Activities for Environmental Protection

It is a matter of great regret that we remember those life-giving, life-related or in simple words, the basic foundation of life on earth, such as air, water, land, food, light, trees, plants and animals, which used to be an integral part of our daily routine and culture, on a particular day in 365 days. We talk about big things from big air-conditioned platforms with small thoughts and small mouths and write articles. After that, we again get busy in fulfilling our selfish greed. We are so caught up in the cycle of artificial life that after these special days, we do not remember anything to do. What is the use of remembering that which is present in our every breath on a particular day? Remembering all the factors related to the environment on a particular day seems very ironic. Just as we cannot survive by consuming air, water and food only on one particular day in the year, similarly, by remembering the environment or environmental factors only on one day in 365 days and on that particular day, by boasting about protecting and preserving the environment or environmental factors with great enthusiasm and by putting up decorative platforms for entertainment at some places, there is not going to be even the slightest change in any direction or condition of the environment. What do I have to do with the environment? Environmental protection is not just my job; I have just got an AC installed. In this pursuit of self, one day it will not remain mine either and everything will be destroyed.
If we look into the past history, we humans have been only nature worshippers. When we were worshippers of natural resources like air, water, land, sun, moon, earth etc., then in reality the environment on the entire earth was clean and prosperous. With the harmony of all living beings, humans had a truly happy and prosperous life, there was happiness, there was joy. We were frugal towards natural resources. We used to collect or store only as much as was necessary for life. We used water, air, food and land along with all other resources provided by nature in a limited manner and never misused them. That is why there were abundant natural resources available. Perhaps man represents life on earth. And to save life on earth, we will have to be frugal by nature and nature, not luxurious. Being frugal does not mean being miserly. Being frugal simply means using only as much of what we need. Whatever it may be, after all, we are getting all the things from nature only, with frugality we should always be grateful to all the factors that give us life. As we have become or are becoming luxurious by abandoning morality in every sphere of life, we are destroying the environment and nature. And only man is responsible for the deteriorating conditions of nature and environment, not any other living being. We have become so engrossed in the material development of resources and comforts that no country, state, district, village or individual ever pays attention to the environment. Almost all developed and developing countries (and individuals) are busy competing to come first in the global index of construction of machines and buildings by misusing biological resources to the fullest, without caring about the destruction of all environmental factors and biodiversity and are destroying everything in the name of development.
When the rain destroyed a lot by arbitrarily drying up the agriculture, and after constant warnings from environmental thinkers and scientists, the attention of some countries was drawn towards the environment apart from political greed. After this, the first environment conference was held in Stockholm on 5 June 1972. In which 122 countries participated. Out of which 70 developing countries were included along with developed countries. In all the environment and human development conferences held after the Stockholm conference, no developed country has fully adopted the rules, laws and protocols and neither has reduced carbon
emissions. As per the saying “Bhola ki lugai sab ki bhaujai”, all the rules, laws and protocols are being imposed on poor countries by putting pressure on them. This is about rich and poor countries. Similarly, like a few rich countries, about 15 to 20 percent rich (extremely luxury loving) people in all the countries of the world are harming the environment for their pleasure and comfort. Poor countries and poor people are surviving due to environment and natural resources. They do not have anything to harm the environment. Be it a country or a person, the rich spread dirt and the poor clean it. The rich pollute the air and the poor plant trees. There are huge discrepancies in the world.
Now in all the global, national, regional, district environment conferences, the organizers and participants come in AC vehicles and go to the AC conference hall and give lectures, advice and statistics on environment. The poor are there only to plant trees, to implement those advices and lectures. We say that according to the saying “Jaake pair na jaaye bivai, wo ka jaane peer parayi”, the World Environment Conference should be held in an open ground in a hot place like Africa without any pomp and show. All the heads of states along with the security agencies participating there should hold the conference for one or two hours in an open ground; then these luxury-loving political masters will know what environment is and why environmental protection is necessary.
It was also very surprising to know that the environment which should be a part of our daily routine and at every level of education from the beginning, in our country, for the first time in MC Mehta vs Union of India 1992, Supreme Court Case-358, Page-361 Para-6, on the order of the Supreme Court, environment was made compulsory in the classes of high school and intermediate for the state government and education boards. Compared to all other education, environmental education is very important because environment is life and if there is life then everything is there.
The government and the court have passed many acts for environmental protection and such acts will continue to be made in the future; but this will not give much benefit. – “Samarth ka nahi dosh Gusai” According to him, in the name of development and public welfare, the government may destroy as many ponds, rivers, forests and jungles as it wants, but if the people suffering and struggling from climate change protest, the government orders lathi charge on them, and if a poor person cuts a small tree causing disturbance in his house, an FIR is lodged against him. This is also a big political and social anomaly. Recently, in Jharkhand, the government ordered to cut thousands of hectares of Hardev forest to extract coal. When hundreds of JCB machines reached there to destroy the forests, the residents and environment lovers there protested against it and the police lathi-charged them, in which hundreds of people were seriously injured. At the same time, in Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh, the government wants to cut and destroy thousands of hectares of forests only because there is a possibility of finding diamonds under that forest land. Now what should be said that all the creatures along with us can neither survive by eating coal nor diamonds. Pure food, water and air are gems for living beings. Therefore, there is no bigger treasure on this earth than the healthy life of all living beings; trees, plants and animals are each other’s biggest and most valuable treasure.
Environmental protection is the physical, moral and spiritual duty of the individual, society, nation and the world. Which can be fulfilled only through participation. In which the individual is a unit and all countries are the whole.
One thing should always be remembered that – “The inclusion of unnatural things in the ecological (bio) system always causes suffering and destruction.”