The COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe off its feet and 769,009 people have died from the coronavirus as of August 16th. However, coronavirus isn’t the only thing going on in the world these days. The rapidly diminishing ecological footprint of many species during the current times is also a disaster in making. On August 15th, i.e, Independence Day, our prime minister, Mr Narendra Modi announced from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day that a special campaign is being worked out to reduce pollution and conserve ecological balance in 100 selected cities with a holistic approach. To increase the country’s biodiversity, he also made a statement that a project would soon be launched to conserve Asiatic Lions on the lines of Project Tiger and Project Elephant. On the same day, Project Dolphin was also launched to conserve the national aquatic animal,gangetic dolphins.
This comes close on the heels of “Elephant Day” which was celebrated worldwide on 12th August. Elephants and farmers have had a disturbing relationship in the recent past. Records show that many elephants were shot or poisoned by farmers whose crops were stomped on by the elephants. Project Elephant is seeking to restore the symbiotic relationship between humans and elephants by preserving their habitats. A few weeks ago, on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, almost 50 dolphins were stranded on the beach. In an extraordinary gesture, dozens of people volunteered to rescue them. This is the kind of relationship that species need to establish in order to co-exist and thrive together.
Climate change is another grave environmental threat that is being faced by our generation. The United Nations World Meteorological Organization has stated, "We are the first generation to fully understand climate change and the last generation to be able to do something about it.” Ecosystems as diverse as the Amazon rainforest and the Arctic tundra, may be approaching thresholds of dramatic change through warming and drying. Recently, Canada’s last fully intact ice shelf located on the edge of Ellesmere Island collapsed. The block of ice was 20 kilometers bigger than Manhattan which is approximately 59.1 kilometres big. Thus, global warming is a stark reality that we can ignore only at the perilous existence of our future generations.
A saying that is extremely true today is “Waste not, Want not.” Landslides of waste dumps have buried people and houses under piles of waste. It’s not only us who are affected by ineffective and virtually non-existent solid waste management. Many animals unknowingly consume this highly hazardous waste and die of painful diseases. The world’s oceans are also contaminated because of poorly managed waste. Flooding and transmitting of water-borne diseases is also caused by lack of solid waste management. Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez, Senior Director of the World Bank said that ensuring effective and proper solid waste management is critical to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals that lay great emphasis on ecological balance and environmental conservation.
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