our gift , 'our present' : our environment

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OUR GIFT, OUR PRESENT: OUR ENVIRONMENT

Birds and the bees, the flowers and the treesThe air that is all around us,The land we live on, the water that we drinkAll the lovely creatures that surround us.We call this world our EnvironmentIt is something we should nourish and nurture,

Our environment is our gift, our presentAnd on it depends our own future.

Definition:We have all heard, read and used the word environment a number of times. But whatexactly is environment. In simplest terms Environment comprises all of theexternal factors affecting an organism. These factors may be other livingorganisms such as animals and plants or nonliving variables such as water, soil,climate, light, and oxygen. For instance in our case all organisms as well asthe physical surroundings with whom we interact form our environment.Principles of Environment:To fully understand environment and its management we need to comprehend what Iwould like to call the three principles of environment:

1. All the constituents of the environment are interconnected and dependent oneach other.2. Nothing comes free there is always a price tag.3. The worlds resources are in finite supply.

First Principle:The first principle states that all the constituents of the environment areinterconnected and dependent on each other.Environmentalists have discovered that all species in an ecosystem interact withone another, either directly or indirectly.Case Study:American environmentalist Robert Paine, working in the rocky region of thePacific coast, found stable invertebrate communities dominated by 15 species of

animals. These included starfish, mussels, limpets, barnacles, and chitons. WhenPaine removed all the starfish from the area, the community collapsed, andeventually only 8 invertebrate species were left. The starfish were preyingheavily on one of the mussel species and keeping its numbers down. With thestarfish removed, the population of this mussel increased, and the mussel was ableto out-compete many other species of invertebrates. Thus, the loss of one species,the starfish, indirectly led to the loss of an additional six species and atransformation of the community.Another example concerns goats which were left on oceanic islands by sailors ontheir voyages. The goats were free to roam these islands and were meant to serveas a source of meat when the sailors later came ashore. Free from all naturalpredators, the goats thrived and, in the process, overgrazed many of the islands.With a change in plant composition, many of the native animal species were driven

to extinction. A simple action, the introduction of goats to an island, yieldedmany changes in the islands natural environment. This clearly demonstrates thatall members of a community are closely interconnected.Water, land and air - those are the systems which basically comprise ourenvironment. How do they work by maintaining a delicate balance.Look into a pond. A fish feeds there on tiny plants and animals called plankton.In time, the fish dies. Micro-organisms in the water break the creature down intobasic chemicals, consuming oxygen from the water in the process. Plant plankton,nourished by those chemicals, produce oxygen to replace it. Animal plankton feedon the plants, fish eat the tiny animals, and the cycle begins anew.On land, too, nature moves full circle. Living things are nourished there, grow

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of ours is blessed with life-support systems so ingenious that they are self-renewing, so massive that they can supply the needs of billions. But for centurieswe have taken them for granted, considering their capacity limitless. At last wehave begun to monitor the systems, and the findings are deeply disturbing.Scientists and government officials now realise that we are in trouble. Unless westop abusing our vital life-support systems, they will fail. We must maintainthem, or pay the penalty. The penalty is death.We have ignored the law of minimum feeling that the water, air and land are in

infinite supply and whatever we do they are going to remain pure and prisitne asever. But sadly we have been proved wrong terribly wrong.Let us take water first. Why have so many of India's rivers become casualties asthe country grew? Shortsightedness? Not at first. When only a few settlementsdotted a river's banks, the sewage that poured in caused little harm. The organicwastes were recycled into nutrients that nourished the tiny forms of life that fedthe fish. The river purified itself before it reached the next settlement. Thiswas a very convenient disposal system which few could resist.Then villages grew into towns. The river stank a bit on hot summer days, buttowns-people knew that the tainted water soon would be disappearing into the"limitless" sea. They were sure that these huge water bodies had infinite capacityto absorb all the filth that was being generated. Apparently they had not heardof the Law of Minimum. But now we realize that our oceansthose "limitless" seas

that cover nearly three-quarters of the planetare in trouble, too.Statistics reveal that man puts at least three million tons of oil a year into theoceans. Unfortunately, most of the spillage happens in just the wrong places.Spills occur in the coastal waters, where marine productivity is concentrated.More than two million tons of oil a year, come from tankers that flush out theirtanks at sea and from vessels that pump out oily bilge water. All too often, theirwastes drift ashore to foul beaches.Let us now move on to Air. Today much of the world suffers from the eye-smarting,lung-scarring curse we call smog. Usually found in urban areas, it is formedwhen nitrogen oxides react with hydrocarbons in the air to produce aldehydes andketones . In New Delhi, Los Angeles, London and other great cities it comes inlarge part from automobile engines. In Tokyo things have come to such a stage thattraffic policemen pause regularly to breathe oxygen.

