Lackadaisical industries release tonnes of pollutants into the Ganga River every year. Youngsters choose unsustainable fabrics like synthetics over more sustainable ones all in the name of trends. Pride and comfort that come with owning private vehicles make the urban middle class ignore the facility of public transport or techniques like carpooling. What is the common streak among the above-mentioned activities? Well, thousands of daily activities of human beings are contributing to ensure that mankind is moving in the direction opposite to that of the one required to achieve a ‘Green Planet’.
What exactly makes a ‘Green planet?’ A green planet is a planet that works on 4RF’s formula with sustainable development without harming nature and other creatures living beings. But what we all are living unto is just creating havoc for nature and making the lives of other creatures as well as future generation
Steps to achieve a green planet can be studied from the grassroots level. If corruption starts at home, so does the habit of corrupting nature. We all can contribute a lot in changing this planet back to a green planet zone Parents must ensure that children at home learn to separate degradable from non-bio degradable wastes, acts of littering public places must be actively discouraged, the joy of planting saplings and developing empathy for the cause of nature must be encouraged.
The Bishnoi tribes of Rajasthan saved the trees from being cut down in the Chipko Movement by hugging the trees, and the villagers participated similarly in the Appiko Movement in Karnataka, these all examples are set up by these village people who are more aware than the urban class of society. In the Indian context, a village-level Panchayat can play a very effective role in rooting out all those practices in the name of religion/culture that are harming the environment.
One more important factor in ensuring a green planet is accountability on the part of the authorities concerned. There must be accountability for the permission given to certain industries which are set up in ecologically sensitive zones. Also, regular checks of the toxicity level in the waste released by the industries are the need of the hour.
At the National level, missions like the Swachh Bharat Mission must be formulated and executed. Reformation in education to provide relevant, practical, and context-based environmental education is necessary. After all, education is like a passport for the future, and providing a qualitative education will ensure that today’s children will be better global citizens of tomorrow. Treaties at an international level must be taken more seriously, for it is only when every country, whether developing or developed contributes on the principle of equity, to can the goal of a ‘Green planet’ be attained.
For a country like India, a fine balance between development activities and pro-environmental activities needs to be maintained. Development activities aren’t necessarily the opposite of pro-environmental activities. We need to ensure that our development is truly sustainable in nature.
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