My son studies in a prestigious school of Goa located in the heart of Panjim city. Though he travels by a school van daily, there are many occasions when I go to pick or drop him like stay backs after school, extra classes, PTMs, etc. Whenever I go to his school, I notice a sea of luxury cars parked on both sides of the road, parallel to the actual sea. The cars seem to be parked with their engines switched off. But, if you look closely, their engines are all on, windows pulled up and ACs on full blast. Most of the time, a parent glued to his mobile, is waiting in it for his or her child to come out of the school.
The make and brands of all the cars are enough to highlight the status and educational background of the occupants. They are not only rich sophisticated people, but seemingly educated too. They are the ones who travel the world, read books and newspapers, socialise and are active on social media platforms. They are the ‘elite’ who are aware of the current issues, capable of forming their own opinions and ideas. These parents are also very conscious about their children’s education and take a keen interest in their co-curricular activities. They keep a hawk eye on their grades in the Report Cards and try to strengthen the performance of their wards in academics as well as in sports in all possible ways.
Environmental Science is an inherent part of the school curriculum and is not only taught just as a subject, but because of the increasing rates of global warming and climate change, it has become the most important topic of school discussions and debates. Yet, the adults have failed to ‘practise’ what is being taught to the children. Environmental Science has unfortunately remained ‘a theory subject’, which like all other subjects, is measured with the yardstick of marks.
These well-meaning parents have failed to be the perfect role models for their children. They talk about the fuel price rise and scarcity of fossil fuels, but do nothing at an individual level to save this precious resource. They can easily switch off their cars, roll down the windows and wait for their children. But they keep the ACs on for a long time which causes dual damage to the environment, i.e., wasting fuel and causing air pollution. They are completely unbothered about increasing their ‘carbon footprint’ but are more worried about personal discomfort. It is not only in front of the school gate, but wherever they wait for a short duration like in front of ATMs, grocery shops, parking lots, they keep the car engines and ACs on, even when the weather outside is reasonably cool and pleasant.
The teachers and books teach the young minds how to save the environment, but when they see their own parents not taking any practical steps to do so, Environmental Science remains a mere subject meant for fetching marks. As parents, we are always worried that if our children do not get admissions into good colleges, how will they earn their living. But, never does it cross our mind that the way, we adults are exploiting and polluting our environment, how will our children breathe in the future? Alas! I am reminded of the words of Roberts Swan, “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”