We can clean up land before we use it, and purify water before we drink it, butexcept in air-conditioned roomswe must breathe air as it comes to us.Automobiles, factories, heating furnaces, power plants, each adds to the problem,so control is difficult.And finally let us discuss the effect of our activities on Land. On an averageAmericans throw away 50 billion empty cans, 30 billion glass containers, 4 milliontons of plastics, and more than a million television sets. Where does it all go?Into the ground, mostly, in open dumps or into "sanitary landfill." Incinerationposes problems: Much of the refuse is unburnable. Also, some burning plasticsproduce toxic smoke, plus fumes that damage an incinerator's pollution-trappingdevices.Landfill poses problems, too. Leaching chemicals sometimes pollute ground water.Rotting garbage can generate methane gas. Dumping sites for a city's trash are

getting more and more difficult to find. If these things are happening in Americatoday they are going to happen in the rest of the world tomorrow.

Alarming Situation:The lack of understanding and in some cases the violation of the three principlesof environment has created a situation that is to say the least alarming.According to a report published in National Geographic, "Human beings and thenatural world are on a collision course, which may so alter the living world thatit will be unable to sustain life in the manner that we know."The issues on the environment front are vast and diverse. Global warming, thedepletion of the ozone layer, Acid rain, ground water depletion, habitat

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destruction and species extinction are just some of the problems that will reachcritical proportions in the coming decades. Let us understand what these termsmean and what is their impact:

Green house effect:A green house is a glass building in which plants are kept to protect them fromcold weather. Like the glass panes in a greenhouse, certain gases in the earth'satmosphere permit the sun's radiation to heat the earth but do not allow the

infrared energy radiated by the earth to escape. This process is referred to asthe greenhouse effect. These gases, primarily carbon dioxide, methane, nitrousoxide, and water vapour, insulate the earth's surface, helping to maintain warmtemperatures. Without these gases, the earth would be a frozen planet with anaverage temperature of about -18 C instead of a comfortable 15 C. If theconcentration of these gases were higher, more heat would be trapped within theatmosphere, and world wide temperatures would rise.Within the last century, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hasincreased dramatically, largely because of the practice of burning fossil fuels-coal and petroleum and its derivatives. Global temperature has also increased 1 Cwithin the past century. Atmospheric scientists have now concluded that at leasthalf of that increase can be attributed to human activity.The consequences of even such a modest increase in temperature, termed Global

Warming, may well be devastating. Sea levels will rise, completely inundating anumber of low-lying island nations and flooding many coastal cities. Many plantand animal species will probably be driven into extinction, agricultural regionswill be disrupted, and the frequency of severe hurricanes and droughts is likelyto increase.

Depletion of the Ozone Layer:The ozone layer, a thin band in the upper atmosphere, serves to shield the earthfrom the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. In the 1970s, scientists discovered thatthe layer was being attacked by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), chemicals used inrefrigeration, air-conditioning systems, cleaning solvents, and aerosol sprays.The consequences of the depletion of the ozone layer are dramatic. Increasedultraviolet radiation will lead to a growing number of skin cancers and cataracts

and also reduce the ability of people's immune systems to respond to infection.Additionally, the growth rates of the world's oceanic plankton, the base of mostmarine food chains, will be negatively affected, perhaps leading to increasedatmospheric carbon dioxide and thus to global warming.

Acid Rain:A significant portion of industry and transportation is based on the burning offossil fuels. As these fuels are burned, chemicals and particulate matter arereleased into the atmosphere. Although a vast number of substances contribute toair pollution, the most common contain carbon, sulphur, and nitrogen. Thesechemicals interact with one another and with ultraviolet radiation in sunlight in

various dangerous ways. sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxide are transformed intosulphuric acid and nitric acid in the atmosphere. When these gases come back toearth in precipitation, they form acid rain. Acid rain is a serious global problembecause few species are capable of surviving in the face of such acidicconditions. Acid rain has made numerous lakes so acidic that they no longersupport fish populations. It is also thought to be responsible for the decline ofmany forest ecosystems world-wide. Germany's Black Forest has suffered dramaticlosses, and recent surveys suggest that similar declines are occurring throughoutthe eastern United States.Ground Water Depletion:Water that seeps through porous rocks and is stored beneath the ground is called

