We all are living in an era in which the value of the things provided by nature has reduced considerably. We have done enough damage to the environment that now it is very difficult to repair it. Actually, the disrespect we did to the environment has returned back to us in terms of natural calamities and disasters which are actually man-made. The constant depletion in natural resources has forced us to think of alternatives. Now the problem is the lack of infrastructure to support the newer forms of energy which we are trying to utilize. For example, the charging stations for electric cars are not huge in numbers as compared to gasoline stations.
Economic impact of COVID-19
The economic impact of COVID-19 along with rapid climatic and environmental changes have resulted in immense damage also. These can be repaired by taking some extreme steps. All of us together should take a pledge to repair the damage that has been done to the nature due to our careless activities. Factors like land restoration can also play a vital role in our efforts. Ignoring the political boundaries, we all should try to conserve as much forest as possible. Peace Forest Initiative is one of the initiatives which aims to achieve the prosperity for the forests specially and also the entire ecosystem overall. We can get rest assured from the fact that the greener environmental recovery will definitely slow down the rate of loss of our nature. This can be proved from the fact that during the lockdown period when the use of vehicles was stopped along with the industrial activities and many other human activities, it resulted in improvement of air quality along with improved temperature in cities.
Ecosystem on this Planet
The ecosystem on this planet has been able to provide us with natural water purifying system along with many other things. They also help in purifying air by absorbing the greenhouse gases. If we keep protecting forests world over, then we will be able to achieve the target of 18 % emission cut by 2030. Tropical forests on their own is surrounded by a quarter of a trillion tons of carbon. Forests also have an advantage of acting as buffer in cases of natural disasters like flood. They also slow down the materials of erosion and other chemical materials from reaching the water bodies. We can also take help of NGOs and other non-profit or public welfare organizations to spread awareness regarding conservation and well-being of forests and the ecosystem.
Utilization of Resources
One major use of forests has been the utilization of its resources for the packaging services. Companies today are trying to control and stop that. So that the materials which are being used for packaging services is eco- friendly. We should try to avoid using paper coming from trees, rather we can try to use recycled paper and other packaging products.
One other important thing is the role of small-scale farmers. They have years of experience of doing their business, generations after generations on their own small area of land. If they are allowed the support to use newer sustainable and conservative practices for farming, then they can help to maintain health of the soil and other environmental factors.
Measures to Restore Ecosystem
In some cases, they do also have the methods which can be used by others to increase their yield and also help in maintaining the health of the environment. But there are hurdles for them too. For example, few of them have access to things like skill development opportunities, training, raw information regarding farming, and financial support to take care of the soil and increase their yield. Many of them don’t have the proper qualification to even read and write properly. So sometimes they face problems to even provide the valid documentation for their own land. So, there is need to provide them with proper facilities so that can be capable enough to determine that what needs to be done to improve their situation. This way they can also come to know about the newer technologies that can be used for their own benefit as well as maintaining the environment. For example, the harm that is being done to the environment in terms of the insecticides which are being used in the farmlands. It is actually causing a lot of problems even for the birds, which was once considered as one of the good friends of farmers. Sometimes use of fertilizers have also been linked to increase in harmful chemicals in the body of living organisms.
Conclusion
All of these needs to stop if we want to have a prosperous future for our upcoming generations. It is because nature has taken care of us for a long time. So, it is also our responsibility that we need to take care of nature. It is like, parents do take care of us for a certain part of our lives but when we become responsible enough then it is our responsibility to take care of them from that day onwards.
By: Raunak Jha
Write and Win: Participate in Creative writing Contest & International Essay Contest and win fabulous prizes.
