Although the struggle to conserve the environment is real, the results are hardly promising. Every environmentalist around the world is shouting at the top of his/her voice to let everyone know what’s coming our way. If we don’t do something right now, then there will be no world left for the future generations.
You may be wondering how can this happen especially when the concerns about environmental degradation is at the top of the news section every day. With alarming levels of pollution in our cities and overuse of natural resources where are we heading? Do you know why we are not able to win the fight against degradation even after trying for many decades? Read ahead to enlighten yourself about the ill-effects of inefficient acceptance of eco-friendly methods in every aspect of our lives:
Improper waste disposal
Recycling and reusing are the new cool words in everyone’s dictionary nowadays, but are we doing anything about our carbon footprint? The waste in landfills is increasing at an alarming rate, and same is the case with ocean waste. So, the question that we need to ask ourselves is, “What are we missing”? You cannot dispose of the waste that all of us are generating, so the solution is not recycling or reusing, it is reducing our unnecessary uses. Not every member in our family requires a personal vehicle, personal television and similar luxuries; however, we gift our spouses and children all these beautiful products to make them happy, without realising the amount of waste that those products are producing. All our waste disposal techniques lack efficiency because the ratio of waste disposal to waste generation is negligible. Think before you say that we are becoming a green planet because the world is turning grey every minute of the day.
Incapable of population control
Overpopulation should be the primary concern because not only is the population increasing at a tremendous rate but the consequences are enhancing exponentially too. We are incapable of controlling the population, no matter how many rules and regulations have been levied upon the citizens of every country. The problem is not the growth in the number of people; the issues are what they bring with them, i.e. the need for more products & services and reason to increase pollution & waste. The number of cars, utensils and even the amount of energy consumption increases significantly when a new member enters your family, right? Now take the entire world as your sample area and imagine the number. Sounds frightening, right?
The world birth rate is 250 births every minute, and world death rate is 105 deaths every minute. Now the math is pretty straightforward!
Inefficient business practices
Do you guide your employees toward the right path? Are your inspiration for them to become an eco-conscious person? Do you know how many tons of smoke do all the factories in the world emit? We all know that the number would be unimaginable, but what are we doing to reduce it? Yes, the technology world is inventing efficient methods of production and distribution, but they are not enough to curb the problems right away. As already mentioned above, the ratio of better practices to traditional ones is negligible, and the results are a grey world, which is becoming incapable of supporting the human race slowly.
Negligence towards eco-friendly growth
In a report published in 1972 the members of the Club of Rome, a group of political and scientific thinkers, cited disturbing environmental scenarios that resulted from the unbridled growth of population, pollution and depletion of natural resources that would eventually lead to the collapse of the physical growth of the planet.
Eventually, the Brundtland commission, established by the world leaders, in 1983 shifted their focus towards the rehabilitation of the environment. All this has been parallel to the unmindful growth and development around the world.
Countries world over have been negligent towards eco-friendly growth as they overemphasise on the benefits that accrue out of economic growth in an unsustainable fashion. The leaders view fast-paced economic growth as the ultimate resort to progress even if that involves feeding on natural resources and emit waste that pollutes the environment.
Manufacturing that involves environmentally unsustainable methods is more profitable globally which fulfils the human desire and the need to sustain the human population for future generations. This argument has been supported by many countries, and hence they have been increasingly negligent towards eco-friendly methods of manufacturing. In this context, a fine balance between growth and sustainability of the environment needs to be ensured as growth without an eye on the environment is unsustainable in the long run.
Lack of awareness
Do you know how bad the paint of your house and office is for the environment? Have you got a proper inspection done before getting it done? What about the furniture and appliances? Are they energy efficient? Questions like these and many more are not known to many. Some of us don’t even know why you should recycle paper and reduce our consumption of plastic. Similarly, do you know why you should avoid using air-conditioners which are not energy efficient? What is CFC? There are millions of toxic elements and gases in the world, which is eating away the green of our environment slowly, but consistently. If we want to curb it entirely, then the solution does not lie in our offices, it lies in our minds and behaviours. We need to be aware of why is there a need for recycling and reusing certain products and inform others who don’t know the proper reasons. Each one of us needs to be a leader and guide the unaware in the right direction.
To conclude our increased emphasis on economic growth and development has been diametrically opposite to the sustainability of our environment. There has been an increased emphasis on the use of alternative sources of energy albeit rather slowly in the past few decades. So, now is the time to rethink our global priorities and replenish the loss done to the environment.
Author Bio: Sarah Williams, Inspection Officer of Paint-inspection, has a couple of years of experience in the construction industry, where she observed the adverse effects of paints and other coats. With her expertise and knowledge, she has made it a point to inform all her readers about the harmful effects of paints to minimise the damage.
You must log in to post a comment.