THE AILING PLANET: THE GREEN MOVEMENT’S ROLE
SUMMARY
The author summarizes the change in the
perception of the societies from a materialistic to a comprehensive and
ecological perspective of this world. According to the article, humans are now
concerned about the environment. In this way of perception, our planet is
considered a living organism. People believe it has its own metabolic
functioning, just like all other living entities.
The author then describes the concept of
Sustainable growth. “Meets the wants of the current time, without losing the
ability of upcoming generations to meet their needs and fulfil them”.
Furthermore, we must use the natural resources in such a way that we meet our
needs while also conserving these resources for future generations. People
consider themselves as a partner and not as a member of this planet. In
reality, we are partners with millions of other organisms on our planet.
According to the book Global Economic
Prospect, the planet’s major biological systems are four: fisheries, forests, croplands,
and grasslands. These include almost all the raw materials used in industry
today. These resources are being used in an unsustainable manner. The writer is
then concerned about the loss of the forest land. The dung which we should use
as a natural fertilizer, we are generally using to produce fuel. The soil, on
the other hand, is not receiving natural fertilizer.
The writer then alludes to Article 48A of the Indian Constitution.
According to Article 48A, the state is responsible for protecting and improving
the forest and wildlife. However, they do not impose the law appropriately.
Then the writer refers to a Parliamentary committee report that states that 3.7
million acres of forest are lost every year. The United Nations warns that the
environment has worsened to the point where it is critical in many of the 88
countries studied.
The population is growing at an alarming
rate. the two most appropriate solutions to people's issues are
development and growth. Development is a difficult task with such a large
population. We need proper family planning to control the situation of
overpopulation. There is an urgent need to regulate the world's population. 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.
To
summarise, the ailing planet: the green movement’s role, it tells us about how
the world is in critical condition and how we must do our best to save it.
Notice these expressions in the text.
Infer their meaning from the context.
a holistic and ecological view -
inter alia -
sustainable development - A balanced development that serves the needs of the present/today while also considering the needs of future generations.
decimated -
languish -
catastrophic depletion -
ignominious darkness -
transcending concern -
Q: Locate the lines in the text that
support the title. 'The Ailing Planet'
Answer: The lines that support the
title of the chapter are given below.
“The earth’s vital signs reveal a
patient in declining health.”
“Are we to leave our successors
a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes, and the ailing
environment?”
“…the environment has deteriorated so badly
that it is ‘critical’ in many of the eighty-eight countries investigated”.
Q: What does the notice 'The world's most dangerous animal' at a cage
in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify?
Answer: In the zoo at Lusaka, there is
a cage labelled "The world’s most dangerous animal." However, there
is no animal within the cage, only a mirror that reflects the
visitor's/person's reflection.
The notice signifies that man is the
most harmful creature on this planet. He is not only responsible for the
planet's deterioration and resource depletion, but he also poses a threat to
other living species. A human being is far more destructive and threatening to
the ecology of the Earth than any other organism. Thus, the cage in a zoo in
Lusaka, Zambia, merely attempts to draw our attention to the aforementioned
fact.
However, in many
parts of the world, human claims on these systems have reached an unsustainable
level, impairing their productivity. When this occurs, fisheries collapse,
forests disappear, grasslands are converted into barren wastelands and
croplands deteriorate. In a protein-conscious and protein-hungry world,
over-fishing is common every day. In poor countries, local forests are being
decimated in order to procure firewood for cooking. That is why these four
systems are being depleted.
The abnormal rise in
the world population has a negative impact on the future of mankind. The
population remains under control when incomes rise, education spreads and
health improves leading to overall development. But if the current population
growth continues, development may be possible. The rich get richer and the
poor remain poor for want of control of the population. The rate of
unemployment increases and the increasing number of people remain unemployed. It
affects very badly the future of human society.
DISCUSS IN GROUPS.
Laws are never respected not enforced in
India.
India, the world's largest democracy,
is condemned for its easy attitude towards laws. In our country, laws are made
but never followed nor enforced. For example, the Indian Constitution mentions
that castism, untouchability and bonded labour will be abolished; however,
these evils continue to exist openly even today. According to the author,
Article 48A of the Indian Constitution propounds that “the State shall
endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests
and wildlife of the country”. However, little is being done to promote this.
