Earth Day 2021
By Dr. Ravindra Vora
People’s Resolve To Fight Environmental Catastrophe To Save Life on Earth
Points for Petition to the Indian Government and the United Nations Organisation
A ) State of Environmental Catastrophe
1. Depleting Natural resources like water bodies, polar snow and forests, Biodiversity, land ( encroached by plundering, mines, infrastructures, industries, constructions and farming , desertification), fossil fuels and coal.
2. Pollution of land, in atmosphere / air, glaciers, water (on surface and underground ) and oceans ( also their acidification). Pollution by nuclear radiation, sound and artificial light.
3.
i) Over–exploitation of resources by exploding population due to greed and consumerist life style.
ii) Rising energy consumption through industries, vehicles, infrastructures and squandering for pleasure.
iii) Unsustainable development based on creation of monitory and material wealth ( measured by National GDP).with a pride in ingenuity and technology to capture and own Natural resources which have invisible price and all life forms have right on them.
4. Rising Carbon footprints of human species, causing escalating levels of CO2 (over 412 PPM) and Green house gases in atmosphere and acidification of oceans.
5. Rising temperature of atmosphere and Earth up to 2° C more than preindustrial average. Both CO2 and temperature will have reached irreversible levels if no drastic measures to reduce carbon footprint are implemented in next 5 years.
6. Increased incidence of untimely and unpredictable natural disasters like cyclones, floods, snowfalls, wildfires, hot currents in oceans and el Niño.
7. Disease burden, birth defects and premature deaths due to Environmental Degradation and deforestation. Main causes —
i) pollution of air, water, land and food by chemicals, vehicular and industrial smoke, solid and liquid wastes , sound and radiation.
ii) Transfer of viruses or organisms from wildlife and their mutation as a result of deforestation.
iii) Malnutrition and under nutrition.
iv) Globalization, migration and displacement of population.
8. Speedy march of present 6th Mass Extinction on earth, which is entirely due to greedy human activities .
B ) How to fight Environmental Catastrophe and save Life on Earth with equal access for all to resources.
1. Implementation of Global Environment Climate Protocols by all nations through UNO /UNEP/IPCC/WHO. Follow protocols of Green New Deal and Sustainable Development Goals.
2. Extensive Forestation and green cover by plantation , grasslands, mangroves and protecting wildlife habitats and eco-sensitive zones.
3. Sustainable, organic farming with animal power. No GMO crops.
4.
i) Speedy switch over to renewable non-polluting sources of energy.
ii) Reduce energy consumption in infrastructures , industries, constructions, transport and at homes.
iii) No new mines, promote vehicles on CNG or Batteries or Solar panels / more public transport, small buses for towns . Promote bicycles.
iv) Industries to follow eco- effective and eco friendly Cradle to Cradle principles in manufacturing. Practice energy audits, recycling of heat energy, recycling of waste and used products. Switch over from energy intensive to labour intensive manufacturing harnessing human power. One week per month holiday – no production , no energy consumption , no pollution, no night shift. These 6 days of holiday per month and half day per week should be utilized for Nature Rejuvenation through nurseries, plantation and maintenance of green projects in and around the campus and for Recycling of waste and used products. Industries to plant trees and do afforestation wherever possible and specially if the forest land or eco sensitive zone was used for that industry.
5. EIA act, pollution control act, wild life act, etc. to be more strict and defaulters punishable. Impose carbon tax on CO2 emitting industries, vehicles, energy production, burning of waste etc.
6. Incentives for eco- friendly lifestyle , reduction of carbon emissions and footprint .To encourage people to Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recollect and Recycle products they need and to Restore and Recharge natural resources.
7. Follow Mahatma Gandhi’s advise of Gram Swaraj to make villages eco-sustainable and self-reliant to fulfill needs of people in villages and towns locally. Redesign possible city areas to make them eco-friendly habitats with more green cover, rainwater harvesting, recycling of waste and solar energy.
