We Must Act Now
The human race has evolved over the ages, from a primitive being solely dependent
on his surroundings and at the mercy of Mother Nature, to a master of all he beholds. The human capability of innovation and intelligent thinking has enabled us to better ourselves with each passing day. Humans are said to have started off a primitive being commonly better known as the "Early Man". From then on, the human race has been responsible for and witness to a plethora of advances and development. What started off as basic necessities like fire and tools has now grown on to be the all pervading technology and industry etc. Today, this innovation lurks behind every single aspect of our living, right from the comfort of our own homes to the outside world, and has made our lives very comfortable and even more so if compared to that of our primitive ancestors. But we are also beginning to face innumerable problems in lieu of these comforts and every time we think about this, the first problem that comes to our mind is that of pollution.
As we, as human beings started developing and innovating, we began using the resources that nature provides us with. Towards the beginning of this process, what we took away from nature could be easily replenished by it, so our actions did not prove to be largely detrimental to the environment. But this "regenerative capacity" of the environment seemed to weaken as it gradually had to bear the brunt of these long years of evolution and exploitation. In the early ages, human beings and the environment shared a bond of respect. Humans were grateful to the environment for what it gave them and in turn, they did their best to protect and preserve nature. As the number of organisms dependent on the environment for various purposes increased, so did its capacity to replenish what was taken away decrease. And in due course of time, this give and take relationship of man and nature ceased to exist and a one sided exploitation of nature by man took its place. So much so, that today, we have reached a stage where we need to take desperate measures to save ourselves and the planet from an inevitable collapse if the present situation is not taken care of. The Ecological balance has been totally disrupted and the world today is in grave danger.
Today, the world is facing countless problems due to the pollution that our careless developmental activities are causing. In a mad race for development and in the search of maximum comfort for ourselves, we have ourselves been the cause of this discomfort to us and the environment as well. Despite the setting up of various major agencies for checking the presently high levels of environmental pollution, we are still witnessing a steady rise in pollution levels all over the world which is in turn leading to a plethora of other problems like the thinning of the Ozone layer, rise in sea levels, global warming, a sudden rise in the instance of diseases directly or indirectly related to the environment, development of highly mutated norms of pre-existing pathogens leading to an increased severity of diseases to name a few.
Environmental pollution is broadly classified into six types on the basis of the medium polluted. That is, Air Pollution, Water Pollution and Land Pollution, noise pollution, Radioactive pollution and Thermal pollution. These may be caused due to various natural as well as human causes. But the main concern for the world today is the pollution that human activities are causing. Air pollution, usually the most widespread form of pollution is caused mainly due to emissions into the environment. These emissions may be largely from industries, vehicle fumes, the burning of fuels and the release of harmful pathogens into the air. Not only does this pollution encompass the pollution of outdoor air, but also that of the air inside buildings and our homes. In fact, every year, the health of many people is affected by chemical substances present in the air within buildings. The various types of air pollutants are Particulate Matter, like carbon particles from burning of fuels, Noxious Gases like the oxides of sulphur and nitrogen etc and other chemical compounds such as Chloro Fluoro Carbons (CFCs). This increasing air pollution is rearing its head in the form of various environmental issues, the prime focus being given to that of Global Warming. An after affect of increasing levels of Carbon-di-oxide in the atmosphere, Global warming is causing a whole host of related problems ranging from increasing sea levels to thinning of the polar ice caps, to change in the global weather patterns. Also, air pollution has given rise to many respiratory problems and also in some cases, cancer.
Water pollution encompasses the introduction of any such materials into a water body which alters the water quality. This is further classified into Point source and Non Point Source pollution. Water pollution, though also caused by various natural factors such as volcanic lava and natural pathogens, it is today, largely caused due to the discharge of various industrial effluents into water bodies, the discharge of untreated sewage into water bodies and other commercial mishaps such as oil spills. Akin to air pollution, water pollution is also the cause of numerous health related problems such as lead and mercury poisoning and water borne diseases. An outbreak of the Minamata disease in Japan due to high mercury content in the water is an excellent example of a disease due to water pollution. Also, water pollution is destroying the natural habitat of various marine and fresh water organisms, leading to the near-extinction of many valuable life forms.
Land pollution or the contamination of the land surface of the Earth through dumping urban waste matter indiscriminately, dumping of industrial waste, mineral exploitation, and misusing the soil by harmful agricultural practices is also a major threat to the Ecological balance. Land pollution includes visible litter and waste along with the soil itself being polluted. The soil gets polluted by the chemicals in pesticides and herbicides used for agricultural purposes along with waste matter being littered in urban areas such as roads, parks, and streets. Soil pollution is chiefly caused by chemicals in pesticides. When these pollutants enter the human body through various sources, it leads to various disorders and diseases like respiratory and skin problems, birth defects and also various kinds of cancers.
Radioactive pollution is defined as the release of radioactive substances or high-energy particles into the air, water, or earth as a result of human activity, either by accident or on purpose. The sources of such waste include nuclear weapon testing or the mining, separation, and production of nuclear materials for use in nuclear power plants or nuclear bombs accidental release of radioactive material from nuclear power plants. These wastes remain active for centuries thus posing a great threat to those exposed. Increasing thermal pollution is also posing a great threat to almost all habitats, especially marine habitats.
Countries today are being forced to spend a maximum amount of their money on pollution control measures and it is still of no use. Pollution levels are on a steady rise and so is the risk of an impending catastrophe. Various world organisations, in the leadership of the United Nations Environment Agency, are today striving hard to formulate plans and come up with ways to minimise further pollution and combat the effects of pre-existing pollution. Some well known implementations like that of the EIA or the environmental impact assessment have been formulated and put to use. Apart from this, almost every nation today has an operational EPA or an environment protection agency to keep a track of the country's current pollution status and to help the United Nations in coordinating its programmes for combating environmental pollution.
In spite of all these measures, the common man still needs to be educated properly in this respect. The various aspects of pollution and what can be done even at smaller scales to combat it, must be made clear to one and all. Economical use of fuel and other resources, simple alternatives to private vehicles like public transport, methods to minimise gas emissions due to daily activities, promotion of water recycling schemes etc can be demonstrated to the common populace and capital provided to NGOs so that they can help the governments and other world organisations to reach the grass root levels of the society with such plans. Apart from this, various environmental laws passed by the governments of different countries as well as those proposed by the world organisations with the view of reducing and checking environmental pollution need to be taken more seriously and applied all the more stringently so that they can actually achieve their targets. Also, more NGOs like Greenpeace need to come up and step up to be a part of this process, because it is true that such organisations have a better rapport with the common man and so, will be better in explaining the possible impacts of pollution and ways to prevent it to a larger audience.
Most of all, we as the inhabitants of this planet, need to realise the responsibility that we hold towards it and need to wake up to the imminent danger lurking somewhere in the shadows of our blind quest for comfort. The day that all the people of this world decide to step up to this cause, there will surely be an end to this ever increasing threat and the future will again seem bright and clear, and most of all, pollution free.
by: Anushka
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