Over the last five/six decades, we have witnessed a near “catastrophic
depletion” of forests. Forests are disappearing at a rate of 3.7 million acres
a year over the last few decades. Areas that are officially designated as
forest land are actually devoid of trees. The actual rate of forest loss is
eight times that indicated by the government statistics.
“Are
we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished
landscapes and an ailing environment?”
According to the text, the first
Brandt Report raised the aforementioned question about the planet's
deteriorating condition. Earth is like a “patient in declining health”.
Excessive resource demand has resulted in the depletion of forests, grasslands,
fisheries and croplands. Over-population has put a significant strain on the
health of our planet. We must realise soon that it is solely our responsibility
to preserve our planet in this “Era of Responsibility.” We must realise that
the earth belongs to future generations just as much as it does to us. Rather
than claiming it as our own, we should do everything we can to protect it for
future generations.
We have not inherited this earth from our
forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children”
People's attitudes towards the
environment have changed over the decades. Human perception has shifted to a
“holistic and ecological view of the world”. Earth is a living organism with
limited resources. These resources will not last forever. The earth has
metabolic requirements that must be preserved. The term “sustainable
development” refers to the need of meeting the needs of the current generation
without compromising the need of future generations. The present problems are
not necessarily fatal, but they are a ‘passport to the future.’ This is the
“Era of Responsibility” and we must act responsibly. We must realise that the
earth belongs as much to the future generation as much as it belongs to us.
The problems of overpopulation directly affect our everyday life.
Every four days, the world population
grows by one million people. With this ever-increasing population, development
seems to be a distant dream. Over-population leads to the issues of poverty and
unemployment. The vicious spiral of population and poverty will persist unless
the root cause i.e. population is taken care of. It stifles the development of
a country. It results in a considerably faster use of natural resources. The
fossils consumed, the resources drained, the forests cleared, the heat produced, and the global warming caused are all the consequences of the world's rapidly
rising population.
Q: Locate the following words in the text and
study their connotation.
1. gripped the imagination of
2. dawned upon
3. ushered in
4. passed into the current coin
5. passport
of the future
Answer:
1. gripped the imagination of: gained
a lot of attention
2. dawned upon: for the first time
became aware of it
3. ushered in: started the new idea
4. passed into current coin: have been
brought into use
5. passport of the future: a thing
that makes something possible or enables one to achieve it.
Answer in Brief
The words ‘grip’, ‘dawn’. ‘usher’, ‘coin’, and ‘passport’ has literal as well as figurative meaning. Write pairs of
sentences using each word in the literal as well as figurative sense.
1) grip: a) She performed admirably
throughout the rock-climbing session. She has a strong grip. b) The 'India
Against corruption' movement has gripped the minds of Indians.
2) dawn: a) The day dawned with a
clear sky. b) Suddenly, the idea dawned on him.
3) usher: a) The waiter ushered them
to their seats. b) The Green Movement ushered in a new era of awareness.
4) Coin: a) I have ten
coins of Rs. 5. b) The term was coined by a famous philosopher.
Passport: a) he has recently got his
passport made to visit his uncle in the USA. b) Education is the passport to a
bright future.
Q: What is the Green Movement? Why has it become popular all over the world?
Answer: The Green Movement first emerged in New Zealand 1972 in. It has made the people aware that the earth is a living organism that needs preservation. It advises us to work together and co-exist with other species. The Green Movement approaches the situation holistically and aims to protect the environment while promoting tthe ongoing development.
Q: What is the holistic and ecological view of the world that has emerged in recent times?
Answer: The planet itself is seen as an organism that requires care from a holistic and ecological perspective. It has metabolic requirements and essential processes that must be respected.
Q: What awareness according to Nani Palkhivala is growing worldwide? Why?
Answer: The movement, that has captured the interest of the entire human race, is the global realisation that the earth is a living entity of which we are parts. It has its own metabolic needs and vital processes that need attention because the earth’s vital signs reveal its declining health.
Q: What is propagated by the concept of sustainable expansion?
Answer: In 1987, The World Commission on Environment and Development made the concept of sustainable development widely accepted. It emphasised the concept of development that satisfies the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs, i.e., without depleting the natural world of resources necessary for future generations.
