The Ailing planet: The Green movement‟s role - notes

1. Discuss - Laws are never respected nor enforced in India.

Ans: According to the 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 forest 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.

2. 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 earth is like a patient with declining health and it is not a good sign.
Deforestation and over populations are some of the reasons behind the deterioration of
the earth. We must realize our „Era of Responsibility‟ before it's too late. We must
conserve the earth as if we have borrowed it from our future generations.

3. Discuss - “We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it
from our children”.
Ans: From many decades, humans are using the resources of the earth at a very
alarming rate without worrying about future generations. Now the environment has
become critical enough that humans must realize the era of responsibility towards it.
With quite some time, human perception is changing and the earth is seen as a „holistic
and ecological view‟. Earth is seen as a living organism which has its own metabolic
and vital needs. We must protect the resources for future generations. Use of
„Sustainable Development‟ which means meeting the needs of the present generation
without compromising with future generations. Thus, the earth‟s resources should be
utilized in a way that doesn‟t affect the future.

4. Discuss - The problems of overpopulation that directly affect our everyday life.
Ans: Overpopulation leads to many problems that are affecting mankind and natural
resources. It leads to poverty and unemployment. The 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
being consumed at a very fast rate to fulfill the need of the population throughout the
world. Deforestation is one of the issues where forests are being cut down. All this
results in global warming and if the population is not controlled, it will deplete the
environment and earth.