Environmental pollution: Some pertinent issues

Hemchandra Saikia 

(saikia.hemchandra@rediffmail.com)

Since many decades on, the human race in the entire world has been experiencing the disturbing and deleterious effects of environmental pollution, and its main responsible factor is none other than the injudicious actions of human beings in the quest to satisfy their unlimited wants and greed of varied types in the name of marching ahead in development on 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 the development of numerous diseases and disorders, temperature rise, sea level rise, climate change, ecological imbalance, loss of biodiversity, floods, destruction of ecosystems, drought, erratic rainfall, and so on, causing great hardship to the peaceful and developmental lives of human beings on a sustainable basis. The main causes of environmental pollution that we all know are: ill-planned industrialization, urbanisation, 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 fires, excessive use of plastics, and many other sources of developmental activities capable of emitting various pollutants, ultimately very well aggravating the menace of our environmental pollution. So all the issues that are creating or capable of creating environmental pollution need to be understood by all human beings across the world in the right ways and extents, and remedial fruitful actions must be implemented at the right time and place on a very sustainable basis with mass cooperation at all levels.

A picture of environmental pollution: Various national and international reports at different times are reporting the magnitude of environmental pollution and establishing that the ever-increasing rate of environmental pollution is a great threat to mankind and its peaceful existence with sustainable development. For example, according to the WHO, 9 out of 10 people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants, and research revealed that about 8–9 percent of the total disease burden may be attributed to pollution. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation states that annually, 75 billion metric tonnes of soil, the equivalent of nearly 10 million hectares, which is about 25 million acres, of arable land, are lost to erosion, waterlogging, and salivation, and another 20 million hectares are abandoned because their 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 loses enough forest to cover a football pitch, and over the last century, we have destroyed half of our wetlands. As much as 50 percent of our coral reefs have already been lost, and up to 90 percent could be lost by 2050, even if global warming is limited to an increase of 1.5 °C.  The same organisation also opined that the world loses about 4.7 million hectares of tropical forest every year, resulting in not only the loss of biodiversity but also ecological imbalance and the loss of valuable ecosystems. Thus, there are many facets of environmental pollution with varied dimensions affecting our human existence, its civilisation, and its peace and progress. Thus, there are many established reports or research findings that signify the menace of environmental pollution to mankind. Today, the human race of the entire world is experiencing climate change, temperature rise, global warming or the greenhouse effect, soil degradation, the emergence of dreaded diseases, pests, and other natural calamities or disasters that have stood as great threats to our human civilisation and the peaceful and safe existence of human life, besides other flora and fauna. So, one thing is very clear: 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, is the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of the environment, and is a global platform for public outreach, with participation from over 143 countries annually for raising awareness on environmental issues such as marine pollution, human overpopulation, global warming, sustainable consumption, and wildlife crime. As environmental pollution is a great threat to mankind and its peaceful and developmental existence with sustainability, there is always a need to celebrate a great event like World Environment Day in true spirit, and it will be a continuous event for the greater interest of mankind and its desire to fulfil various wants or needs, but it must not be at the cost of the environment and its resources on an unsustainable basis.

It is worthwhile to mention here that the United Nations General Assembly has declared the years 2021 to 2030 the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (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 organisation for the greater cause of mankind as an ecosystem; rather, its proper use and restoration have a great or crucial role in getting a very pollution-free environment besides the restoration of ecological balance, biodiversity, and many more. This does not mean that we should pay due attention to only one parameter of environmental pollution; rather, all the causes of environmental pollution must be addressed properly at the right time and place. Then only we, the human beings, can expect a very desirable and sustainable environment free of any type of pollution with its minimum effect.

In fact, we human beings always need a continuous and effective effort to address all the issues affecting our totality of our environment, ecosystem, biodiversity, and sustainability in everynook and cranny across the world. Hence, the very theme for this year’s World Environment Day, “Land Restoration, Desertification, and Drought Resilience,” has ever-existing importance for the peaceful existence of mankind with a sustainable environment and economic development. Restoration of land in its due fertile and physical condition is crucial for the desirable existence and development of mankind, flora and fauna, and without sound and healthy land, we are all helpless. That is why our great legendary personality and Bharat Ratna of Assam, Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, rightly mentions his concern about land as “Without land, we are helpless.” Moreover, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification reported that up to 40 percent of the planet’s land is degraded, directly affecting half of the world’s population and threatening roughly half of global GDP (US 44 trillion). The same institution also mentioned that the number and duration of droughts have increased by 29 percent since 2000, and without urgent action, droughts will affect over three-quarters of the world’s population by 2050. 

Thus, there is an ever-existing essential need for 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 the true sense in our war against environmental pollution with our honest, sincere, effective, and dedicated fruitful efforts in the form of ideas, innovation, action, skill, management, monitoring, and evaluation of all efforts and actions of the right policies and programmes at the right time and place. Otherwise, our beautiful world will not remain fit for sustainable living with the due amount of peace, prosperity, and safety. So, let us duly understand the benefits of tree plantation, afforestation, sustainable use of natural resources, and sustainable developmental activities of mankind with minimum harm to environmental entities, ecosystems, biodiversity, etc., and then only we may address issues or natural calamities like the effects of climate change, temperature rise, sea level rising, melting of glaciers, land degradation, land erosion, landslides, damage to properties and human resources, death due to excessive heat waves or wind, etc. So let us think, understand, realise, and act effectively and collectively for our sustainable future.