Environmental Pollution – Some pertinent issues

Hemchandra Saikia (saikia. hemchandra@rediffmail. com) Since many decades the human race is experiencing disturbing and deleterious effect of environmental pollution across the globe and its main responsible factor is none other than injudicious actions of human beings in the quest of satisfying their unlimited wants and greed of varied types in the name of marching ahead in various fronts.

As a result, the whole world is experiencing the conspicuous problem of various types of pollution like air pollution, soil pollution and water pollution, resulting in development of numerous diseases, disorders, temperature rise, sea level rise, climate change, ecological imbalance, loss of bio-diversity, flood, destruction of ecosystems, drought, erratic rainfall and so on, causing great hardship to the peaceful and developmental life of human beings on a sustainable basis. The main causes of environmental pollution that all know are: ill-planned industrialization, urbanization, extensive use of automobiles, excessive exploitation of natural resources, increasing population pressures, intensive and injudicious agricultural practices, injudicious use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, deforestation, forest fire, excessive use of plastics and other many sources of developmental activities capable of emitting various pollutant which are ultimately aggravating the menace of our environmental pollution. So all the issues that are creating, or are capable of creating environmental pollution, need to be understood by all human being across the world in right ways and extent and remedial fruitful actions must be implemented at the right time and place on a very sustainable basis with mass cooperation at all level.

Picture of Environmental pollution: Various national and international reports in different times are reporting the magnitude of environmental pollution and establish that ever-increasing rate of environmental pollution is a great threat to mankind and its peaceful existence with sustainable development. For example, according to WHO, nine out of ten people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants and research revealed that about 8–9% of the total disease burden may be attributed to pollution. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization states that annually 75 billion tons of soil, the equivalent of nearly 10 million hectares, which is about 25 million acres, of arable land is lost to erosion, water-logging and salivation and another 20 million hectares is abandoned because its soil quality has been degraded.

Again, the World Bank revealed that deforestation and forest degradation contribute about 12% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. It is also reported that currently, 3. 2 billion people – 40% of the world’s population– suffer from the continued degradation of ecosystems, for example by losing access to fertile soil or safe drinking water.

According to the UN, due to the exploitation and destruction of our planet’s ecosystems. , every three seconds, the world also loses enough forest to cover a football pitch and over the last century we have destroyed half of our wetlands. As much as 50 per cent of our coral reefs have already been lost and up to 90 per cent of coral reefs could be lost by 2050, even if global warming is limited to an increase of 1.

5°C. The same organization has also opined that world loses about 4. 7 million hectares of tropical forest every year, resulting not only the loss of biodiversity but also ecological imbalance and loss of valuable ecosystems.

Thus, there are many facets of environmental pollution with varied dimension affecting our human existence and its civilization and its peace and progress. Thus there are many established reports or research findings which signify the menace of environmental pollution to mankind. Today, the human race is experiencing climate change, temperature rise, global warming or green house effect, soil degradation, emergence of dreaded disease, pest, and other natural calamities or disasters which have stood as great threats to our human civilization and its peaceful and safe existence of human life, besides other flora and fauna.

So, one thing is very clear that we must stop or control pollution to the extent possible and will need regular fruitful intervention. Relevance of World Environment Day: World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated annually on June 5 every year since 1974 with different suitable themes and is the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for protection of the environment and is a global platform for public outreach, with participation of over 143 countries annually for raising awareness on environmental issue such as marine pollution, human over-population, global warming, sustainable consumption and wildlife crime. As environmental pollution is a great threat to mankind and its peaceful and developmental existence with sustainability, so there is always a need to celebrate a great event like World Environment Day in true spirit.

It will be a continuous event for the greater interest of mankind and its desire to fulfill various wants or needs, but it must not at the cost of environment and its resources on a unsustainable basis. It is worthwhile to mention here that The United Nations General Assembly has declared the years 2021 to 2030 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with an aim to prevent, halt, and reverse the loss and degradation of ecosystems worldwide. It also aims at reviving hundreds of millions of hectares, covering terrestrial as well as aquatic ecosystems.

A global call to action, the UN Decade draws together political support, scientific research, and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. This is really a very appreciable approach of this reputed international organization for the greater cause of mankind as the ecosystems, rather its proper use and restoration, has great or crucial role in getting a very pollution-free environment besides restoration of ecological balance, biodiversity and many more. This does not mean that we should pay due attention only in one parameter of environmental pollution.

Rather, all the causes of environmental pollution must be addressed properly at the right time and place. Only then can human beings expect a very desirable and sustainable environment free of any type of pollution with its minimum affect. So, this year’s World Environment Day theme also reflects the very slogan of sustainable management of environment as ‘Only One Earth’, giving due emphasis on “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature” where role of we human beings will be crucial.

Thus, there is ever existing essential need for a due protection, prevention and control of our earth environment from the ill-effects of environmental pollution in the world. For this we all need to understand the very danger of environmental pollution at all levels irrespective of caste, creed, or institutional or geographical boundaries and have to be successful in true sense in our war against environmental pollution with our honest, sincere, effective and dedicated fruitful efforts in the form of idea, innovation, action, skill, management, monitoring and evaluation of all efforts and actions of right policies and programme in right time and place. Otherwise, our beautiful world will be not remain fit for sustainable living with due amount of peace, prosperity and safety.

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