Class XI English

Hornbill
The Ailing Planet: The Green Movement’s Role
Notes
Introduction
In this chapter, the writer raises an issue towards the deteriorating health of the earth and the factors that
are responsible for its declining health. The chapter was originally an article written by Nani Palkhivala
which was published in the newspaper ‗The Indian Express‘ on November 23, 1994. The issues that he
raised regarding the declining health of the earth continue to have relevance. As human beings have been
exploiting natural resources for decades, the condition of the environment has become critical. In 1972,
the Green Movement helped environmentalists to raise awareness about the harmful condition of the
earth and since then there has been no looking back. The writer also focuses on overpopulation,
deforestation and what should be our responsibility towards the environment.
Explanation
The Green Movement
The writer discusses the Green Movement which started in 1972 and has brought a change in the
perception of people regarding the environment. The writer extends a profound insight into the current
scenario and briefs the change in the perception of the societies from a materialistic view to the
comprehensive and ecological view of the world. It states that humans are now worrying about the
environment. According to this perception, our planet is considered as a living organism. People consider it as
having its own metabolic functioning just like all other living entities.
The Concept of Sustainable Development
In 1987, the term Sustainable Development was used by the World Commission on Environment and
Development. It defined the idea as the development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. It means that we should pursue
development for our present needs but at the same time we should also be careful about the needs of the
future generations as well.
Man and the Other Living Species
Man has been considered as the most dangerous being on the planet. A zoo in Lusaka, Zambia has a cage
in which a sign reads ‗The World‘s most dangerous animal‘ and one can see a mirror inside. It gives us a
message that human beings are the most dangerous animals on earth. We must utilize the natural resources
in such a way that we are able to fulfill our needs as well as conserve these resources for the upcoming
generations. People must consider themselves as partners and not as owners of this planet. In actuality, we
are partners with millions of creatures of this entire planet.
Earth‘s Principal Biological Systems
Brandt Commission raised a question ―Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing
deserts, impoverished landscapes and ailing environment?‖
There are four principal biological systems that form the foundation of the global economic system -
fisheries, grasslands, forests, and croplands. These virtually consist of all the raw materials of industries at
present. A non-sustainable utilization of these resources is occurring. These four systems also provide food
and raw materials for industries except for minerals and synthetics. With these systems becoming
unsustainable, fisheries will collapse, the forest will slowly disappear, grasslands will turn into barren
wasteland and croplands will become worse.
Forests Destroyed by Mankind
The writer is also concerned about the lessening of the forest land. The dung is being burnt as fuel, thus
depriving the soil of natural fertilizer. In poor countries, forests are being cut down for fuel wood which is
used for cooking purposes. There are some areas where the cost of fuel wood is more than the cost of
food. This is leading to deforestation at an alarming rate.
Then the writer refers to Article 48A of the Constitution of India which states that the state should guard and
improve the forest and the wildlife as well. But the law is not imposed appropriately. Then the writer refers to
a Parliamentary committee report which says that the decline of forests is at the rate of 3.7 million acres
every year. The United Nations cautions that the environment has deteriorated so severely that it is critical in
many of the 88 countries examined.
The Menace of Overpopulation
One of the reasons for the exploitation of the environment is the increasing population. It is observed that
about one million population is increasing in every four days. This is not a good sign. There is an urgent
need to control overpopulation in the world. Population and poverty are directly proportional to each
other. Development is the best contraceptive for this problem as it will help in reduction in fertility,
increase in education, income and improvement in health.
Era of Responsibility
We must see the world as a whole and not as dissociated parts. It is a holistic and ecological view.
According to Lester brown, we have not inherited the earth from our forefathers but we have borrowed it
from our future generations. The writer at this point once more repeats the positive change in view of the
people regarding ecology. Industries must also take responsibility for a better eco system.
To conclude, the situation of this planet is in a critical condition and now we must do our best to save it.

Summary
 First Nation-wide Green Party: established in 1972
 Worldview shifted from mechanistic to holistic and ecological
 Realization that the planet is a living organism in declining health due to human impact on its natural
resources
 Sustainable development is the key to human survival and prosperity in future
 Humans, the ‗world‘s most dangerous animal‘, are custodians of future
 Undiscovered species exist in large number but we may never discover their identity if we do not
conserve their habitats.
 Lester R. Brown‘s book ‗The Global Economic Prospect‘ identifies four principal biological systems
 of the earth – fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands which provide food supply and raw material
for our survival
 Over fishing and deforestation, coupled with uncontrolled population explosion, has led to the
collapse of fisheries, disappearance of forest cover, conversion of grasslands to barren wastelands and
the deterioration of crops.
 We lose an acre and a half of forests every second and the World Bank estimates a five- fold increase
in the rate of forest planting to cope with the demand for fuel wood.
 The author laments that laws are never respected or enforced in India, for example, Article 48 A of
the Constitution.
 Fertility falls as incomes rise, education spreads and health improves. Thus development, which may
ensure rise in income, is the best contraceptive.
 Development itself is not possible without a control on population explosion. More children mean
increased poverty as well as increased demand on our natural resources.
 Era of responsibility- awareness of our role and need for sustainable development
 Industry must join the cause and work towards becoming eco friendly.
 We are tenants of the planet and are required to keep it repaired and well- maintained for generations
to come.

