.
 Deforestation: Deforestation is the cutting down of trees to make way for more homes and industries. It contributes to global warming as decreased forest size puts carbon back into the environment.
 Natural Causes: Things like avalanches, quakes, tidal waves, floods, storms, and wildfires can totally crush nearby animal and plant groups to the point where they can no longer survive in those areas.

Solutions to Environmental Degradation

 Stop Deforestation: We cannot afford to cut or burn trees down as trees store greenhouse gases, produce oxygen and are the natural habitat for many animals and plants, which may become endangered if these forests are destroyed. We can further make a positive impact through reforestation or afforestation.

 Government Regulations: To prevent eco-degradation Governments could set high taxes for activities that harm our planet and support environment-friendly behaviour with financial subsidies. These will also force industries and private people to avoid activities that lead to environmental degradation.

 Reduce Consumption Levels: Our developed society always strives for the latest electronics, smartphones, and the trendiest clothes and so on. We have to lower our consumption levels significantly to avoid the adverse ecological consequences.

 Reuse and Reduce Waste Generation: We can reduce waste production by using our items and food more efficiently. If we want to get rid of old but still want working things, we need to be creative to give it a new look or use it in another way. By doing so, our material things will be used more effectively.

 Avoid Plastic: Plastic waste is a big environmental problem that leads to significant plastic pollution and the degradation of our planet. We need to avoid buying items with plastic wrapper, refrain from using disposable plastic bags, cups, plates, containers, cutlery, etc.

 Education: It is highly essential that children should know about the adverse environmental consequences of our daily life-behaviour and the ways we can improve our ecological footprint. This education should start early in school. They are more likely to act in an environment-friendly manner when they grow up.

Today the consumeristic culture is widespread. As a result, we consume endlessly out of greed. Most of us have become selfish and hence the needs of the future generation are not our priority. We must understand that the natural resources that we are now enjoying are the savings of our ancestors. They used only what was needed at that time and saved the rest for us.

Hence, we need to use only what is required and save something for the future generation. All the sages and saints lived in harmony with nature. They always prayed: “O God, let the whole universe, all living beings and nature live peacefully.” So, we too are called to follow their exemplary life. Contented life is the need of the hour.