The concept of World Environment Day was introduced by the United Nations back in 1972 to discuss the human environmental issues and tackle environmental crisis, but are we on the right track? Have we managed to reduce the harm caused by the human activities? Could we control the ecological Footprint? 

It is quite astonishing to see how much the lifestyle of a small state like Goa has now changed. Every house now has at least two cars to serve a family of four. The ongoing craze for having luxuries is now having a greater impact on our nature! Human activities have been a major cause for climate change. It is important that every citizen should know how their activities are resulting in global warming and pollution! 

It is said that “After nuclear war, human induced global warming is the greatest threat to human life on the planet!” Global warming, what exactly is it? Certain gases in the atmosphere trap heat and act like a blanket to warm the planet. The most significant ones are methane carbon dioxide, HFC’s which we emit into the atmosphere while we burn fossil fuels to generate electricity and power our vehicles. During meat production, improper and excess organic waste disposal leads to emission of methane. As we overload our atmosphere with such gases more and more heat is trapped. We can say that the gases which once helped to keep the planet warm and pleasant, its excess emission has left the Earth to boil!

Humans’ greed to earn more and live an extravagant life is much greater than their love towards nature. For example; plastic maybe a small thing but within a short period of time has managed to cause a widespread destruction. These are synthetic polymer which was introduced in 1907. The invention was not supposed to be destructive but the usage pattern adopted by the people around the globe has made it destructive!

There are few steps we fellow citizens can take to fight against the climate changes, because it is better late than never! One major step will be an act against forest loss. 

It’s an important step that every citizen should take. From beginning to the end forests are our only saviour. Human actions that release large amount of carbon dioxide into atmosphere is the conversion and degradation of natural forests and other carbon-dense ecosystems like peat lands and wetlands. A substantial amount of CO2 is stored in natural ecosystem especially forests which act a vital buffer regulating the atmospheric level of carbon dioxide.

Even the slightest bits of effort can definitely make a huge change in and around us. Today the earth on which we live is crying for our help. We as responsible citizens need to hear this cry! The tears that mother Earth is shedding no more contains 75% of water but is now a mixture of plastic, toxic, acidic waste; which is harmful to each and every being on this planet. Join hands today come together and make our world a better place for the upcoming generations. What we just need is a little patience, Quick actions, and great ideas as individuals!