MARGAO: Claiming that humans are solely responsible for the damage and destruction of the environment, environmentalist and Padma Bhushan recipient Anil Prakash Joshi appealed to the scientists and researchers of the country to come up with research that will have immediate and sustainable relevance, and to take a pledge not to create inventions that will further devastate the ecology of the planet.
Joshi was addressing a gathering of students and academics at the International Conference on Environmental Sustainability and Biotechnology: Opportunities and Challenges, organized by the Government College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Khandola, and Ponda Education Society’s Ravi S Naik College of Arts and Science, Farmagudi, in association with the Sustainable Environment Society, Lucknow at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, on Thursday. Expressing disappointment at the loss of ecology, he said that it is high timethat people started to work for ecological growth, rather than just economical success.
“Gross Domestic Product (GDP) translates to luxuries and facilities but Gross Ecology Product (GEP) is actually what sustains our lives. We know how much money we have in our pockets but we are clueless about the quality and quantity of fresh air we breathe in five minutes,” said Joshi.
“The environment has been damaged to such an extent that the groundwater is not accessible in many places. There is no water in Faridabad and even the beggars are seen buying drinking water. Even as the water crisis begins, the only technology we have in response is the bottled water business,” he said.
Lamenting that most metro cities no longer have green spaces and open areas even for children to ride their bicycles, Joshi remarked that plastic pollution is killing the ocean.
“Life comes from the sea, but unfortunately, we have 8 million metric tonnes of plastic inside the sea. All the garbage produced by humans goes into the sea, causing the extinction of several acquatic species that play an important role in ocean ecology,” he stated.