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groundwater. World-wide, groundwater is 40 times more abundant than fresh water instreams and lakes. However, even though groundwater is a renewable resource,reserves are replenished relatively slowly. In many countries such as the UnitedStates, approximately half the drinking water comes from groundwater.When groundwater is depleted in coastal regions, oceanic salt water commonlyintrudes into freshwater supplies. It is estimated that, on average, globally,25 percent of usable groundwater is contaminated, although in some areas as muchas 75 percent is contaminated. Contamination arises from leaking underground

storage tanks, poorly designed industrial waste ponds, and seepage from the deep-well injection of hazardous wastes into underground geologic formations. Becausegroundwater is recharged and flows so slowly, once polluted it will remaincontaminated for extended periods.

Habitat Destruction and Species Extinction:It is believed that species are dying out at an unprecedented rate; minimumestimates are at least 4000 species per year. The leading cause of extinction ishabitat destruction, particularly of the world's richest ecosystems-tropical rainforests and coral reefs. At the current rate at which the world's rain forests arebeing cut down, they may completely disappear by the year 2030. If growingpopulation size puts even more pressure on these habitats, they might well bedestroyed sooner.

There are many reasons why this loss is crucial. The economic value of specieslost and of natural products and drugs that never will be discovered or producedis incalculable. As habitats are destroyed and species lost, the world isincreasingly losing its richness and diversity.WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE:Environmental legislation:Practical, enforceable pollution laws have to passed. These laws should take carenot only of the immediate future but also have a long term perspective.

Case Study :

Twenty years ago London could have claimed the title "Smog City, Europe." Three-fourths of its smoke is gone nowa remarkable change triggered by a series ofkiller fogs in the late 1940's and early 1950's. The worst of these settled overLondon in December 05, 1952. For four consecutive days the city's normal dailydeath rate more than tripled. In all, some 4,000 extra deaths that winter wereblamed on the incident. More such fogs came in the winters that followed. Eachtook its toll.In 1956 Parliament passed the Clean Air Act, ordering that factories and homes incritical areas of the city must switch from soft high-sulphur coal to less smokyfuels: hard coal, gas, electricity, or oil. Inevitably there were economicrepercussions, both to householders and to industries. But, with each passingyear, London's air grew clearer.If the other cities of the world want a pollution free ambience than they should

follow the London example.Population Control:Human population growth may be seen to be at the root of virtually all of theworld's environmental problems. Increasingly large numbers of people are beingadded to the world every year. As the number of people increases, more pollutionis generated, more habitats are destroyed, and more natural resources are used up.Even if new technological advances were able to cut in half the environmentalimpact that each person had, as soon as the world's population size doubled, theearth would be no better off than before.The most effective way of controlling population is through dissemination ofinformation. People are to be made aware of the advantages of a small family.

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They should be explained the problems a large family can create for theindividual, the society and the nation at large. Family planning issues should bediscussed and advise given. While this is primarily the responsibility of thegovernment and the doctors, every one should chip in. Even students can help outby going to slums, counselling the inhabitants, performing street plays and thinkup other innovative means of getting the message across.It is widely believed that because of their huge populations the developingnations are far more responsible for the ecological problems. This is a fallacy.

It is true that population increases faster in the developing world than thedeveloped world. However, the impact on the environment is still the same. This isbecause, since larger amounts of resources per person are used in the developednations, their citizens have a greater environmental impact.This means that while the developing nations have to concentrate on populationcontrol the developed world has to teach its citizens the dangers of recklessconsumption.Education:Education is one of the most powerful tools to spread awareness about environmentand its management.Case study II :Fed up with its failure to bring down pollution and protect its environment thegovernment of Sweden implemented a carefully drawn out strategy. The key element

of the strategy was education. A Swedish student starts learning ecology inprimary grades, and he continues all through high school. Adult courses have alsobeen set up all over Sweden and have received an overwhelming response.According to a spokesman of the Swedish Government, Our primary targets were thepeople at local government levels. Before a community agrees to let a new factorycome to town, we want its people to consider more than just the short-rangeeconomic gains. Will the new factory create environmental hazards? In our public-education courses, we teach adults to ask just such unpleasant question."Swedens strategy has made its people environment friendly and the country aleader in Environment Management.

