Dear Readers,
Despite living a modern life packed with a busy schedule and the comfort offered by technology to make our life easier, we do wish for simple living,; living in the lap of nature, a peaceful surrounding to soothe our minds, clear blue sky to lift our spirits and clean fresh air to breathe in. Not that we need to deny ourselves the good aspect of industrialisation. After all, the world is in a different phase now and we cannot do without innovations. However in our relentless greed for more and indiscriminate amassment of gadgets, cars and motorised equipment, we have somehow created an imbalance in nature resulting in polluted water bodies, unhealthy air quality, global warming and greenhouse effect and destruction of our furry and feathered friends who form an integral part of our living mechanism. In fact, we have come to a stage where we are a threat to our own existence as we witness earth’s temperature rising alarmingly.
These catastrophic changes have been felt sharply in the last two decades, forcing us to wake up to the realisation that the beautiful world we inhabit is on the verge of destruction by toxic gas emissions, rising temperature and depletion of natural resources. An emergency-like situation is taking place to avert further calamity. Conscious efforts are being made at different summits and forums to come to an understanding that industries need to adopt technologies that will help stabilise earth’s temperature, reduction in ozone depletion and carbon footprint, conservation of the water bodies and prevent the extinction of endangered species.
So while the leaders are working out the methodologies at the international level, we as individuals can do a lot to help save the earth and make it a better place to live. Mitigation measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions come with a cost. However, they also constitute an economic benefit by reducing the impact of climate change, thus in the long run, saving costs. Simple measures such as switching off the mobile phone charger when not in use, or lowering the thermostat of the water heater helps lower the unit consumption of energy. Using water with discretion, keeping our water bodies healthy and clean, rainwater harvesting, recycling and reusing water, groundwater recharging, planting trees etc., are some of the steps that we can take at the local and community level to help promote a greener environment.