VOCABULARY
Gripped – clutch; hold
Green Movement – It is a movement which stresses people to follow environmentally friendly practices.
Irrevocably – in a way that cannot be changed or reversed
Holistic and Ecological View – It means a view for the preservation of the environment. It also refers to
the understanding of importance of earth‘s resources for the use of future generations
Revolutionary – evolving a complete change
Metabolic needs – needs of a living organism that enables them to have a chemical process that causes
food to be used for growth and energy
Ethical Obligation – when someone is required to do something based on a righteous standard of rules
Stewards – manage or to look after
Sustainable Development – economic development without depletion of natural resources
Dawned – begin
Catalogued – classify; characterize
Reckon – calculate
Languish – lose or lack of vitality of a person or plant or animal; grow weak
Ignominious darkness – disgraced as no one has knowledge about them
Inter Alia – among other things
Scorched – burn the surface with heat of fire
Impoverished – made poor
Ailing – in poor health
Synthetics – artificial substance
Impaired – weakened or damaged
Barren wastelands – barely inhabitable piece of land
Deteriorate – become progressively worse; decline
Decimated – to reduce in number
Procure – obtain with care or effort
Precede – come before in order or position
Patrimony – property inherited from father or ancestor
Deprives – prevent a person from using something
Endeavour – trying hard to achieve something
Anguish – pain; suffering
Casteism – discrimination on the grounds of caste
Catastrophic Depletion – a harmful reduction in a number of something
Distorting – deform; disfigure
Beget – give life to
Condemns – finds guilty of something
Sterilised – made free from bacteria or other micro organisms
Voluntary – done or given of one‘s free will
Coercion – force
Perpetuation – keep going
Hutments – collection of huts
Transcending Concern – a concern that existed for a very long time and has passed down from one
generation to another
Demise – death
Ushered – guide someone somewhere
Decisively – clear and definitive
Felicitous – well-chosen
Freehold – permanent tenure of land or property
Tenancy – possession of the land
Questions & Answers
1. How are the earth‘s principal biological systems being depleted?
Ans: There are four principal biological systems - fisheries, grasslands, forests, and croplands. These
four systems provide food and raw materials for industry except for minerals and synthetics. These
systems have reached an unsustainable point where their productivity has been impaired by excessive
use. As a result, fisheries are collapsing, deforestation is taking place, grasslands are turning into barren
wasteland and croplands are becoming worse. Overfishing is very common nowadays where people are
becoming protein-conscious. In poor countries, the forest is being cut down on a large scale to obtain
wood for cooking. In some areas, firewood is costlier than food. Many species are under destruction in
tropical forests.

