Scribd
Upload
66 views

Chapter - The Ailing Planet Q&A

Uploaded by

kamattowing
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
66 views

Chapter - The Ailing Planet Q&A

Uploaded by

kamattowing
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

THE AILING PLANET.

Q&A

Q)What does the notice “The world’s most dangerous animals” at a cage in
the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify?
Answer: There is no animal in the cage, there is a mirror instead where the
visitors see themselves. The notice “The world’s most dangerous animals” at
this cage signifies that man is the most dangerous animal, solely capable and
responsible for the planet’s destruction.
Q) How are the earth’s principal biological systems being depleted?
Answer: The earth’s principal biological systems- forests,fisheries, grasslands
and croplands are being depleted due to over use by humans. Overfishing for
protein, cutting down forests to obtain wood, Grasslands being turned into
barren wastelands and croplands deteriorating as their productivity has been
impaired.
Q) Why does the author agree that the growth of world population is one of
the strongest factors distorting the future of human society?
Answer: The rapidly increasing world population puts a severe stress on the
Earth’s principal/main biological systems. The Earths resources are limited and
we humans use these resources in an unsustainable level, to a point where
their productivity is damaged. Development and prosperity is not possible if
world population continues to grow so rapidly. Increasing population brings
hunger, diseases, poverty and unemployment. The future of mankind is bleak.
Q) When & where was the green movement started? What has been it’s
contribution?
Answer – The green movement was initiated in 1972 by the world’s first
nationwide Green Party which was founded in New Zealand. It was important
because for the first time, humans saw the earth from a holistic and ecological
view and not as a machine. They regarded the earth as a living organism and has
its own metabolic needs and vital processes, which must be respected and
preserved.
Q) What is the state of earth today? How should we act now?
Answer: Earth now is a patient in declining health. Human beings have ruined it
so much by overusing the planets resources and causing problems like- ozone
depletion, global warming, extreme pollution, diseases, etc. We must realize our
moral duties to be good caretakers of the planet and act responsibly – and we
must start fixing our mistakes immediately.
Q) How has the concept of sustainable development been defined?
Answer: Sustainable development has been defined as the development that
meets the needs of the present without putting in danger the ability of future
generations to meet their needs. In other words, the present generation should
not ruin the natural world of the resources the future generations would need.
Q) Why do we need to plant more forests in India?
Answer: According to official data, India is losing its forests at millions of
acres per year. The actual loss of forests is estimated to be about eight times the
rate indicated by government statistics. Large areas, officially named forest land
are already treeless. Therefore, a five-fold increase in the rate of forest planting
is needed to cope with this loss
Q) Why is population control essential in India?
Answer: India’s population is growing with no bounds whatsoever.
Overpopulation upsets all plans of development and causes poverty, diseases
and unemployment. So either population is controlled or people would remain
poor forever. Voluntary family planning helps population control in India
Q) How can industry play its role in the new ‘era of responsibility’?
Answer: It is well known that industries are a main source of causing
environmental pollution. There will be a great change in the preservation of
environment if the industrialists become conscious-of their responsibilities and
become environment friendly. Thus Industry has to play a very important role in
the new era of responsibility

Q) Question 1: Laws are neither respected nor enforced in India.


Answer: It is painful but true that laws are neither respected nor enforced in
India. Let us take examples from everyday life. Everyone is aware of basic rules,
yet there are cases of wrong overtaking, lane jumping, signal jumping, over
speeding and road rage. We have strict child labour laws, yet we find many
underage children employed road side restaurants or as domestic servants.
Our Constitution insists on the protection and improvement of the
environment. The states have been given the responsibility of protecting
forests and wildlife. Forests are being cut and illegal poaching of wildlife goes
on. Similarly, there are laws regarding abolishing casteism, untouchability and
bonded labour. But these remain on paper. In actual life, these are never put
into practice. Hence, it can be concluded that laws are neither respected nor
enforced in India.
Question 2:“Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing
desert, impoverished landscapes and an ailing environment?”
Answer: We have inherited this beautiful planet from our forefathers. Our
resources are limited. They will not last forever but we still go on consuming
them indiscriminately/like there’s no tomorrow. 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. In large areas of the world these systems have reached an
unsustainable level. The results are awful and disastrous.
The fisheries will collapse, forests disappear, grasslands will become barren
wastelands and croplands will lose their fertility. Death 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.
Question 3:We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have
borrowed it from our children’.
Answer: This is a revolutionary statement by Mr. Lester Brown. It sheds ligh on
the position of man in this universe. Human beings 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 the
caretakers and we must be sistainab, without compromising the life quality of
the future generations. 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 openl overuse natural
resources. 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 in a good condition.
Question 4:The problems of overpopulation that directly affect our everyday
life.
Answer: Overpopulation causes many problems in every day life. People chase
the three basic human needs—food, cloth and shelter, and want to live v ry
fancy lives which is often not sustainable. Every individual aims at having one
car, one big house, fast/trendy fashion and fancy food. Fisheries, forests,
grasslands and croplands are under severe stress. In many areas they have
reached an unsustainable level. People resort to over fishing to obtain protein.
Forests are being destroyed to obtain firewood. Grasslands are becoming
deserts. Artificial fertilizers have hampered the productivity of croplands.
Overpopulation stops development and badly affects the spread of education
and health care among the masses. It is observed that the poor people beget
more children. It only leads them to unending poverty. More children does not
mean more workers but merely more people without work. Thus over-
population leads to unemployment. Public transport is insufficient. We see long
queues everywhere. In short, overpopulation leads to deterioration in
environment and shortens our lives by causing many diseases.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy