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| ENVIRONMENT AND BIODIVERSITY | | |
Dr. Parveen Kumar, Dr. D. Namgyal
The foods that we eat, the air we breathe in, the water we drink and the climate that makes our planet a place to live in, all come from nature. Let me take an example each year, marine plants produce more than a half of our atmosphere's oxygen, and a mature tree cleans our air, absorbing 22 kilos of carbon dioxide, releasing oxygen in exchange. Despite all the benefits that our nature gives us, we still mistreat it. Recent events like bushfires in Brazil, the United States, and Australia to locust infestations across East Africa and now the devastating COVID-19 pandemic that has destroyed the human lives demonstrate the interdependence of humans and the webs of life, in which they exist. It also strongly makes the case that there is something seriously going wrong with the environment in which we all are living. The major factors that have affected our environment are the pollution of air, water and soil, Deforestation leading to loss of fertile soil and its degradation, overpopulation that puts extra pressure on country’s natural resources, the global warming and the consequent climate change. It would take 1.6 earths to meet the demands that human makes on nature each year. Given the way we are misusing our resources and destroying our environment, day is not far away when all of us will head towards a catastrophic end.
To bring in urgency, ambition and action to address the crisis facing the environment and to accelerate amplify and engage people, communities and governments around the world to take action on critical environmental challenges facing the planet, June 5 every year is being celebrated as World Environment Day. This day is the most renowned day for environmental action. This day was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 on the first day of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, resulting from discussions on the integration of human interactions and the environment. Two years later, in 1974 the first World Environment Day was held with the theme ‘Only One Earth’. This year the theme of World Environment Day 2020 is ‘Celebrate Biodiversity’. With 1 million species facing extinction, there has never been a more important time to focus on biodiversity. This year, the World Environment Day is being hosted in Colombia in partnership with Germany. With With 1 million species facing extinction, there has never been a more important time to focus on biodiversity. Colombia is one of the largest ‘mega diverse’ nations in the world to hold 10% of the planet’s biodiversity. Since it is a part of Amazon rainforest, Colombia ranks first in birds and orchid species diversity and second in plants, butterflies, freshwater fish and amphibians. According to Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment.
Programme (UNEP), one million species of plants and animals are facing extinction. So, there has never been a more critical time to focus on the problem of biodiversity. The year 2020 is a critical year for nations’ commitments to preserving and restoring biodiversity. Biodiversity needed to be taken care of on priority and an urgent basis. Biodiversity is the variation of Earth’s terrestrial, freshwater, and marine species, as well as their habitats. Biodiversity is vital to the survival of all life on earth and is also the cornerstone for the goods and services of the environment that allow human societies to thrive. Biodiversity provides us with food, water and resources as well as services such as climate control, pollination, flood mitigation and cycling of nutrients. Ecosystems are relying on all parts from the smallest bacteria to the largest vertebrate. It’s all interconnected. Some are producing oxygen that others are breathing. Some provide food for larger species, which in turn become prey to even larger species. Every living organism has a role to play in the maintenance of balance.
An important component of environment is the land which we put to different uses. The land represent a natural ecosystem composed of many elements those exhibit diverse bio physical characteristics that are interlinked and interdependent. It also supports a number of economic activities and influences health and nutrition of man and animals. Agriculture is the prominent of the economic activities that land sustains. Worldwide agriculture occupies only 12 per cent of the 13 billion hectare of global land mass, but is several developing countries the proportion of area under agriculture goes well beyond 50 per cent. In our country of the total land area of 342 million hectare; 142 million hectare is under agriculture. Due to our faulty and crude ways and methods of practicing agriculture; this important component is also on the brink.
Due to poor soil and water management practices about 40 to 50 per cent of the land area suffers from degradation of one or the other kind. The indiscriminate use of plant protection chemicals during green revolution and thereafter in states like Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh to increase the crop yields has led to water pollution. Such is the extent that drinking such polluted water has resulted in many deadly diseases among peoples in the states like Punjab and Haryana. The water has been contaminated with many poisonous elements. In certain districts in Punjab like Bathinda such is the condition that almost in each family, one can find a cancer patient. A train runs especially from the Bathinda to Ganga Nagar in Rajasthan for their treatment. This train is given the name of ‘Cancer Train’. Temperature is on the rise. Sea levels are increasing. Floods and droughts are on the rise. Coastal areas are now unsafe for human settlements. Crop failures accompanied with decrease in productivity of crops as well as livestock is adding to the food insecurity of the region.
Good agriculture practices like zero tillage, organic farming, integrated techniques; laser land leveling, Precision farming and others should be practiced to maintain a healthy environment in which all of us can live healthier. Water harvesting practices like farm ponds, Water sheds, Roof top water harvesting, drip and sprinkler methods of irrigation should be promoted. These reduce a lot of conveyance losses ultimately reducing the wastage of water.
The main objective of celebrating such days at the international level is to raise awareness among the common peoples regarding our environment and also to redouble our efforts towards creating a sustainable environment.
International days are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The World Environment should also be celebrated as ‘People’s Day’, a day to do something to take care of our environment. It is an important platform for promoting the dimensions of environmental Sustainable Development Goals. World Environment Day celebrated on 5 June every year is the United Nations' principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of our environment. It has now grown to become a global platform for public outreach, with participation from over 143 countries annually. |
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