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| Plastic Pollution and Environment | | |
Dr. Banarsi Lal and Dr. Vikas Tandon
Every year 5th of June is celebrated as the World Environment Day across the globe and this year India is the global host of this event. Last year it was hosted by Canada and the theme was "Connecting People and Nature". The theme of this year World Environment Day is "Beat Plastic Pollution". Various government and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), individuals, communities, charities, institutions, schools, colleges, universities etc. create awareness on environmental issues. It is celebrated by organizing various lectures, conventions, campaigns, concerts, rallies, tree planting, essay writing, painting competitions etc. There is urgent need to reduce the production and excessive use of single-use plastic which is polluting our oceans, marine life and threatening human life. We all need to commit together to clean and green the planet Earth. India can be instrumental in combating plastic pollution. Celebration of this day was started in 1972 and now it has become as a global event and is celebrated by the thousands of communities worldwide. It is estimated that every year around 5 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide and at least 13 million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans. In the last decade we produced plastic more than the whole century.50 per cent of plastic is single use or disposable and we buy around 1 million plastic bottles in every minute.10 per cent of the waste is made by the plastic.5th of June is the most important day for the creation of awareness on the protection of environment. The day focuses on environmental concerns ranging from pollution to global warming and sustainable food production to protection of wildlife. On this day the millions of people will be educated on the risks associated with the use and disposal of plastics, including pollution in our oceans, water and wildlife. Plastics are poisoning and injuring the marine life. Plastics are disrupting human hormones and causing major life-threatening diseases and early puberty. The exponential growth of plastics is threatening our planet's survival. There is need to reject, reduce and recycle plastics and for this purpose local government should come forward. There is dire need to find out the innovative ways to reduce the plastic pollution. There is urgent need to change the attitude and behaviour of the people towards plastics.
Plastic is a necessary evil. It is estimated that every year the amount of disposed plastics can four times circle the earth. We can't live without plastics as every day we come across plastic in various forms such as bottles, grocery bags, food containers, computer keyboards, plastic mouse, coffee cup lids etc. It is startling to note that billions of tons of plastics are ending up in the oceans. Plastics take thousands of years to decay. Plastic is an incredibly useful material but it is made up of toxic compounds known to cause illness as it is non-biodegradable. Plastics negatively impact the natural environment and create problems for plants, wildlife and human beings. It should be noted that in order to make paper bags we need to cut trees which ultimately can affect our lives. The jute or cloth bags can be promoted as the alternatives of plastics bags.
Environmental and climate literacy is the engine not only for creating the environmental and climate laws and policies but also to promote green technologies. It is worthwhile to mention here that our Earth planet is losing the 15 billion trees every year i.e. around 56 acres of forest in every minute. Many species are going extinct rapidly. With our efforts we can protect hundreds of species. Lack of environment education has led man to be harsh to nature. There is dire need to empower everybody with the knowledge to inspire action in defense of environmental protection. Environmental quality is an integral part of development. Without environmental ethics development is simply undermined. Natural resources are the wealth of any nation. Presently they are facing environmental hazards due to many reasons. Sustainable development is focused on any kind of betterment that should not harm the environment so that the well being of future generations is guaranteed and the harmonious relationship environment and development is sustained. The process of sustainable development tries to build social and economic progress satisfying the needs and values of the social groups without foreclosing future options. Rio-Earth Summit (1992) highlights the view that socio-economic development and environment protection are interdependent and mutually reinforcing processes. Recently, the healthy rural environment has encountered divergent environmental hazards as an addition to their existing issues of social and economic hardships. Such threats badly affect the local community which is the impetus behind research for alternative sources such as cultivation in marginal lands. It constitutes a growing class of environment refugees. Sustainable rural development is felt as a necessary intervention to fight against poverty, unemployment and other complicated problems in rural areas. Sustainable rural development can promote growth and equity simultaneously and also promote the development of democratic process at the grass root level by creating awareness on social forestry, soil conservation, population control, protection of tanks, rural energy management, biodiversity, popularization of eco-friendly activities etc. Sustainable rural development on the one hand benefits local people and safeguards the flora and fauna of a particular region on the other. At this stage common property resources are important but they are being neglected. They should be protected and organized through people's participation. Common property resources can generate more employment opportunities in rural areas.
The sustainability of development for the rural people should dexterously and lucratively aim at motivating the people to get involved in community action and to ensure their participation in diverse and numerous environmental protection and optimum utilization of natural resources. Committed involvement of each and every one is expected in this process.
Environment protection is an essential part of development. Without adequate environment protection, development is useless. It has been estimated that by 2030 food production will need to double and industrial output and energy use will increase three times in the world and five times in the developing nations. This growth can bring the risk of appalling environmental damage. It can also bring with it better environment protection, clean air water and eradication of poverty. Environmental damage affects the present and future human welfare. It affects human health and reduces agricultural productivity. Some problems are associated with the lack of economic development, inadequate sanitation, clean water, air pollution from biomass burning. Plastic pollution, illegal cutting of forests is a matter of great concern. The lack of appropriate technology for maximum utilization of the raw materials, poor silvicultural practices, low recovery, low budgetary provision for forest operations have all hampered effective management. As a result, fuel wood, timber, pole wood and carving wood are being exploited at unsustainable levels. Ecological degradation of wetlands together with pollution has resulted in the loss of flora and fauna. The high amount of fertilizers and other inputs required in agriculture for increasing the productivity has led to the degradation of the environment. Despite decades of warning about pollution and efforts to control it, people are still being exposed to toxic pollutants. Pollution from agricultural land caused by leaching of nitrogen fertilizers has been detected in the ground water in many areas. In Harayana, for example, some well water is reported to have nitrate concentration ranging from 114 mg. / litre to 1800 mg. /litre far above the national standard 45 mg. /litre. Government should monitor and implement policies to reduce pollution and environment degradation and safeguard the natural system that supports renewable resources. Action should be taken for achieving a sustainable future.
Environment is one of the most important pillars of sustainable development. There is a need to establish a sustainable development process in rural India. Environmental aspect assumes great significance in growing deforestation, soil erosion, land degradation, water pollution, biodiversity loss and the like which continue to worsen economic development in rural India. The common property resources which are mostly natural must be protected for overall growth of the rural areas. The natural resources should be protected for overall growth of the rural areas. Such efforts not only lead to optimum utilization of natural resources but also generate more employment for the rural people. This initiative requires people's participation. For instance, afforestation activities cannot be successful without the help of local communities. The relationship between development and environment is well established. This requires the awareness on environmental issues. People's participation plays an inevitable role for the protection of environment. Afforestation and arresting of deforestation can be carried with the help of local people. Protection of environment is mainly in the hands of the people. People's participation is imperative need. All the stakeholders should understand the present environmental crisis and find out suitable solutions to tackle this awful situation. The dictum, prevention is better than cure is more related to the present day's environmental issues as it is directly proportional to man's survival problems. A multifarious strategy needs to be formulated to protect the environment through community participation. A renowned environmentalist Sh. Anil Agarwal proposed a seven-point environment agenda for India. One of them is "Rural development should become holistic, at the same time, village ecosystem should be protected." It will help to an evergreen revolution in agriculture where productivity can be increased without any harm to social and economic fabric. Thus, the holistic approach towards environment protection is needed. On this particular day, let us pledge to do whatever we can to do to protect our environment. We can avoid using our car on this day and save petrol and free the atmosphere from some pollution. We can recycle the papers and stop using plastic bags. We should make collective efforts to protect the environment. Proper legislation and the enhancement of ecological consciousness through education are the best ways to solve the problem of plastic pollution. |
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