Written By: Arathy A & Ranjith Rajeev, Students, The Co-operative School of Law, Thodupuzha, Kerala
The environment is everything that is around us, where interactions between animals, plants, soil, water, atmosphere etc are happening. Living things constantly interact with the environment and adapt themselves to conditions in it. The earth is millions of years old and passed through various ice ages which results in a prolonged increase in the temperature of earth’s atmosphere with expansion of continents. The nature we are seeing today is different from what it was yesterday and it will definitely subject to various changes tomorrow. Changes in the environment forces the organisms and living beings to adapt to fit to the new environment causing it sometimes to evolve into a new species. Many species of plants and animals became extinct and new species appear. Environmental changes are caused by various ecological processes and actions that include natural disasters, human interferences or animal interaction.
Since early 1970’s, environmentalist are in the mainstay highlighting various environmental issues. Initially, they are a miniscule population but gradually become a movement. Such movements in various countries even form political parties such as Green Party having many parliamentary members in Germany, Australia, Hungary etc.
The earth is millions of years old and the various living beings in this world are evolved in course of time. The nature we are seeing today is different from what it was yesterday. Many species of plants and animals become extinct and new forms of species appear in the nature. It is so vast and vivid so that we could neither see the nature in the whole nor control the various forms of nature.
All living beings in this world have to exploit the nature for their survival and well being. In the fight for the survival of the fittest, only the better equipped and adaptable species survive that was the principle proposed by eminent scientist Charles Darwin. For human beings, they have to make their life better and stay in this world comfortably by utilising natural resources for their means. Under such circumstances, he has to harness various methods to control and defeat other living beings and to exploit the natural resources for his well being. Thus the various activities come into his life such as agriculture, shelter, clothing, taming of animals, making weapons, manufacturing tools, developing transportation and communication facilities.
For achieving the present situation, a very long period of time has elapsed and the sincere efforts and high thinking of many people was put to use. Thus by utilising various resources in this nature, the mankind develops.
The conservation of forests is essential for keeping the flora and fauna of the region, to maintain the environment of tribal people with their habitats, keeping the wildlife intact and to sustain the life of the forest irrespective of its usage for the benefits of the mankind.[1] A co-habitual situation is to be maintained that will help to retain the good old days with modern facilities.
In that long journey from mere nomads to civilised human beings, several discoveries and inventions were to be carried out. Medicines were developed for ailments and diseases and newer methods were invented to improve life expectancy.
Fuels like electricity, petroleum, natural gas etc. are required for making life better. Raw materials and ores are used to produce finished goods. For all this, natural resources that are available in this world is to be used. Since the only source of energy in this world is from the sun, and the energy can neither be created nor be destroyed, various forms of energy and its conversions from one form to another is used in our day to day life. In this life cycle, we have to make storage dams for producing electricity and get enough water for irrigation in agricultural lands, as a source of drinking water for men and animals and to harness flood as well as drought and to overcome the scarcity of water in summer season etc.
Another grave concern of the environmental laws and regulations is the under development it brings to the world and the heavy taxes, such policies will imposes. Besides the environmental regulations inhibits the financial progress and the economy. Undue importance to the environmental protection interferes with the economic growth. Generally, the fanatic environmentalists will hamper the interest of various sectors such as electricity generation, mining, chemical manufactures, power industries, petroleum refineries etc. Unnecessary regulations by giving over exposure to environmental issues will badly inhibit the development, economy, employment creation and above all, the welfare of the people.
Truly speaking, today’s surrounding is the present environment and to protect it as such is humanly impossible and is against the natural law of change.[2] Thus, it is clear that the environmentalists are certainly an exaggerated and unwanted fear among the people jeopardising the advance march of the mankind. Let us stride with the flow of the time by making effective utilisation of the abundant resources showered on us by the almighty through this beloved nature.
When transportation improves and mobility increases, more and more vehicles using fossil fuels came into existence. The bad social habits and little care to the society bring in various types of pollutions, waste accumulations, green house effects, global warming etc. Many of the huge electricity generating companies become Non – Performing Assets due to the lack of availability of raw materials at cheap rates. Here, our thought should be get diverted to environmental protection and to keep the premises and the nature as a whole into a clean place for living. Judicious usage of God’s gift like air, water, sunlight, plants and animals around us will certainly make our life more comfortable and sustainable.
Everyone should be a law abiding person with good civic sense, self discipline and cleanliness. This will certainly make the nature more beautiful. We cannot expect that the climate and weather conditions that got evolved in thousands and thousands of years can change in a very short period. All the forms of natural calamities are prevalent from time immemorial. Thinking a little deeper will convince us that with all our might, we are nothing before the nature’s fury and its inherent strength. We cannot control the natural forces and can only try to protect ourselves from such calamities.
The fear generated by the environmentalists on public mind is mostly false and with some peculiar motives. Some years ago, everybody was running behind ozone hole in the earth’s atmosphere, but now nothing is heard about it. Then come the conspiracy theories related to big bang theory and postulates related with black hole and God particle. But now, there are no new updated details on it. Many a scientists predict the total inundation of several cities around the world during the last fifty years, but nothing happens.
So, the unwanted fear generated by the so called environmentalists who are actually stalling the progress of the mankind is to be opposed. At the same time, judicious usage of resources available in the nature without pollution and damaging actions to the civil society as well as the fellow creatures will be helpful to make this world a better place for living.
CONCLUSION
The environmental regulations are to be implemented after careful thinking. One of the classic examples is the creation of Costal Regulatory Zone (CRZ). The distance from the sea or other water bodies are arbitrarily fixed for human activities. But it is very clear that from very old times, human beings are utilising water transport, people are living on the sea shore and river banks and carrying out various activities. On one fine morning, the environmentalists are telling that all such activities are doing harm to the water bodies. Then how these water bodies remain in existence till date may be a big question.
How can we construct harbours and quays, how to develop the trade and commerce etc remains unanswered. Even civilizations are developed and flourished on the banks of great rivers. When we are regulating sand mining from river beds, frequent flooding occurs and the excess sand will be flowed to the sea.[3] There should be facilities provided to use the material available on earth judiciously for the well being of the people. Similarly, petroleum, coal, natural gas etc are natural resources that are used for the benefit of the mankind.
The so called environmentalists are creating unnecessary fear in the minds of the common man without any reason or circumstantial evidences. What is today is the environment now and a travelling to the past is impossible. Unnecessary fears such as ozone layer, inundation of large part of the earth, extinction of life etc are postulated and later discarded after the initial hiccup. There are many vested interests among the environmentalists. They are enjoying all the comforts of the life by utilising the natural resources. After that, preaching on protecting the environment will be delivered through all types of media and making loud noises for their own gains. A close scrutiny on the life of the environmentalists will reveal their vested interests and selfish motives. Creating havoc in the minds of the people seems to be their motto. It can be noted that a destructive mentality laced with sadism among many of the environmentalists.
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