Prioritising:Environmentalists feel that prioritising is one of the keys to the effective

management of the environment. Each nation and each community has to prioritise.For instance in India population control, cleaning up of rivers, and checking theunplanned growth of cities can be the chief priorities.

Being realistic :Every time a new project is launched such as the construction of a dam thepoliticians, social activists, the bureaucrats and the government are all atlogger heads. As a result the project runs into heavy weather. What is required isfor the parties concerned to get together and come to a decision. The decisionshould be such that it balances the risk and return and aims to achieve thegreatest good of the greatest number.

Being Pragmatic :

Before using new technology or a new chemical, both the long term as well as theshort term side effects have to explored. And when a new product is developed,plans should be made for its ultimate disposal. Or else this could create anenvironmental hazard in future.

Conservation :Conservation is the sustainable use of natural resources both renewable aswell as non-renewable.Recycling or reuse is one of the most effective ways of conservation.In many cases it is possible to reuse or recycle resources to reduce waste andconserve the energy needed to produce consumer products. For example, paper,

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glass, aluminum, metal scrap, and motor oil can all be recycled. A preventativemeasure called precycling, a general term for designing more durable, recyclableproducts, encourages reuse. Many countries have established mandatory recyclinglaws in an attempt to reduce waste and consumption.By achieving synergy between two industrial units too one can achieve the goal ofconservation. For instance one factory's industrial waste can be another plant'sraw material.A key experiment, inexpensive and of almost immediate utility, is the generation

of bio-gas from city and town sewage as well as water hyacinth which for yearsbeen blocking waterways and clogging fields. The extra amount of power required issmall, but it increases the output of power by seventy per cent. Its financialreturns are encouraging, apart from its great advantage of preventing airpollution and clogging.There is a global need to increase energy conservation and the use of renewableenergy resources. Renewable alternatives such as waterpower

(using the energy of moving water, such as rivers), solar energy (using the energyfrom the sun), wind energy (using the energy of the wind or air currents), andgeothermal energy (using energy contained in hot-water deposits within the Earthscrust) are efficient and practical ways of energy conservation.THE GOOD NEWS:

So much is being said, discussed, and written about man ravaging the environmentthat we start feeling panicky. Though the situation does warrant concern the newsis not all bad. There is plenty to cheer about on the environment front.Lets start with the atmosphere and climate. The ozone layer is on the point ofrecovering. This success story dates back to 1987, when scientists began to voicetheir concerns. The worlds governments moved in just nine months to conclude atreaty to eliminate chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-destroyingchemicals. Today almost two decades later the result is encouraging.The world over scientists, engineers, technologists are working to tackle themenace of global warming, acid rain, urban smog etc. They have realised that thebest way of doing it is by reducing the consumption of fossil fuels, viz. coal,oil, and natural gas. To achieve this they need to build more efficient cars,insulate buildings better, and use advanced light bulbs.

Case Study:An excellent example has been set by Amory Lovins, a Colorado scientist. He , iswell on the way to inventing a streamlined and hybrid-power car that will drivefrom New York to Los Angeles on a single tankful of gasoline. He and his wifeHunter live at 7,100 feet in the Rocky Mountains where the winter temperatureoften plunges below freezing every night for weeks if not months on end. Theirhouse with its exceptional energy-efficiency installations leaves them with anannual heating bill of less than Rs. 2,500, which by American standards isextremely low. Nor did the house need way-out and costly technology. All items hadlong been available at the local store, and the Lovinss energy savings paid offtheir capital investment within two years.Innovative house lighting can save on electricity and hence on fossil fuels. InJapan, more than 80 percent of homes are lit with low-power and long-lasting bulbs

that give light as good as conventional bulbs. In Norway, one home in every 25(50,000 in total) are powered by photovoltaics. In Kenya, 20,000 homes areelectrified with solar cells. If price trends of the 1990s continue, solartechnologies will provide power at rates which would make them broadlycompetitive with electricity derived from fossil fuels.Much the same applies to wind power. During just the past few years, generatingcapacity has risen rapidly until wind power is now the fastest-growing energysource. India possesses the second fastest growing wind-power industry with 500MW installed.In many parts of the world, the cost of wind-generated electricity has fallen bytwo-thirds since 1990, and in many regions it has become competitive with new

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coal-fired power plants. As wind turbines enter mass production, costs should soonfall significantly making wind one of the least expensive electricity sources.Examples of environmentally friendly practices making good business sense areincreasing. Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, makers of scotch tape and manyother office supplies, has saved more than 500 crore rupees since 1975 throughits recycling and waste management practices.Innovative efforts to recycle and reuse waste are also yielding encouragingresults.

