Environmental Degradation and Terrorism – Two Ticking Time Bombs

It is bad enough for humankind to be sitting on one ticking time bomb. But the situation becomes alarming when we realize that there are multiple time bombs with their fuzes burning rapidly that threaten the very survival of the human race and our planet today. For a long time the stupor of indifference has been made even worse by active degeneration of the situation which has accelerated over the last few decades. Vested interests, lobbies of various businesses or political groupings, and the extreme hatred that is being spread in the name of religion across the length and breadth of the world are fast bringing the situation to a climax.

The first crisis relates to the plundering of our environmental resources. Things have come to a point where the glaciers and icecaps are melting rapidly, threatening to raise the levels of the seas across the world at an alarming rate. Global warming has been made worse by the depletion of the ozone layer, the protective coating of our earth which has saved the earth and its inhabitants from the harmful Ultraviolet rays of the sun. Gaping holes in this layer lead to more Ultraviolet rays bombarding the earth and its inhabitants. Amongst the ill effects of this are the increasing incidence of skin related diseases including skin cancer. To stop the depletion of this layer, we need to replace the harmful gases being used in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry with harmless gases.

We need to rein in polluting industries which are constantly spewing out harmful gases into the atmosphere. The forest coverage on the earth’s surface is also declining at an alarming pace. Human hunger for paper, timber and other products based on trees is causing this. Despite the fact that computerisation and electronic means of communications and data storage, the consumption of paper has only marginally reduced. The overall availability of potable water in the world is on the decline. The lowering of the water table and the pollution of ground water may lead to a situation where we have to ration the water we need to drink and carry out other chores. The sad part is that although the world is aware of all these dangers, but very little action is being taken to do something substantial about them.

There are world conferences on climate change participated in by leaders of all the countries, but they all end up blaming each other and urging each other to take steps, while refusing to make concrete commitments on their own part to do so. The developing world feels that the developed countries are responsible for the large share of pollution and environmental degradation carried out so far, so therefore they should play a larger role in curbing it now. They, on the other hand, feel that the developing countries must be equal contributors in this. One writer has compared this attitude with as if the developing countries joined the dinner table after the developed countries had finished their meal, and shared a cup of coffee with them. And when the bill for the entire evening is presented, the developed countries ask them to pay, not only for their share of the coffee, but for the entire meal. Differences such as these, in perceptions and interests are preventing an substantial move forward in curbing environmental loot and plunder.

The second issue relates to the ‘clash of civilisations’ or the extreme hatred that is being fostered by a section of vested interests in the name of religion, ethnicity and regions. The curse of terrorism that is affecting a major part of the world, and the wars undertaken against this are causing loss of many lives every day. Bomb blasts and terrorist attacks are taking place with alarming regularity, with even some of the so called civilized countries providing open or hidden support to terrorist organisations. Ironically, as we are witnessing in our neighbourhood, the fire started by our neighbour to destroy our house has started burning their own house down now. Although no religion in the world teaches mindless violence, religions are being used as a shelter to cause mindless violence. The attackers get bolder and bolder, more and more imaginative. There is also a danger of these terrorist organisations getting hold of Weapons of Mass Destruction such as nuclear, biological or chemical weapons. One shudders to even imagine the consequence of such a disaster. But despite the best efforts by majority of the nations, this threat does not seem to be getting any lesser as the days pass.

It is clear that the choices that we make today will decide whether we survive in the future or not. It is up to us, whether we want to choose pollution or a clean environment, even if it means some inconveniences in the way we are used to living our life. We can contribute to a cleaner environment in so many small small ways – we can shut of lights and fans which are not being used. We can stop wastage of water. We can stop using polluting materials such as polythene bags. We can encourage our elders to do the same, and to reduce the usage of vehicles by walking to close by places or sharing transport or using public transport. We need to stop wasting paper, make maximum usage of all available pieces of paper. We must recycle as much as we can. We need to plant more trees, and stop uncontrolled cutting of trees.

We also need to promote more understanding and tolerance for each other’s point of view and religions. Our leaders need to take daring initiatives to stop the spreading cancer of terrorism, and not necessarily by the use of force. The use of force may only make matters worse, as peace can never come from the barrel of a gun. There must be a genuine effort to initiate dialogue between the different parties in this clash of civilisation, and each must be made to understand that it has an equal stake in the survival of the world.

Author: Agarwal Rohit
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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