Are we doing enough to protect the environment?

Every year June 5 is observed as the World Environment day to raise awareness and enhance action on environmental issues. Many meetings and seminars were arranged all over India and abroad to observe this day. Bhopal also had similar meetings and rallies as reported yesterday. Shri O N Shrivastava, retired Governor of Meghalaya and Nagaland, while participating in the seminar at Senior Citizens Forum advised the senior citizens to take up environment protection as the core activity by personally not using polythene bags and also raise their voice to protect trees, save the lakes of Bhopal from pollution and prevail upon their family and their friends to avoid wastage of energy and control emission.
Major current environmental issues include climate change, pollution, environmental degradation, and resource depletion. It is vast subject as it includes right from agriultural practices to use of environment non-friendly practices in the course of the life of each individual. Developments process includes house construction, roads, dams, power stations, power distribution. Wastage of water and power, air polution, smoke generation of vehicles, polution of the sources of drinking water, ground water level degradation, use of paints, use of pesticide, beauty products, electronic waste generation and dispopsal, noise polution from various sources are all causing the environment to be polluted. According to a recent UN report, one third of plant and animal species are now at risk of extinction. Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the environment, at individual, organizational or governmental level. What we are trying to save is the natural environment and impact on the life of humans. Pressure of population and technology are the two main causes of environmental degradation. Environment protection and development have to go hand in hand. We all want cement roads without being concerned about its bad impact on ground water recharging or felling of trees. Many houses are being constructed without leaving any space around that is against rules. Municipal Corporation inspectors turn (or made to turn!) blind eyes to such flouting of rules, as influential people may be involved. The colonies that had trees in and around all houses are now just a concrete jungle.

We have to build in a way that minimum energy is wasted, no pollution is caused and at the same time the internal environment and health issues are given top priority rather that luxury or extra comfort. As per a recent survey, Indians are most concerned about air pollution (62 per cent), water pollution and water shortages concerns come next with 61 per cent. One area that is however ignored is the noise pollution and electronic waste generation. These areas are directly linked ‘GDP growth” through higher production of automobiles and electronic gadgets and their marketing. New models with better features are being created every day and users are also increasing. Sunita Narayan, the well-known environmentalist states in her recent report that 400,000 tons of electronic waste is being generated in our country alone during a year!
Starting from the actual users (that is each one of us), societies worried about the environment, political parties and governments at state and central level, all have to take courage to enforce environment protecting decisions even if the powerful people and Corporate oppose them in the name of freedom, growth and development. The objective of "all-inclusive" growth has to be with minimum pollution of environment and wastage of natural resources. The ‘haves’ will have to be inconvenienced for the sake of ‘have-nots’. What practices are required to be followed are all good in theory but become contentious in practice. We need to move to rules-based approaches and rely less on discretion-based decision-making. Political clouts are used primarily to allow the activities that are against rules. All clearances affecting the environment must be on go/no-go basis with NO discretion in future.

Has the present young generation become too addicted to gadgets?

Those of us, who were born before Independence, did not have the luxury of electricity in most places. Outdoor sports, cards, snake and ladders and similar indoor games were the only source of entertainment. In bigger towns the Talkies (Cinema) provided variety. Valve radio was the only gadget, that also with a few well to do and needed a car battery where electricity was not available. With the advent of transistor, a radio running on cells was the next step. The cassette player remained the party and home gadget for music for a long period. Japanese invention of Walkman made it convenient to carry (and wear!).

Computer revolution started by the microchip (integrated circuit) replaced the larger computers by minis and later by what is now called Desk Top personal computer. As the size of the microprocessor reduced and its capabilities increased, the size of computer started coming down. From Desk it moved to the Lap and then to Notebook and then to Palm and now most of its common functions are built in a mobile phone.

What was for us an occasional musical night or listening to Nehru or Patel (Yes those days we sat for hours to listen to their speeches!) in front of the neighbour’s radio is today replaced by a small hand held gadget containing hundreds and even thousands selectable songs as well as radio stations. You can see a video, hear the conversation along with the picture of the caller, see or download a movie all in a small gadget. What has really changed the scene during the last three four years throughout India is the mobile phone. Every one from the highest business leader to the ordinary worker can be seen talking to their friends or bosses.

Its prevalence in the younger generation is however a source of worry. You can see young boys and more of the girls holding a small cell phone close to the ear and walking/sitting in a car/driving a two wheeler with one hand and talking on mobile at the same time with one hand pressed to their ear. It is a common sight of girls driving or walking with scarf hiding the entire face with only eyes visible and earphone attached for music or talking on cell phone.

One can get an idea of today’s gadget addicted youngsters if we find out the time spent in talking on cell phone, listening to music on I-pod, watching videos of You Tube on computers, listening to music (louder the better) on car cassette/CD player and time and money spent in charging and ‘topping’ the mobile phone. For them life without these gadgets is unthinkable and they are least bothered about the long term ill effects as they are young and are just trying to enjoy life. Cell phone in particular was probably invented as a necessity but is today an addiction particularly for the young generation.