Nature conservation necessary to save human lives

 Lalit Garg

(The writer can be reached at lalitgarg11@gmail.com)

World Nature Conservation Day is observed every year on July 28. The danger hovering over nature and the environment currently can be understood by the extinction of many species of animals, various natural sources, and vegetation. Today, the cause of worry is not the world war, the human rights crises, any political turmoil plaguing the world, or even the defence matters of any country. The only matter of deep concern is the heat, which is taking a terrible and gruesome shape. The world over, the water sources are shrinking, and still vicious efforts to destroy the earth and nature are being pushed towards destruction. Increasing population, increasing pollution, menacing threats to the environment, ozone shields being pierced by polluted gases, excessive exploitation of nature and the environment—all these factors pose potential threats to the earth and the earthlings. Thus, the aim of World Nature Conservation Day is to realise all of these potential threats.

Every year, the temperature of the earth is becoming higher and higher. The population figure is multiplying fast around the globe, whereas the forest and agricultural lands are shrinking to the minimum. The availability of everything is becoming scarce; this includes the shortage of oxygen. At the same time, our opportunistic outlook on technological development and lifestyle is further adding to an already serious threat to the environment and nature. For the first time in history, severe heat, heat waves, and an imbalance of temperature on both ends of the earth (Antarctic and Arctic) in Europe are not common phenomena. All this is happening due to imbalances in the earth’s temperature and climate change, whose scope has now become global. Even if one dismisses this disastrous situation as a temporary phenomenon, the ground reality is that the large-scale melting of glaciers and the heat wave in Europe are gloomy indicators of a much bigger global threat that cannot be ignored. The world will have to wake up from the drowsiness of so-called development. Due to global warming, the glaciers of the Himalayas, known as the ‘Third Pole’, are melting 10 times faster. According to researchers at the United Kingdom’s Leeds University, today the rate of melting snow from the Himalayas is 10 times higher on average than at the time of the Little Ice Age—the period of the Little Ice Age between the 16th and 19th centuries. During this time, the large mountain glacier had further expanded. Scientists say the Himalayan glaciers are melting faster than the other glaciers in the world. As per an estimate by experts, the Earth’s gravitational power will shift when Antarctica’s glaciers melt off completely. Due to this, huge upheaval will be witnessed the world over—all the continents will be partially covered under the huge flood water, causing large-scale harm to biodiversity. Thousands of species living on the earth will also go extinct; thereby, a disastrous and dreadful situation will emerge on the earth. Along with this, millions of people will have to migrate from one place to another around the world. The economy and habitable space will be completely destroyed, leading the human species almost to the Stone Age. The melting of glaciers will also affect the rotation speed of the earth. This will increase the length of Earth’s day a little more. 69 percent of the potable water is stored inside the glaciers. But with the melting of glaciers, this source of pure water will be completely wasted through mixing in the oceans’ salt water.

Though for quite some time, a lot of discussions in the world have been raging about the destruction of the environment and pollution by nature, Politicians, scientists, religious leaders, and social workers are also worried about the toxic effects of destructive activities on the earth’s atmosphere and nature. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, has also been creating awareness on world forums by warning about the dangers being posed to the environment. Since nature fulfils every need of man, it is the responsibility of every person to do his bit to protect nature.

Nature is made of these three elements: water, forest, and land. If these elements are not there, then nature is incomplete without them. Most of the prosperous countries in the world are considered to be those where these three elements are abundant. The matter is not limited to the availability of these basic elements or resources. In this era of modernization, when these resources are exploited indiscriminately, these elements are also in danger of becoming extinct. The hill town of Shimla has faced acute water shortages in the past, like many cities troubled by the shortage. In India, we hear about the scarcity of drinking water in some or another city every day. Somewhere, there is a shortage of water, and somewhere, there is a flood. These days, our nation faces flood situations and heavy destruction everywhere, including the national capital, New Delhi.

World Nature Conservation Day raises awareness that a healthy environment is the foundation of a stable and healthy human society. The purpose of celebrating World Nature Conservation Day is to conserve those animals and trees that are on the verge of extinction in the Earth’s natural environment. Therefore, it is the responsibility of every person to preserve Nature. There is a need to work towards a sustainable world to ensure the health of generations to come as well as the present. It is a matter of great concern that man himself is harming the health of the earth. How strange it is that a man is the only creature who has lost himself after having everything. You tell me, where is that man who used to prevent trees from being cut even after getting himself cut off? He did not allow anyone to grab even a piece of grazing land; for him, even a drop of water was as precious as life. The sight of the cows being slaughtered in slaughterhouses used to make him restless. He was the one who did not take care of the dwarf’s selfishness in making his settlements by driving away the wild animals and birds. Now, the same man is not able to protect nature properly for his selfishness and convenience, and because of that, natural calamities are wreaking havoc again and again. It is strange to talk about floods in the desert, but these days we are seeing the dire situation of floods in many cities in Rajasthan. When man is unable to protect nature, then nature also shows its anger in the form of many natural calamities. Undoubtedly, conservation of nature and natural resources is our main priority today. One of the main goals of World Nature Conservation Day is to save endangered species of plants and animals from going extinct. Emphasis is also laid on the conservation of various elements of nature, including soil, water, air, energy sources, and plant and animal life.

The purpose of the event is to acknowledge the importance of a healthy, functional environment in maintaining a strong, prosperous human society. The purpose of celebrating it is to reflect as a species on how humans are exploiting nature and to take steps to conserve it. Due to the excessive exploitation of natural resources, man is facing the wrath of global warming, various deadly diseases, natural calamities, increased temperatures, floods, etc.