Environment Tommy Linsley on 15 Oct 2008 09:21 am
Sustainable Development And Its Necessity
I remember the day, about six months ago, when I had some of my friends decided to go for camping in a forest in a mountainous area. We had been living the metro life for years and due to busy routine, it hadn’t been possible to break free and meet the Mother Nature. However, when the program was charted out this time, I couldn’t resist and joined the gang for the fun.
Guys! Its heaven on earth! You can’t even think of how beautiful the countryside, the forests, the rivers and the mountains can be. Its here that one realizes what’s fresh air. I don’t understand how one can live in cities in those jungles of concrete when there is so much of natural beauty to explore.
As we moved on, we realized how much deforestation had taken place. The forests had been cleaned up to create cities, villages and agricultural land. The result-loss of habitat for wild animals, killings of animals, natural resources being exploited like anything, all round pollution- in water and air. This is what we have got from our development.
The constant erosion of forests has resulted in loss of habitat for the wild animals. No wonders that now and then we hear the incidents of wild cats being found in cities. They are considered dangerous and killed. But the fact is that human population has grown in a disproportionate quantum and has moved closer to the animal habitats.
So what should be the plan of action to preserve the humanity of the earth? The only way is to preserve the ecological balance. We need to protect the wild animals, forests and natural resources. Governments need to plan to cover more areas under the forests. Every individual should make an effort in that direction.
The increased pollution levels are already serious matters of concern. During peak traffic hours, one might see some people wearing pollution masks. This is in contrast to what we felt at mountains. We are responsible for such high levels of pollution in air and in water.
International conventions like Kyoto Protocol have been aimed at sustainable development that preserve the natural resources and doesn’t put unnecessary burden on our planet. We must recycle what ever that can be done. For example, recycling of paper can reduce the deforestation.
In order to bring things back on track, we need to rely more on renewable energy sources like wind power and solar power. These energies are unlimited and don’t create any pollution. Recycling can relieve at least some pressure from our limited resources. Vehicle using non-conventional energy can reduce the pollution and so can the factories do by following pollution norms. Together, we can script the tomorrow of our planet. We need to aim at development- the sustainable development.
