Do we know what environment is??
A word that is taking rounds across the national and international dailies, and is the top agenda on international forums working out development strategies, seems to be the least understood term by common man. You can try this for yourself, ask at random, anyone as to what environment is?? And you will get variety of interesting answers.
Environment…ummmmmmmmm….trees…………emmmmmmm…water………….ahhhhhh…animals…and………climate change…
Some words partially correct but delivered with great uncertainty!! None of them is able to explain the meaning of environment in its complete sense. Infact each of these things is a part of environment but not environment singly.
In such a situation where people are unaware about the complete meaning of the term environment, expecting them to protect and conserve it remains far from reality. This is the most basic reason the global efforts to conserve the environment doesn’t reach the determined results.
Environment in reality is not just one thing out of these various things but environment is anything living or non- living that surrounds a centre of focus. The centre of focus, here is humans, considering their ability to instigate change in their surroundings. In the same sense, the protection of environment today is also relative to human survival and needs.
We define environment based on our immediate needs and requirement, at best we include natural actors visible to us in defining our environment. For example, water from the tap, sofa we sit on, plate in which we eat food, my pet dog, my house form part of my environment and I strive hard to keep it at best. But what we forget is our innate relationship with the far and wide spread environment inclusive of natural environment and man- made environment.
Thus, each individual has an immediate environment and an extended environment which may not be directly visible but forms the basis of immediate environment. Like we can’t see the river but water from the tap is essential for our survival and forms an important part of our immediate environment. By way of this water we are connected to the river and hence equally impacted by river pollution and responsible for water conservation. However, there is disconnect between our immediate and extended environment, borne in our short- sightedness.
You can easily draw the connections between immediate and natural environment, just by taking a closer and deeper look at your material comforts, all be it your couch or your bed or your car is drawn or driven on a resource provided from the natural environment.
Hence we gradually work for the betterment of our immediate environment, our so- called “comfort zone” and a simultaneously contribute to decay of our natural environment owing to our ignorance.
Thus, to ensure conservation of environment, the first and the most essential step is to make each individual understand what exactly environment is?. Only after which he/ she can draw the connections between his/ her immediate/ material environment and extended/ natural environment. Only then can he head towards conservation and protection of the same.
So know your environment to protect it!!
