Environment and Society: Time to Act

Environment and Society: Time to Act

For a long time it has been demanded that "we need to do something in our favour for the environment". There were many conferences, debates, action plans in the academia at the international-national level, which are still going on more vigorously. But a little change till now has been made to our habits in favour of the environment. Rather, piles of problems and crises have emerged to grab our earth (We are debating the environmental crisis sitting in an airconditioned hall, with floods of lights!). 

Our so-called development activities have severely been destroying the global environment much faster than the human population growth. It may be debatable whether global warming is happening or not but it is certainly that air, water and land in our surrounding are degrading rapidly and putting adverse impacts to our life and life of other organisms. We are fragmenting, destroying the forests and habitats, modifying the natural system without fully understanding the processes and functions for the sake of so-called development. Let's assume, if our future was not in danger, but the habitability of other organisms, did we think of the environment and act accordingly?

We are now in such a mode of economic system where we are being addicted to consuming everything more and more. We are competing with each other more and more for consumption of world energy resources and the quality of the environment. 

We are debating on the quality and quantity of environmental degradation and impacts, asking our children and students about the statistics of environmental losses already made, but not preparing them to behave environmentally friendly. The universal irony! 

An individual action spreads worldwide taking its negative impacts into the global environment. The process of globalisation in the economy and cultural world leading us  to the globalisation of pollution and environmental crisis, which in turn harms all the creatures living on this earth including humans. We are gradually entering into a threatened world. 

The community's attempt to conserve environmental quality and to prevent pollution is good but individual attempts should be the best. Small single blocks of brick create the superstructure. 

So there are many things remaining to do and in this lecture I shall try to point out some of the individual attempts. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." 

Individual Activist:

1. Make life polythene free

2. Less consume CO2 and be a smart economic person (by saving electricity at home and office, using green vehicles e.g. e-rickshaw, bicycle, electric car, more depend on trees for your home to cool instead of using ACs, boundary wall by trees etc.)

3. Recharge your underground water by simply sending your excess water to the underground,

4. Use more solar power than thermal power (connect your home solar power plant to national power grid and earn money as well as fresh air)

5. Save water, save life, don't waste water.

6. Create low garbage and dispose properly

7. Make your life chemical free, aerosol free, (less use of pesticides, poisonous chemicals in daily life e.g. mosquito repellent, rat, cockroach killer)

8. Enjoy and celebrate festive season without polluting air and water and soil

9. Reuse, Recycle and Refuse as far as possible

10. Less travel to consume goods and recreation. Use public vehicles, stay healthy, stay with pride, leave false ego and demonstrate.

11. Let your kids love the environment. Loving and respecting every component of the environment is religion. 

Problems towards remedies:

Rich people are competing with each other for more and more consumption and they didn't sacrifice their comfort and aristocracy whereas the poor are so distressed in life, and have no time to think of the environment . Though it is true, less impact is made by them on the environment.

Our administration is not very aware of the environmental pollution and hygiene. 

The Solution:

Environmental activists in every house

Environmental activist in every institution

Environmental activist in every industry

Environmental activist in every administration.