Prof Mohd Junaid Jazib
The contemporary era is characterized by the high degree of general awareness among the citizens. The ever expanding knowledge in any domain of sciences, no more remains an entity restricted to the few elites. Be it any realm of knowledge, today it is readily available to everyone across the globe beyond any geographic or social boundaries. Modern lifestyle too, by and large, stands shaped and ushered under the influences of the information technology.
Awareness, in its simplest manifestation, symbolizes a better understanding of the things around. For a commoner it pertains to a normal comprehension of ‘what, why and how’ of the happenings and occurrences in his socio-cultural and physical world. It, thus, adds to the general wellbeing of a citizen by keeping him, in the latest jargon, updated. Every episode and event in the surroundings casts some impacts, expectedly and unexpectedly, on individuals’ life. Having an appropriate understanding of the things and the happenings in one’s surroundings places one in somewhat advantageous position in tackling with the situation. It helps one strategize the best possible and the fruitful line-of-action.
Modern society in general, is a knowledge society where facts and their information form the basis for the decisions and the actions. The levels of consciousness present in a societal group determine its collective behavior, responsiveness and handling of various issues facing the society. Environmental issues are among the gravest challenges of our time. The warming planet, melting ices, rising sea levels, disappearing life-forms species after species, thinning atmosphere, degrading lands, spreading deserts, changing climatic regimes, etc. pose great threats to the spectrum of life on the planet. Directly and indirectly all this disruption and chaotic state of affairs in the natural environment has been created by the man himself and, accordingly, with him only lies the solution, if any. He has removed the trees, poisoned the land, polluted his ambiance, contaminated the waters, killed the fellow living beings, and has emptied the resource-treasuries lying under and over the ground. Every citizen of the world irrespective of his location or nation is bound to suffer on account of it. Scientists and environmentalists, world over, are concerned about the future of mankind on the earth. What they opine and stresses for is the urgency of creating awareness and thereby mobilization of the individuals, the societies and the political regimes so that something substantial can be done for the sake of our own survival. Ecologists and climatologists are busy doing strenuous research in their respective fields in order to explore the possible remedies. Various environmental agencies and organizations are active at local and global levels. Governments, world over, are concerned to make policies, frame laws, ratify acts and adopt rules and regulations to tackle the situation in this regard. But the common man, by and large, remains untouched and uninvolved in the entire process-the process which requires his pivotal participation for the implementation part. Corrective measures for each and every environmental crisis, be it local or global, are bound to be initiated at local and individual level.
There are major stakeholders-ranging from industrialists to politicians-responsible for destroying environmental equilibrium for huge materialistic gains but alongside are the ordinary individuals who too play a considerable role in the destructive direction. They, knowingly or as mostly unknowingly, get involved in the environmental destruction merely for the lack of proper awareness. This is a universal observation that the populaces, more often than not, become unreceptive and defensive against any governmental efforts aiming at environmental protection. Environmental protection attempts fail or do not achieve the desired results mostly due to non cooperation by the public. Regrettably in our context even the literate class is not as aware about the actual environmental scenario as it ought to be, let alone the general masses. Politicians in our part of the world hardly have any idea about ecological crises. Despite lot of hue and cry, the level of environmental consciousness among masses is too low to enable them realize the nature and the magnitude of the environmental crises. Elites in the society talk everything at social events except our ethical responsibilities with regard to our environmental assets. Moulvis and pundits never venture to preach about saving environment. Teachers in colleges and universities do involve in organizing debates and conferences on environmental issues but rarely think beyond the showcases to protect natural environment.
To tackle with the environmental challenges requires a behavioral change in the society. It requires an awakening in the public and this awakening must assume the form of a strong movement-a movement not confined to the elites but one which is started and carried by the masses. Launch and success of such a movement relies entirely on its reception and perception by the general masses. A proper system requires to be in place to aware the masses about the alarming environmental scenario they are caught in and to educate them of their role and responsibility towards the Mother Nature. Public needs to be informed accurately and effectively so as to make individuals think and act, at the grass root level, towards the sustainability. The scientific and realistic information about various aspects of ecological crises must be diffused through the masses in convincing ways to equip them with clarity of concepts and productive ideas. The present situation where everybody, as a trendy, talks of environment and ecology but lacks the concrete information must be converted into a situation where everyone perceives the ecological threats as real ones and looks resolved and determined to do something for a better tomorrow. Introduction of a module course on environmental awareness at graduate level is a good omen but not enough in any way.
