summery of the ailing planet ..11th class
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Answer:
In this chapter, the writer raises an issue towards the deteriorating health of the earth. As human beings have been exploiting natural resources from decades, presently the condition has made the environment critical. In 1972, the Green Movement helped environmentalists to raise awareness about the harmful condition of the earth and since then there has been no looking back as the movement has been successfully educating people about the conservation of the environment.
Earth is like a patient whose health is declining and it is our duty to improve it. In 1987, the term Sustainable Development was used by the World Commission on Environment and Development. A zoo in Lukasa, Zambia has a cage in which a sign reads ‘The World’s most dangerous animal’ and inside there is a mirror. It gives a message that human beings are the most dangerous animals. Brandt Commission raised a question “Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and ailing environment?”
There are four principal biological systems that form the foundation of the global economic system - fisheries, grasslands, forests, and croplands. These four systems also provide food and raw materials for industries except for minerals and synthetics. With these systems becoming unsustainable, fisheries will collapse, the forest will slowly disappear, grasslands will turn into a barren wasteland and croplands will become worse.
In poor countries, forests are being cut down for fuelwood which is used for cooking purposes. There are some areas where the cost of fuelwood is more than the cost of food. It is leading to deforestation at an alarming rate.
One of the reasons for the exploitation of the environment is the increasing population. It is observed that about one million population is increasing in every four days. This is not a good sign. There is an urgent need to control overpopulation in the world. Development is the best contraceptive for this problem as it will help in reduction in fertility, increase in education and income and improvement in health.
We must see the world as a whole and not as dissociated parts. It is a holistic and ecological view. According to Lester brown, we have not inherited the earth from our forefathers but we have borrowed it from our future generations.
Answer:
The writer briefs the change in the perception of the societies from a materialistic view to the comprehensive and ecological view of this world. It states that humans are now worrying about the environment. In this way of perception, our planet is considered as a living organism. People consider it as it’s having its own metabolic functioning as all other living entities are having.
Then the author explains the concept of Sustainable growth of 1987. “Meets the wants of the current time, without losing the ability of upcoming generations to meet their needs and fulfil them”. Furthermore, we must utilize the natural resources in such a way that we fulfil our needs as well as conserve these resources for the upcoming generations. People consider themselves as a partner and not as a member of this planet. In actuality, we are partners with millions of creatures of this entire planet.
The Global Economic Prospect, a book, points out that the planet’s major biological systems are 4 that are fisheries, forests, croplands, and grasslands. These virtually consists of all the raw materials of industries at present. A non-sustainable utilization of these resources is occurring. Then the writer is concerned about the lessening of the forest land. The dung which we should use as a natural fertilizer, we are generally using to produce fuel. On the other hand, the soil is not receiving natural fertilizer.
Then the writer refers to Article 48A of the Constitution of India. Article 48A it states that the state should guard and improve the forest and the wildlife as well. But they do not impose the law appropriately. Then the writer refers to a Parliamentary committee report that says the decline of a forest at the frequency of 3.7 million acres every single year. The United Nations cautions that the environment has deteriorated so severely that it is critical in many of the 88 countries examined.
The population is rising at a very higher rate. Development and growth are the 2 most appropriate solutions to people’s problems. With such a population, development is a difficult task to do. We need a proper family planning to control the situation of overpopulation. There is a major need to control the population of the earth. The writer at this point once more repeats the positive change in view of the people regarding ecology. Industries must also take responsibility for a better ecosystem.
Conclusion of The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role
To conclude, the ailing planet: the green movement’s role summary, it tells us about the situation of this planet is in a crucial condition and how we must do our best to save it.