World Earth Day

World Earth Day
Brig K.G. Behl (Retd)
Former Dy. Surveyor General
Earth Day is celebrated every year on 22 April, to honour our planet and shed a light on environmental issues that matter. It promotes an ideal of peace and sustainability for all. This year’s campaign is dedicated to an ambiguous goal – to achieve global climate and environmental literacy in the space of three years, by Earth Day 2020.

Organisers want Earth Day 2017 to be the start of a global movement to create world citizens fluent in the concepts of climate change and aware of its unprecedented threat to the plant.
Events that will educate people about these issues will thus be particularly encouraged this year. On the longer-term, the Earth Day Network would like to see every student around the world graduating high school as an environmental and climate literate citizen. The hope is that such a movement will empower people to take action against climate change and to defend the
‘Earth Day’ is the day to know about the intricacies and riches of the Earth and think of ways and means to make the Earth a beautiful, healthier and a safer place to live. It is the day to ponder over the problems being faced due to natural and manmade destruction being done which effects the biodiversity and causes consequential aftermaths resulting in Global warming, water and food shortages etc. It is the day to start or implement works which may reclaim the purity of the air, water and living environment and take measures to control items which are causing damage to Earth by way of Global warming, deforestation, Industrialisation, development of new colonies etc.

Every year on April 22, over a billion people in 190 countries take action for Earth Day. On this day people plant trees, clean up the environment through sustainable communities. As the world’s population migrates to cities, and as the bleak reality of climate change becomes increasingly clear, the need to create sustainable communities is more important than ever to do justice through its global theme : Green Cities. With smart investments in sustainable technology, forward-thinking public policy, and an educated and active public, we can transform our cities and forge a sustainable future. Nothing is more powerful than the collective action of people to attain it by planting trees wherever possible and keep areas green with parks, terrace gardens, creepers etc.

The global organizers behind Earth Day, create tools and resources for people to involve them in community work where they can participate and help in making cities green. People should co-ordinate and invigorate the environmental movement because of the need to highlight the mounting impact of climate change on individuals around the world. It appears as if a climate change is a remote problem but the fact is that it is effecting practically everyone including human beings and all flora and fauna. These changes coupled with other similar changes keep on multiplying and unless checked may bring disaster all around.

The recent upheavals Caused by snow storms, whirl winds and tornados etc. in some parts of America and South China and Earth quakes, Floods, hail storms and extreme climates due to excessive snow falls word over causing extensive damage to life and property, are indications of something even bigger likely to come unless concerted efforts are made jointly by all countries to study these aspects and take measures to prevent those.

The major cause they say is Global Warming, the wearing of Ozone Layer cover due to excessive creation of CFCs, cutting of trees and removing forests in the name of development and burning of leaves. Instead of burning leaves we should try to make compost which Pramukh is advocating. The damages being done to our Nuclear Power Plants set at many places by natural calamities and human errors and consequential fears of spread of deadly Nuclear emissions is a matter of great concern. Lot of lives have been lost in different disasters which took place in different parts of the world within last six months, leave aside the loss of property and animals where complete towns have been wiped out. It is a colossal loss and all out efforts be made to stop its repletion.

India is prone to floods and such seismic activities and in their quest to make India Nuclear are setting up number of nuclear plants and Space Stations which are very close to sea and can get affected by strong Sunami or other connected upheavals as happened in Japan and other countries. We have to be very careful in setting those atomic plants, howsoever beneficial they may be in the long run. People have not yet forgotten the Gas leakage of Bhopal and are scared of Nuclear leakage and plant blasts.
Uttarakhand too faced such a disaster where a number of villages were washed away by the strong current of the rivers and a number of people and animals died causing loss of public and private properties and roads which the Govt. is finding difficult to reconstruct and settle affected people. Practically the whole northern part of the country is affected by the untimely western disturbances in weather bringing untold miseries to farmers damaging the almost ripe crops leading to many suicides. Moreover the erratic monsoon may cause further damage if not tackled properly.

In hilly areas the higher reaches are still covered by snow affecting glaciers. The rivers comb the country side, and are getting more polluted day by day. The authorities concerned must get the whole areas surveyed with watershed system and establish villages away from the flow of water and construct dams etc. where the direct fall of water is available. In no case the effluent from sewer lines and industries should be allowed to fall in rivers.

We have to think of ways and means and take precautions to save this world or rather the variety of living beings which go to constitute the whole life on earth of which the human beings are the most affected. All efforts need to be made to stop or rather reduce Global Worming by devising ways and means to reduce use of CFCs etc which destroy protecting ozone layers and bringing more greenery by planting more trees and avoid cutting those in the name of development.