Case Study:Indian born Australian scientist Professor Veena Sahajwala has won aprestigious Australian science award for developing a technique to use wasteplastic in steel making. Under this process waste plastics are fed into electricsteel making furnaces as an alternative source of carbon. Many waste plastics fromshopping bags to cold drink bottles contain high levels of carbon which is usefulin steel making. This innovative technique has two vital benefits. It puts anenvironmental hazard like plastic to economical use and conserves a valuableresource like carbon.All these innovations and proactive approaches augur well for us and ourenvironment.

WHAT YOU CAN DO?

As children, the future leaders of tomorrow, what is your responsibility? Afterall you are going to inherit the earth from the present generation and pass it onto the next generation.Each one teach one:Some time back the Indian Government had launched a literacy programme calledEach One Teach One. Even then I had liked the idea immensely, though it hadfailed to take off. I think this campaign should be re-launched - not by anyGovernment but by us, you and me. In whichever part of the world we may be, if weconsider ourselves the concerned and committed citizens of the world we shouldchip in. We should identify the illiterate in our vicinity and teach them thebasics of not only the three Rs but also about hygiene and health. And by we Imean both adults as well as children. Father and daughter, mother and son canteach together and also be taught together.

This might sound simplistic to many of you. But please keep in mind that all greatrevolutions have begun with a simple step and eventually led to terrific results.Mahatma Gandhi, an old and frail man picked up a handful of salt, on a beach in1931, and rang the death knell of the biggest empire in the history of humancivilisation.We too can make a small beginning. Each of us can pick up a single soul shroudedin ignorance and lead him (or her) on the well-lit path of knowledge. All it needsis a little bit of effort, a little bit of commitment and a tiny voice in ourminds and hearts that will urge us on to make the lives of those around us alittle better.Each one plant one:Plant a sapling and care for it. Watch it grow, nourish and nurture it. Encourageyour friends, family members, neighbours and anyone else you can to follow your

example.Each one an environment vigilante:Whenever you see food or water being wasted prevent it. Begin in your own houseand school. Close taps which are open, report leaking taps or pipes.Report cutting of trees and plants.Do not tolerate cruelty to birds and animals.Switch off fans, lights, air conditioners and geysers when not in use.Make sure that your house and the area around it is clean. If the garbagecleaning system is not effective bring it to the notice of the authorities.Form eco-clubs in your school and neighbourhood. Let each member become anenvironment vigilante.

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Interact continuously with people from all strata, across generations onenvironment issues. Here is a simple example. Our cities and towns are growing.To provide bricks for houses and offices, brick kilns are cropping up everywhere,using fertile soils from the top layers. Do the people who use these bricks or thebrick layers know that it takes nature over a century to make one centimetre oftop soil? If owner of houses realize this, it would soon become possible toprevent haphazard digging up of soil for bricks. You should take up theresponsibility of informing, of counselling people so they know the results of

their seemingly harmless actions.The last word:Smt. Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India was a great environmentalistand nature lover. Her words should serve as a guiding force for all of us as wetry to make our world a safer, cleaner, saner and more humane place:Modern man must re-establish an unbroken link with nature and with life. He mustagain learn to invoke the energy of growing things and to recognise, as did theancients in India centuries ago, that one can take from the earth and theatmosphere only so much as one puts back into them. In their hymn to Earth, thesages of the Atharva Veda chanted:What of you I dig out, let that quickly grow over,Let me not hit your vitals, or your heart.So can man himself be vital and of good heart and conscious of his

responsibility.No. of words : 4,986

List of References

1. Gandhi, Indira. Safeguarding Environment, Wiley Eastern Limited, New Delhi.2. Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring. Houghton Mifflin.3. Earthworks Group and John Javna. Fifty Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save theEarth. Andrews McMeel.4.Warner, Cecil F., and others. Air Pollution: Its Origin and Control. 3rd ed.Addison-Wesley.5.Chandler, Gary, and Kevin Graham. Protecting Our Air, Land, and Water. Twenty-First Century.

6.Brown, Lester R., and Ed Ayres, eds. The World Watch Reader on GlobalEnvironmental Issues. Norton.7.Young, Gordon, Pollution, Threat to Man's Only Home, National Geographic.8.Myers, Norman. Environment: The Good News, Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia.