Ways to grow with minimum environmental hazard

To grow, develop and nurture is a basic human instinct. Civilizations athwart the globe and across the time have celebrated growth and people responsible for growth have always been admired and respected moreover others have been advised to get inspired by these examples. Nations from every corner of the world have made policies, provided incentives and have taken steps to smooth the progress of growth and development in economic stipulations. In the past environmental issues were not crucial as number of people on the planet and the amount of natural resources used by them were reasonably comparative. The accelerated development of technology, growing human population, and exponentially growing usage of resources along with consequent wastage has brought the environmental concern on the forefront. The inventions of non-biodegradable materials, deforestation, pollution of various kinds created by machines and automobiles have made the sustenance of this growth pattern questionable. If brought into play a new pesticide can have harmful impact on food products and soil, and the long run damage founded by it can be much more than short term benefits. An assortment of new drugs and medicines can cause severe damage to human organs in the long run. The growing industrialization and usage of automobiles may pollute the environment ultimately resulting into a series of diseases and untimely deaths of human beings. Various industrial accidents like Bhopal Gas tragedy are hard to forget for any civilized human being. The fear of intensifying temperature and meltdown of glaciers, damages caused to ozone layer, depleting drinking water, vanishing animal and plant species all can put the entire civilizations existence at risk. Hence, there is a need of embark upon these issues with conviction. The actual concerns for environmental hazards started getting voiced at national and international forums in the second half of the twentieth century. Various protocols and summits like Kyoto, Montreal and the latest Copenhagen summit are evidences of growing concern across the globe regarding environmental issues. People from every country have started thinking and working for sustainable development. A real development is the expansion which can be sustained for a long term. We cant afford to ignore the issues related to environment, if we want to hand over a beautiful earth and prosperous future potential to upcoming generations. We must look at the both sides of effects related to usage of new inventions and adoption of new processes. Our experiences with legislations and summits have taught us the hard way that a lot more needs to be done. The issue of sustainable development or growth with ecological protection may be ensured with following four steps:1) Creating awareness through media and education-No universal problem can be solved without creating awareness about it to all. For this, environmental study should have been made the essential as well a compulsory part of education at all levels in all streams. It should be given the same significance or paramount respect what we give to the education of languages, technology, mathematics also general awareness. Secondly, the power of all types of media including print, electronic, internet, campaigns should be harnessed to the maximum to make people know about the environmental impact of their consumption or activities, furthermore their probable consequences. 2) Making un-compromise legislations- Even though we have various legislations related to protection of wildlife, conservation of forest etc. and there are government institutions and ministries to look after environment, but its obviously not sufficient! There is a need to enact

legislations which make intentional damages caused to environment as serious as causing damages to human lives or sovereign nations. We must realize that if environment does not sustain then nothing will. People with power and contacts should not be allowed to remain unpunished if they have committed crimes against environment. 3) Emphasizing research on environmental protection-In order to ensure growth without environmental hazards, researches related to it must be given due priority. We spend billions of rupees on researches related to industries, defense, and health etc. nevertheless environmental researches still do not attract best talents or substantial resources. There is a solemn and serious call for to promote environmental researches with the cooperation of both governments and private sector at every possible level.Universities, institutes and research agencies must work in this direction in every related discipline area. There is also a need to facilitate environmental researches at local levels to find alternative ways, habits along with conducts of production and consumption which are environment friendly. 4) Balancing the distribution of Income-One of the major causes of environmental hazards is the fact, people in large number struggling for survival every day in the singular parts of the world. An individual, who is not sure of his next meal, cant be susceptible, sensitive and predisposed to possible problems or evils generating in future years or hardships that will be caused to next generation. The person struggling for his next meal cant be sensitive to conservation of tigers or forests. It is futile to motivate someone to work for tiger conservation. For him survival at any cost is the fact of life. No campaign or legislation can stop a starving individual to cause environmental damage. This is evident in damages caused to forest in areas full of poor people and a large number pf poverty stricken employees working for dangerous and environment damaging occupations. Hence, enough honest efforts must be made to create a reasonable balance in the distribution of income. The poverty of masses also makes the economic growth unsustainable in many ways including sustainability in environmental terms. In order to ensure the growth with safe environment these points should be considered by policymakers and general public at large. Human beings survive on hope of better future, and without protecting environment we lose the hope of bright future. Its the case of saving our hope and our environment. Authored by: Dr. Manoj Kumar, Professor, Pearl Academy of Fashion Management, Jaipur. Mr. Vivek Joshi, Asst. Professor, Pearl Academy of Fashion Management, Jaipur