‘Environ’ is the French origin word that indicates surroundings. Environment means everything that encircles us, living or non-living creatures like trees, human beings, stars, etc come under the canopy of the environment.
Our environment is not static, it is constantly changing and there is no denying the fact. It is our fundamental duty to protect and nurture the environment but today’s scenario is sadly the opposite.
Environmental hazards are the most alarming concerns globally. Increasing pollution, global warming, ozone depletion, deforestation, improper waste disposal, and many more demands our immediate attention or it might be too late to safeguard our ecosystem for the future generation.
“Love the world as yourself; then you can truly care for all things.”
Here are some astonishing studies that will wretch one’s heart:
- According to WHO, the countries with the highest poverty rate in the world like South Sudan, Madagascar, Burundi, etc are the worst affected when it comes to climate change.
The Poor People’s Campaign, their mission is to ignite a revolutionary movement related to problems like inequality, racism, and climate degradation. WHO strongly believes that there is an interconnection between poverty and climatic calamity.
- In 2014, the largest city in Brazil – Sao Paulo registered a 10 percent dip in the levels of water reservoirs which is causing drought, water depletion, and not enough drinking water for millions of people.
Today 775 million people, i.e. one in every nine people of the world population, lack access to safe drinking water and nearly a million people die each year due to poor quality of drinking water. Furthermore, every 2 minutes a child dies from water-related illnesses.
- According to the Climatic Report of the United Nations, our planet has experienced an average incremental of 1.5°C temperature due to global warming and climate change over about 20 years. A report published in Science Advance reads that more than 35 degrees Celcius temperature and 100 percent humidity in the atmosphere is deadly for human beings.
A village of Lytton
In 2021 the town registered record-breaking temperatures reaching almost 50°C in history. The heat was so intense and dominant that it melted the electric cables and poles. People had to shelter themselves in public places, cars, etc to protect themselves from the unprecedented heat levels.
Although the heat lasted for only a week, the humidity in the atmosphere created a “heat dome” which resulted in an untamable wildfire that has resulted in a burndown and destruction of almost 90 percent of the village to this date.
- According to Global Forest Watch, forest fires have become twice more destructive and uncontrollable in the past 20 years. The University of Maryland analyzed between 2001 to 2019 which revealed that the USA and Russia had encountered the biggest loss to the forest. Moreover, other countries are also starting to get affected and showing similar signs.
- The Journal of Natural Climate change, research supervised by scientists and experts at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, emphasizes 10 kinds of extreme weather conditions like heat waves, floods, droughts, greenhouse emissions, etc have shown to affect and accelerate 375 known infectious diseases. Shockingly the findings demonstrate that climatic changes are making 58 percent of the common disease worse and more transmittable.
Some measures that we can take to stimulate a sustainable environment in our daily mundane:-
- Our voice matters
- Voting is our democratic human right of every soul. We all have immense power in our hands to choose strong leaders who can bring robust reforms and formulate effective policies to address environmental issues.
- Participate in protest
- We can contribute to the protest to showcase our concerns about the climatic conditions.
- Raise our voice on social media platforms
- We can use social media to boost awareness and consciousness among the world regarding rising environmental concerns.
- Consuming more greens
- Although meat and fish are cherished by most people in the world, we are all deeply informed that choosing the vegetarian way helps in reducing the carbon footprint and hence is more sustainable for the planet. Also, embracing veganism and vegetarianism has numerous other health benefits.
- Choosing sustainable fashion
- Most of us are oblivious to the fact that the fashion and clothing industry is the second largest contributor to adverse climatic conditions. We can avoid buying articles of leather, nylon, synthetic, etc, and switch to more environmental-friendly fabrics like khadi, pure cotton, and hemp fabric as well as recycle our old garments.
- Walk and bike to places
- Rather than taking our vehicles for quick errands, we can choose to use public transportation or even a bicycle for that matter. For close distances, walking is surely another good idea!
- Planting more trees
- As cliche as it may sound, the plantation of flora is the best way possible to save our mother earth and tackle issues of air pollution, deforestation, soil erosion, etc.
- Be an aware consumer
- We have to be mindful of the daily mundane practices by selecting eco-friendly, cruelty-free, vegan materials or using recycled plastic while picking our daily items.
- More importantly, emphasis must be given to ISO 14000 certification which represents International standards that exist for organizations to minimize or neutralize the negative impacts of their products on the environment.
- Optimum utilization of resources
- One should wisely consume water, electricity, coal, and petroleum because we strongly believe our small steps can create a huge difference for future generations.
In conclusion,
Climatic change and environmental crises are contemplated to be notable escalating matters in the world that seek our utmost surveillance through a strong global framework like the Paris agreement, sustainable development goals, etc to reduce and eliminate the rising carbon footprint, global warming, loss of biodiversity, and many more.
“Mother nature is trying her best,
To give nothing but beautifulness,
But what do we do?
Make her a mess.
Let’s make her the best,
By polluting less and less,
And preserve her green dress,
For our kids and the rest.”
Let’s embark on this journey in unison to create a revolutionary change and save our planet!