Q: What is the global concern raised by Mr Lester R. Brown that threatens the very existence of man?
Answer: According to Mr Lester R. Brown, the primary biological systems of the earth are fisheries, forests, grasslands, and croplands, and these systens serve as the foundation of the global economic system. They provide almost all of the raw materials for companies as well as our food. However, human activities are depleting the natural resources, causing fisheries to the collapse and grasslands to vanish.
Q: What steps has the Indian government taken to ensure the protection of the environment? What is the impact?
Answer: By Article 48A of the Indian Constitution, The government of India mandates that the State shall make efforts to protect and improve the environment and safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country. However, the law has not had the due impact because laws are neither respected nor upheld in India.
Q: What are the reasons that are leading to depletion of our natural resources?
Answer: In a society where people are concerned about protein, over-fishing is common. Local forests are being cut down in underdeveloped countries in order to supply firewood for cooking. As a result, in certain areas, firewood has become so expensive that fuel costs more than the food.
Q: The population in the world is growing at an alarming rate. Comment.
Answer: The future of human society is being distorted by the growing world population. Human population reached its first billion around the year 1800. By the year 1900, a second billion was added, and another 3.7 billion in the twentieth century. Tge current estimate of the world's population is 5.7 billion. The population of the world Every day the world grows by one million per day.
Q: Why is the growing population detrimental to the world’s progress?
Answer: Development will not be possible if the current rate of population growth continues. The rich get richer and the poor have more children, and this hampers their economic growth. More children do not mean more workers, merely more people without work. Population growth makes poverty more persistent. People would starve to death unless population growth is controlled.
Q: “The earth’s vital signs reveal a patient in declining health.” What are these ‘vital signs’? Answer: According to a three-year assessment by the UN using satellites and aerial photography, the environment has worsened so badly that it is now considered "critical" in many of the 88 countries studied. The nearly catastrophic depletion of India's forests over the past forty years has bebeen emphasised in a recent report of our Parliament’s Estimates Committe. Reliabile data indicates that India is losing 3.7 million acres of forests every year. Several sizeable regions that are officially classified as forestland, “are already virtually treeless”. The actual loss of forests is estimated to be around eight times higher than the rate indicated by government statistics.
The ancient tropical forests that once covered the globe are now disappearing at a rate of forty to fifty million acres per year, and the growing use of dung for burning deprives the soil of an important natural fertilizer. According to the World Bank, a five-fold increase in the rate of forest planting is required to meet the anticipated demand for fuel wood.
Q: What do you mean by ‘sustainable development’? Answer: ‘Sustainable development’ is the only way to save the planet earth. It means that development should not be at the cost of the environment. The resources of the earth should be used with restraint so that they are available for future generations too.
Q: Who is ‘the world’s most dangerous animal’? Why is it called so?
Q: What are the earth’s principal biological systems? What is happening to them and what can be the results? Answer: Four systems – fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands – foundation of global economy, supply food – provide raw materials for industry Present status–Human claims of preservation are excessive – the productivity of these systems affected. Grasslands becoming wastelands – forests – disappearing decimated for firehood – fisheries depleted. Consequently many species face extinction.
Q: Explain Margaret Thatcher’s statement made by her, during the years of her Prime Ministership on the earth-as an ailing planet. Answer: ...We have to take care of our planet so that our children too may enjoy its bounty. We should not deplete and ruin the planet.
Q: Locate the lines in the text that support the title ‘The Ailing Planet’. Answer: “The earth’s vital signs reveal a patient in declining health. We have begun to realise our ethical obligations to be good stewards of the planet and responsible trustees of the legacy to future generations.”
Q: Justify the title of the essay. Answer: The planet earth is thought of as someone ailing i.e., sick. We need to restore the health of the planet.
Q: What is the Green Movement? Why has it become popular all over the world? Answer: Green Movement started in 1972 in New Zealand. It has informed the people that earth is a living organism which needs to be cared for. It tells us to co-operate and co-exist with other species. The green movement takes a holistic view of the situation and seeks to preserve environment as well as continuous development.
Q: What is the holistic and ecological view of the world that has emerged in recent times? Answer: The holistic and ecological view is that earth itself is an organism which needs to be cared for. It has its metabolic needs and vital processes which need to be respected and preserved. We need to save the earth for our future generations.
