We can live only if Nature does not die

Dr Rani Mughal

We have heard many times that forests are the green lungs of the world. But the reality is that we have driven holes in our ‘collective lungs’ so to say, by reckless industrialization and consumerism. During the last sixty years, this issue has reached a point where it cannot be ignored anymore. In these 60 years, rapid and haphazard urbanization and industrialization has led to a drastic and devastating environmental degradation. The situation has become so alarming now that we have to earmark several days in a year on one pretext or the other to create awareness and to remind ourselves about dangers related to environmental destruction, a destruction on such a scale that it is bringing us closer to the doomsday with each passing day. The world environment day on June 5 is one such day when we come together and brainstorm different ideas, strategies, and tactics that we can adapt and implement to save our planet. The burning environmental issues which need to be addressed are the destruction of forests and wildlife, the depletion of ozone layer, ocean acidification, dwindling plant diversity, animal diversity, the loss of habitat, and extinction of species. There are animals and plant species that have gone extinct due to human vandalism. Humans have driven nearly 600 plant species to extinction since 1750 at an average of more than 2 plant species a year since the middle of the 18th century. I would like to remind everyone about the tragic story of the common house sparrows, Passer domesticus, that have disappeared in the urban areas because of habitat issues like rapid urbanization, diminishing of ecological resources for sustenance, and high levels of pollution, and emissions from microwave towers. A few days ago we celebrated the world sparrow day on march 20 and It occurred to me that there was a time when we as kids woke up listening to the chirping sound of the sparrows in the wee hours of the morning, but I fear that our children and their subsequent generations would be able to read about them in books or watch them in television documentaries. As per holy Quran, at different times in a day, our prayers are answered and one such time is the crowing of the roosters as dawn breaks out. It is a pity that nowadays it is only in books and poems that our children read ‘cock a doodles doo’. This is a sad story of what we have done to our environment. Isn’t this a high time that we get back and connect with our Mother Nature? Is it very difficult to do so? In my view, yes it may be but it is not impossible. And connect we can if we know about what is going on around us and what we can do and what we must do. One such step forward is to discuss environmental issues, to familiarize ourselves and our youngsters with what’s happening, what has been lost so far, what would be the consequences if we do not do anything about it, and what can be done to help combat various burning issues related to conservation and preservation of our environment. In Japan, if a tree is in the way of a road or building plan, the Japanese people bind the roots of the tree and move it to another place. But if we look at India or Jammu and Kashmir in particular, we don’t see any such concern among the people and the government. If we specifically talk of Jammu and Kashmir, the forests have suffered much damage in the recent decades due to an increase in construction, armed conflict, and political turmoil. It is my firm belief that the root cause of all problems including these, is ignorance and lack of awareness. It is not difficult to understand that generally, we do whatever wrong we do because we do not know the cost or consequences of our actions. The reason we have not been taking up the issue with our governments is that we don’t know how serious this is. Therefore, it’s imperative that we discuss these issues. That’s the least we can do when days like World Environment Day roll around. They help us to know about what is going on around us. It creates noise and gives rise to debates and discussions. We all must make our efforts to be a part of this discussion and debate and make our voices heard. As for me, I would like to take this opportunity to make a call to all to make the following pledges for preserving a healthy planet for our future generations:

1. Let each of us pledge to plant 3 trees for every 1 cut down.
2. Let’s change the way we all get around by using public transport unless it is very essential to use private vehicles. Try to switch to EV.
3. Let’s promote food from plants.
4. Let’s embrace second-hand shopping which is buying recycled and recyclable products.
5. Let’s replace polluting products with energy-efficient versions.
6. Let’s all plant a garden in our backyard.
7. Let’s stop dumping plastics in the water bodies which if not stopped now will outweigh fish in the oceans by 2050.
8. Another small effort can be to stop using plastic water bottles.
9. Finally, let’s take a walk each day to admire the beauty around us and also take note of actions that subvert the environment. And in the end, a message: When reality is staring us in the face there is no point living in denial. We must take action, now. Big changes start with small steps. Let us take the first step and work together for that change.
   (The author is HoD Botany, SKCGDC Poonch).