2. Why does the author aver that the growth of world population is one of the strongest factors distorting
the future of human society?
Ans: The author avers that the growth of world population is one of the strongest factors behind the
distortion of the future of mankind because overpopulation leads to unemployment, rise in poor health
conditions and ultimately poverty. It deteriorates the environment and the four principal biological
systems.
The rich are getting richer and the poor are begetting more children which leads to more unemployment.
Development is the best contraceptive which will lead to more employment, rise in health conditions and
improvement in education. It also results in a reduction in fertility rate. We have to choose between
population control and keeping up with poverty.
3. Laws are never respected nor enforced in India. Discuss.
Ans: According to Article 48A of the Constitution of India, the state should try to protect and improve
the environment and must protect the forest and wildlife of the country. But the painful fact is that laws
are not followed in India. For example, casteism, untouchability and bonded labour are said to be
abolished in India but are still in practice. Over the last four decades, India is losing forests at a harmful
rate of 3.7 million acres a year as per the report of Parliament‘s Estimates Committee. The large area of
forestland is now treeless and the actual loss is estimated to be eight times the rate given by government
statistics.
4. The problems of overpopulation directly affect our everyday life. Justify.
Ans: The growth of world population puts a severe strain on the earth‘s principal biological systems. Due
to excessive human claims these reach an unsustainable level where their productivity is damaged.
Development is not possible if world population continues to grow so rapidly. Overpopulation leads to
many problems that affect mankind and natural resources. It leads to hunger, poverty and unemployment.
Poor children are forced to live the same lifestyle as their parents did because of the lack of resources and
facilities. Overpopulation leads to lesser education and low health facilities which results in more
problems like the rise in harmful diseases and fertility rate. The natural resources are getting consumed at
a very fast rate to fulfill the need of the world population. All this results in global warming and if the
population is not controlled, it will deplete the environment and earth. Development is the best
contraceptive which will lead to more employment, rise in health conditions and improvement in
education. We have to choose between population control and keeping up with poverty.
5. Discuss - ―Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished
landscapes and an ailing environment?‖
Ans: The above lines were mentioned in the first report of the Brandt Commission. With the rising scale
of distortion of the environment, humans are going to leave a burned planet with aided deserts, poor
landscapes and a poor environment for our future generations. Our resources are limited. They will not
last if we go on consuming them indiscriminately. Fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands form the
basis of the global economic system. They supply us food and raw materials for industry. Increasing
population has put a severe pressure on them. The fisheries will collapse, forests disappear, grasslands
will become barren wastelands and croplands will lose their fertility. Decimation of forests will increase
dryness and heat and there will be less rainfall. Hence there is a possibility of the earth becoming an
overheated place full of increasing deserts, poor landscapes and ailing environment in future. Our earth is
like a patient with declining health and it is not a good sign. We must realize our ‗Era of Responsibility‘
before it's too late.
6. ―We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children‖.
Elaborate.
Ans: This is a revolutionary statement made by Mr. Lester Brown. It focuses attention on the position of
man in this universe. People take it for granted that the earth is theirs as they have inherited it from their
forefathers. They forget the fact that the real owners of the land are our children. We are only custodians
or trustees and we must continue development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising
the ability of the future generations to meet their needs. We must not strip the natural world of the
resources future generations would need. In our effort to feed the increasing millions, we are plundering
the heritage of our children. We have open overusing natural resources for our present purposes.
Destruction of natural resources will create an ailing environment. Our consumption of non-renewable
resources should be checked. We must preserve natural resources and hand them over to children intact
as they are the real owners. We must understand the significance of ‗Sustainable Development‘ which
means meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising with future generations.
7. What does the notice 'The world's most dangerous animal' at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia,
signify?

Ans: In the zoo at Lusaka, there is a cage with a notice that reads ‗The world‘s most dangerous animal‘.
However, inside the cage, there is no animal but a mirror that shows the visitor's or the person's
reflection.
The notice signifies that man is the most dangerous being on this planet. He is not only responsible for
the deteriorating condition of the planet and depletion of resources but also poses a danger for other
living-species. A human being is far more destructive and threatening to the ecology of the Earth than
any other being. Thus, the cage in a zoo in Lusaka, Zambia, only tries to open our eyes to the
aforementioned fact.

8. ―What goes under the pot now costs more than what goes inside it.‖ Explain.
Ans: With a growing population and the pace of the global development taking wings, the cost of food
has touched a new height and is all time high. Amazingly, the cost of cooking food has overtaken that of
food-grains, fish, meat and vegetables. Thus, the fuel to cook such as gas, firewood and electricity, now
costs more than the raw food.

9. Why does Nani Palkhivala call the earth ‗The Ailing Planet‘? How can the ailing planet survive?

Ans: The word ‗ailing‘ means sick or not improving. Nani Palkhivala, the author, feels that the current
state of our planet ‗Earth‘ is like that of a patient whose health is not recovering. The Earth is in poor
health as its vital systems like forests, water, atmosphere are deteriorating day by day. All these
components of the earth need to be revived. There is still a scope of survival of this ailing planet. It just
needs our attention and care. We should take certain steps for preserving our environment for the future
generations. We have to be thoughtful in the usage of our natural resources and environment must be
enriched by replenishment of the four biological systems. Industries should curb their level of pollution.
We all need to monitor our activities. Overall, awareness has to be created among all and sundry.

10. ‗No generation has a freehold on this earth. All we have is a life with a full repairing lease.‘ Explain
with reference to The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement‘s Role.

Ans: No generation can deplete the earth of its resources. The use of water, trees and minerals should be
such that they are available to the coming generations too. Therefore, we should understand the concept
of sustainable development, i.e. development which meets the needs of the present and at the same time
preserves the environment for future generations. It is essential that we preserve the four principal
biological systems of the earth — the fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands. So, we should plant
trees for the future, take a holistic view of the environment and the planet and act with responsibility.
This is what the Green Movement is all about.