Q: What is the concept of ‘sustainable development’? Answer: The development which meets the needs of the present and at the same time preserves the environment for future generations is sustainable development.
Q: What is the status of the earth’s forest systems? Answer: Tropical forests are eroding at the rate of 40 to 50 million acres a year. We are losing one and a half acre of forests per second.
Q: Has the growth of world population contributed to the bad environment situation today? Answer: Due to population growth, great pressure is placed on natural resources. Natural resources like forests, rivers are getting depleted.
Q: We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children. Elucidate keeping in mind the lesson ‘The Ailing Planet’. Answer: We need to practise sustainable development — development which meets the needs of the present and at the same time preserves the environment for future generations.
Q: What is the role of industries in the preservation of the environment? Answer: Industries have to exercise restraint about using natural resources. The top officers need to become guardians of the environment — control effluents — place filters on smoke emissions — take necessary steps.
Q: What was the significance of placing a mirror in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia? Answer: It is to show human beings that they are the most destructive creatures. The most dangerous animal on earth.
Q: Explain the statement ‘forests precede mankind; deserts follow’. Answer: Forests help in nurturing mankind – man destroys forests so thoughtlessly that deserts grow where once forests flourished. Man destroys himself by destroying forests.
Q: “We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children” Margret Thatcher’s words highlight the theme of the lesson ‘The Ailing Planet: The Green Movement’s Role. You feel very concerned about this earth which is being destroyed gradually. Write an article in about 100 words on ‘Save the Planet Earth.’ Answer:
Save the Planet Earth.
Q: Why does Nani Palkhivala call the earth ‘The Ailing Planet’? How can the ailing planet survive? Answer: At present, the earth is like a patient. Her health is poor — her vital systems like forests and water are deteriorating and need to be brought back to health. — Preserve environment — planet for tomorrow — find alternatives. Environmental enrichment is possible –restraint in use is needed – replenishment of the four biological systems is needed – responsibility on the part of business and industry is needed. Awareness that we should leave earth’s resources for the future generations is essential.
Q: We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children. Elucidate keeping in mind the lesson ‘The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role’ in about 100 words.
Q: The problems of overpopulation directly affect our everyday life. Discuss. Answer: Present world population is about 5-7 billion. Development is not possible if population increases. If population growth is controlled income and education of people increases. In uncontrolled population growth, the rich get richer and the poor poorer—family planning needs to be forced on people because large population promotes poverty. India’s population must be controlled.
Q: How are the earth’s principal biological systems being depleted? Answer: Four systems (a) Fisheries—their productivity is impaired—overfishing is common. (b) Forests are decimated for firewood, several species face extinction—forty to fifty million acres of forests are being eroded every year—we are losing one and a half acre of forests per second. (c) Grasslands and (d) croplands too are being depleted. These are being destroyed because of overuse by human beings.
Q: What is the concept of sustainable development? Why did it become greatly popular? Answer: Sustainable development — development which meets the needs of the present — and preserves the resources for the future. Concept became greatly popular because it showed a way to preserve environment – that if we cut we should plant trees too — We should keep the needs of the future generations in mind—fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands should not be overused. Q: How has the growth of world population affected the environment? Support your answer with suitable argument. Answer: Alarming growth of population – 2 billion in 1900. 20th century added 3.7 billion — resources of the world overstretched — four systems under stress. — only answer is development. Awareness can bring down population growth. Population control should be given topmost priority.
Q: What do you understand by the term ‘a holistic and ecological view’? Explain. Answer: Holistic and ecological view — a revolutionary concept – recognises earth as a living organism with its own metabolic needs which need to be preserved At present, the earth is like a patient. Her health is poor – her vital systems like forests and water are deteriorating and need to be brought back to health.
Q: Is there hope for environmental enrichment in future? What is needed to bring about the change from degradation to enrichment? Answer: Environmental enrichment is possible – restraint in use is needed – replenishment of the four biological systems is needed — responsibility on the part of business and industry is needed. Awareness that we should leave earth’s resources for the future generations is essential.
Q: “................The growth of the world population is one of the strongest factors distorting the future of human society” is the opinion of experts on world matters. Show in an essay of about 100 words how growing population can take the world back to prehistoric times. Answer:
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