Drafted by Shubham Sharma
Whenever we hear GREEN the first thing comes to our mind are leaves, trees, parks, forest and related to these things. This natural environment plays a significant role in all the life forms which exist around the globe. Is the Present amount of natural green is enough for survival! The answer is no.
Since 1974, we commemorate THE WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY on 5 JUNE. This year Pakistan will host. The theme of this year’s World Environment Day is ‘Reimagine. Recreate. Restore.’ as this year marks the beginning of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
HOW THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT DEPLETED?
In the wake of the industrial revolution, European Nations started racing among themselves for power and money. They started colonializing the countries which are full of nature. Example AFRICA, INDIAN, AMERICAIN SUB-CONTINENT ETC. They started cutting down forests in massive amounts to build urban cities, big factories, roads, etc. Hence, resulting in deforestation. Not only we lost forests but also ethnic cultures, groups, tribes, wildlife around the globe.
Even after the industrial revolution, developing nations also did the same, like polluting the natural environment. That led to water scarcity, air pollution, the Greenhouse effect, acid rain, desertification, ozone depletion, etc.
It takes more than 100 years to grow the forest but only some months to vanish them.
REALIZATION to RESTORATION
After ruthlessly degrading the natural environment, people started observing environmental problems, like desertification, water scarcity, water pollution, air pollution, etc. Then in 1974, UN General Assembly designated 5 June as WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY. World Environment Day became the world platform for problems that our environment is facing today. Sustainable development Goal. “15” aims to protect, restore and promote ecosystems, forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
In India, the “Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972” provided the declaration of certain areas as wildlife sanctuaries, national parks by the state government. In 1977 article 48A was added in the Indian constitution stating that “The State shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country”. Similarly, several committees were established. Forest cover over India increased from 21% to 24.56% in the last decade but yet to achieve 33% as per India’s forest policy. After understanding the importance, the governments, NGOs, and even individuals are participating in planting trees.
The concept of URBAN FOREST also in vogue across the globe. As 60% of the world population will shift to urban cities by 2030. In many countries, numerous projects are underway to maintain the ecological balance.
In India, Prakash Javadekar (Indian Minister for Environment, Forests, and Climate Change) launched the NAGAR VAN project on World Environment Day. The scheme aims to create urban forest cover in 200 cities across the country in the next five years.
LUNGS OF THE EARTH
Trees act as the “lungs” of the earth by converting carbon dioxide to oxygen. This everybody knows but still no one care. Now in this pandemic of CORONA, nature teaches us that without GREEN, you can never survive. You can see the condition across the globe that everyone is running for oxygen cylinder and thousands of peoples have died without it. Due to this, black marketing started taking place for the thing which is free for everyone.
Now companies are manufacturing oxygen concentrators but polluting the environment in the manufacturing process. But this is the need today.
Time forth, we have to make our lungs strong to fight this situation but first, we should make the earth’s lung stronger.
OUR PROTECTOR AGAINST NATURAL DISASTERS
Not only do forests provide us oxygen but they also act as a barrier to protect us from the wrath of natural calamities.
Mangrove forests are the first line of defense for coastal communities. They have a complex root system and thick trunk, which is very efficient in dissipating the sea wave energy thus protecting the area from a tsunami, cyclone waves, soil erosion. With their dense network of roots, they filter and trap sediments, heavy metals, and other pollutants and protect sensitive habitats like coral reefs and seagrass beds below. Their defensive role has been widely recognized especially, after the devastating Tsunami of 2004.
Forest on mountains holds the soil tightly which prevents land to erode and helps in reducing landslides.
CULTURALLY PRESERVED FOREST
“Sacred groves” are any groves of trees that are of special religious importance to a particular culture.
Sacred groves scattered all over India. In 2002, an amendment was brought in the Wildlife protection act, 1972 to include sacred groves forests under the act, maintained by NGO and local communities. Hunting and logging are strictly prohibited in these areas as they are associated with the presiding deity. The majority of these are associated with Hindu Gods. Some cultures of Islamic and Buddhist are also associated.
Gurjar of Rajasthan has a unique practice of neem planting and worshipping. Mangar Bani, the last surviving natural forest of Delhi, is protected by Gurjars in the nearby area. The Kodavas of Karnataka maintained over 1000 sacred groves in Kodagu alone.
The concept of sacred groves is not only limited to India but also present in many other countries.
In NEPAL sacred Lumbini grove is a Buddhist Pilgrimage Site in Rupandehi District in Nepal.
ESTONIA estimated that there are around 2500 sacred groves sites.
In the USA, the bohemian sacred groves are maintained by a bohemian club member.
ARC-“The Alliance of Religions and Conservation” (ARC) is a secular organization, founded by Prince Philip in 1995 that helps the world’s major religions to develop environmental programs based on their core teachings, beliefs, and practices. It also helps the secular environment groups work with the faiths to protect the natural world.
We only learn the importance of things when it is in immediate demand but less available. We have never checked our oxygen level before. But now, the majority of families are having an oximeter as we are witnessing the importance of oxygen in the corona pandemic.
The government policies should be monitored from the ground level. Urban forest officers should be assigned to enforce the law of tree plantations in urban and semi-urban areas. In every village, panchayat should take responsibility for planting trees and give rewards for their effort.
Parents and schools should start giving lessons to their children from a very young age on “How to conserve the environment?”.
“The world has enough for man’s need but not enough for man’s greed!”- MAHATMA GANDHI
As we have seen above, many must already know the importance of the environment and the power of “Green”. So on this world environment day, let’s pledge to plant at least one tree and cheer GREEN.
