Conservation – Need of the Hour

The earth’s resources are being stressed by human activities, resulting in huge environmental problems such as depletion of the ozone layer, greenhouse warming, habitat destruction, water and air pollution, the deforestation leading to the plight of endangered species. As a result, what we have under our feet and around us is the world bereft of all that is pure, fresh, enriching, life-giving and essentially natural. Obviously, the world we hand-over to our next generation would be without the bounties of nature.

What can we do as individuals and as a society to make a difference? Teachers can help students get involved with recycling at school and students can help their parents start recycling at home. It saves energy. By burning less fossil fuel, we will have less air pollution. We also need to help reduce pollution further. Instead of using cars, we should walk or ride bicycles. We should use paper bags instead of polythene. Global warming should be tackled by reducing the use of air conditioners. Deforestation needs to be replaced by afforestation. We should never waste water and should practice rain water-harvesting. In fact, we should avoid waste of any kind. The need of the hour is to conserve the earth’s resources and protect them from degradation of any kind.