Rajat RaneAnother year goes by as we arrive at 5th of June. It’s that time of the year when the feeds on
social media handles are populated by world environment day or happy world environment day
hashtags. A day when organizations, both national and international, stake their claim to be
champions of the environment by promoting conservation of nature.
I mean no disrespect to the work done by these organizations- there are some who are doing
significant work in this space- but are we doing enough to address the major concerns. When
we wish or post on our handles with happy environment day taglines; who is the one who’s
happy ? Is it the environment or is it us?
Judging by how things have been over the last few years, neither of us are happy; neither us
nor the environment. The latter should have us worrying about our futures if we weren’t already.
The Effects of Climate Change on the Environment
Pick up any climate related publications and you would see glaring and eye-catching headlines
pointing to how the earth is heading towards the point of no return( we have already crossed
this in my opinion) and imploring its readers to do more on the climate front.
It needn’t be told how disastrous the effects of climate change will be on our planet and by
extension us. According to an article by Down to earth ( one of the organizations doing a
commendable job in climate awareness ) coastal areas of Mumbai will be engulfed by the
Arabian sea by 2050 if average global temperatures rise from the current levels of 1.5° to 3°C.
These are just some of the detrimental effects of global warming. Unprecedented rains in one
part of the country and drought like conditions in another. This will be the norm going forward.
But I didn’t write this to lament the inaction on this issue but rather to put forth the power of
collective action that can help us to mitigate the effects of the already ongoing planetary crisis.
Climate Awareness and Education is Your Only Way Forward
Climate awareness and education can be one such way. Children can be molded Right from a
young age to become climate warriors wherein they can join nature groups and clubs which
promote a lifestyle that is in tune with nature. Schools can promote more field based studies
which include imparting knowledge on the local flora and fauna and emphasizing on how our
ancestors were fierce protectors of their environment.
Youth can be encouraged to not only plant saplings but also tend to them; while it inculcates sensitivity towards the environment it also brings about a sense of responsibility which has a positive effect on all facets of their lives. Increasing awareness of nature based solutions coupled by knowledge on local vegetables and eco friendly practices can instill values which all make a person wholesome and this inturn can potentially have a positive effect on the planet.
Yes, it’s all that simple. But in the modern era of consumption and consumerism, we often forget to follow the path of simplicity and gratitude. Rather than buying the next flashy object in the market, we need to encourage recycling of used products. I would like to emphasize the importance of recycling by using an example: Modern digital devices use gold ( and countless other metals ) in their chipsets. When we discard our used phones we usually dump them in our trash or “segregate” it according to dry and wet waste. But herein lies the gray area- using a linear definition of dry waste, the phone should fall in the dry category but doing this will cause harm not only to the environment but also to the economy.
There are many firms, companies who are working in the areas of extracting the metals from these discarded phones and bringing them back on the markets, which in turn increases their quantity and reduces prices on the global markets, all of which makes less a whole in our pockets ( Indians and their love for gold is a never ending love story).
This was just one example how one action can have a positive knock on effect on the environment and our lives as well.
To Sum Up
We do not need grand gestures towards protecting mother nature; just the basics. A simple
action of collecting our own trash and binning it in our home can be a good way to start. Rather
than throwing waste in our surroundings we need to make sure that we set examples for our
peers, friends and children by collecting this trash and disposing of it in a proper dedicated
space.
If there was anywhere where the often used quote of “actions speak louder than words” were to
be used, it is here. Big changes always start small. Just like how a pebble creates ripples in a
still pond, this World Environment day, let’s aspire to be the pebble and hope that we create a
ripple that touches the soul of every person.
I would like to end this piece by using my favorite quote from a poster that I saw years back.
“There is no planet B”.
Happy living
