Category Environment

               In the olden times, hunting was the favourite pastime of kings and noblemen. They hunted wild animals to show off their valour and bravery. However, indiscriminate hunting has resulted in the extinction of animals and  the destruction of food chains.

              Hunting has drastically reduced the number of grazing animals and their predators on grasslands. While hunting is banned in most countries, people still poach or hunt them illegally. Many of the rare species of animals are hunted and collected to fill zoos. This practice is unethical and evil; and therefore, it must stop at all costs.

               Nowadays, governments of all countries have become more watchful about poaching. Poachers, if caught, are severely punished. All over the world, certain areas where wildlife thrives are identified as wildlife reserves. Here, various kinds of plants and animals are protected from hunters and collectors of species.

Picture Credit : Google

               Much of the effort of the world forums is directed towards holding governments accountable for their actions that add to the misery of our planet. Therefore, the international bodies try to persuade, convince and at times pressurize countries to follow certain rules and regulations. The Paris Agreement was an attempt to make the nations across the world aware of the increasing need for constructive and practical solutions to environmental problems.

               The Paris Agreement is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for the future. The agreement dealt with the reduction of greenhouse-gas-emissions. As of July 2018, 195 UNFCCC members have signed the agreement, and 179 have become party to it. The agreement has planned for the evaluation of the implementation of the agreement by all member countries for every 5 years. The first evaluation takes place in 2023.

               Under the Paris Agreement, all countries are required to determine, plan, and regularly report on the contribution that they undertake to make in order to reduce global warming.

               Our country too has signed the agreement. India’s involvement marks a significant step that brings together developing and developed nations for beginning work on cutting down greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming.

Picture Credit : Google

                         Nations across the globe have made efforts to bring our earth back to its past glory. In 1992, an international environmental treaty called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The Kyoto Protocol is an extension to this global agreement. The protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997. A significant step in conserving nature, the treaty came into force on 16 February 2005.

                       While human quest for development and growth has contributed to significant climate changes, most of the damage was done due to the rapid industrialization that happened in the developed countries. The Kyoto Protocol recognized the fact that developed countries are principally responsible for the current high levels of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere because of their long years of industrial activity. The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries, and the European community, for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Picture Credit : Google

            Man, the most intelligent being on Earth, should make meaningful and creative interventions in conserving nature. While some events in nature are beyond his control, there are many areas where he can contribute as an agent of change. The Montreal Protocol is an attempt to bring about a change in Man’s perception of the changing climatic conditions of our planet.

            The Montreal protocol is a global agreement on substances that deplete the ozone layer. It focuses on the protection of the Ozone Layer. It is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. The Montreal Protocol was proposed on 26 August 1987 and came into force on 26 January 1989.  Its first meeting was held in Helsinki in May 1989.

            As result of the interndtion31 agreement, so much of carbon emission has been reduced across the globe and the ozone hole in Antarctica is slowly recovering. Climate projections indicate that the ozone layer will return to perfect health between 2050 and 2070. Due to the widespread adoption and implementation of the Protocol, it has been hailed as an example of exceptional international co-operation.

            Dams restrict the natural flow of water bodies such as rivers and lakes. The water that is held back by stone and concrete can instantly turn into a water bomb, if some seismic activity takes place where the dam is constructed!

            The Tehri Dam has been the object of protests by environmental organisations and local people of the region. The dam is across the Bhagirathi River near Tehri in Uttarakhand. V.D. Saklani, lawyer and founder of the Anti-Tehri Dam Struggle Committee, has pointed out the consequences associated with the large project such as the short life span of the dam and large-scale human displacement.

            Environmental activist Sunderlal Bahuguna led the Anti-Tehri Dam movement from 1980s to 2004. The protest was against the displacement of town inhabitants and environmental consequences. The concerns were about the environmental consequences of locating such a large dam in the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayan foothills.

            Experts have also raised concerns regarding the dam’s geological stability. The Tehri Dam is in the Central Himalayan Seismic Gap, a major geologic fault zone. The movement failed to gather enough support at national as well as international levels.

Picture Credit : Google

               While governments claim that dams provide clean, efficient and reliable form of energy, dams also cause flooding of large tracts of land, destroying local animals and their habitats, displacement of people in large scale and destruction of plant life. Environmentalists say that dams are lethal water bombs! The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) is a social movement consisting of adivasis, farmers, environmentalists and human rights activists against a number of large dams being built across the Narmada River, which flows through the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

               The Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat is one of the biggest dams on the river and was one of the first focal points of the movement. It is one of the many dams under the Narmada Dam Project. The main aim of the project is to provide irrigation and electricity to people in these states. However, these dams would displace people and destroy animal and plant diversity on a large scale.

               Prominent leaders in the movement are Medha Patkar and Baba Amte. Although the campaign could not become completely successful, it was able to raise awareness among the public about the dangers of dams.

Picture Credit : Google