8. Conserve and rejuvenate natural resources and bio-diversity and protect them from encroachment, exploitation and pollution through ecological management of solid, liquid and e-waste.
9. Promote awareness, education , training and research to improve environmental quality. and rejuvenate natural resources. These educational activates to be promoted for all target groups- schools, colleges, farmers, industrialists, builders, women , citizens, villagers, officers and politicians.
10. Awareness of knowledge of and inspiration from old Nature dependent, Nature caring and nature enriching culture of all civilizations and religions. Apply modern science and technology cautiously to serve and rejuvenate Nature to benefit all life forms on Earth, recognizing their needs and rights on resources and interdependence. Human species has to fulfil duty destined in evolution to protect and rejuvenate Natural resources and other life forms.
11. Shift from concept of National wealth as Gross Domestic Product to Gross Natural Resources or Gross Environmental Product. We have to always account for invisible value of Natural resources and ecological value of depleted or consumed Natural resource. To realize them we must calculate ecological cost and eco – effectiveness of any product or procedure while harnessing or converting natural resources.
12.We have to follow such principles and control our greed in our lifestyle at personal ,family, social, national and international levels to save Homo sapiens and other life forms from Extinction. Human species has to fulfil duty destined to it during evolution to protect and rejuvenate Natural resources and other life forms.
C ) How to implement Environmental policies.
1. At Global level through UNO’s security council and General Assembly, imposing Global Environmental Emergency on all Nations for 5 years.
2. Nations to adopt protocols on Climate and of Green New Deal, Sustainable Development Goals ( by IPCC/ UNEP )
3.To constitute a National Coordinating Council to implement objectives of Environmental Emergency. In addition to Govt. members to include experts , Scientist, NGOs from each field of environment, and resource utilizing agencies to fulfill objects of Rejuvenation, restoration and protection of Nature and Environment.
4. Allocate adequate founds for phased out programmes over 5 years. Shift substantial funds from budget of carbon emitting projects to rejuvenate forests and water sources. Acknowledging rights of local people and flora & fauna. No more mining in or roads through forests.
5. Create more jobs through MGNREGA in afforestation, social forestry.
6. Allocate more funds for Renewable energy generation. ( Solar, Wind, Tidal).
7. Bio- diversity protection and sustainable organic agriculture.
8. Declare all rivers as sacred and to have rights to flow freely and unpolluted. To protect and maintain all waterbodies and sources and estuaries of rivers. To pass act to that effect.
9. Pass Act to harvest rainwater to recharge ground water through bore wells and recharge shafts in river bed, soak pits and other recharge structures.
10. Accept the rights of all life forms on and access to all Natural resources.
11. No relaxation in Environment Impact Act, Wild Life Protection Act, Pollution Control Act.
12. Pass act to impose Carbon Tax on industries, vehicles, builders, town / city administrations.
13. Ban advertisements of goods or products which are not essential to simple and nature friendly lifestyle. Specially on TV, billboards, flex and with use of electricity.
14. UNO should endeavour to halt wars and conflicts between nations and ethnic groups. This will save energy and expenditure on war material and will reduce carbon emission.
14. We have also seen visible and measurable recovery in environmental quality during Covid19 lockdown when carbon emission reduced considerably specially from industries and vehicles. Covid19 pandemic has brought all Nations to work together, so it will be easy to appeal to them also to fight, still larger catastrophe on Earth due to Environmental Crisis. However there is also a fear of surge in production and consumption to recover form economic depression. This will aggravate Climate Crisis. Hence we have to guard against this. Many scientist world over have been repeatedly warning for the last 20 or so years with scientific data, about the Climate Crisis causing disasters and approaching ‘no return point’ by 2030. This will result in speeding the present 6th mass Extinction. Hence we earnestly and spiritedly appeal to you Sir, that kindly take a lead at National and International level to declare a Global Environmental Emergency to recover from Environmental Crisis and save life on Mother Earth.
*The writer is an eminent medical practitioner, nature conservationist and environmentalist
