Ng. Muivah
Environmental problem is the concern of every person of the world. Nay it is the responsibility of every nation big or small to see that the eco-system of the earth is not disturbed for common survival of human beings and animals as well. The word ecology is derived from Greek term oikos which means house. It is a science dealing with the management of organism and their environment.
Modernisation and scientific revolutions have brought about ecological degradation and environmental pollution. Most of the developed nations are found doing more harm than the poor countries in bringing about hazard to the ecological condition of the earth. For example, the world most developed and advanced nation USA is the leading nation responsible for global warming. The smoke emitted out of factories and automobile from USA has destroyed the pine grove of Canada with acid rain. In fact USA is a defaulting nation in so far as global eco-system is concern. It is estimated that 430 million metric tons of toxic waste are produced each year of which 260 million metric tons are of the USA. Most of it came from the chemical industry. Every year 130 million metric tons of sulphur dioxide are emitted over Europe and North America. Acid rain can be carried many miles by strong winds. Similarly like Canada, Scandinavia too suffers heavily from its industrialized neighbours like Britain. A UN study found that over half of Germany’s forest damage by acid rain and in Britain 64 percent of all trees has been affected.
The Earth and its Nature
The earth is beautiful and its nature is wonderful and mysterious. Even today modern science cannot explain. The purpose of organs living and non-living cannot be fully understood. Who can explain why animals, insects and plants useful and non useful are there on earth? What the purpose of poisonous snakes, plants, insects and disease bearing bacteria? Eden garden was perfect and whole. There was no question of flood and draught, no famine, no suffering and no death. The paradise on earth could not be sustained due exploitation of nature by men. The ecological balance is lost. Men started struggling for survival with the application of his knowledge good and evil and made damage to nature. We dig the ground for agriculture, mining, road and other purposes. We cut trees for housing and fuel. We burn oil for lighting cooking and automobile. We kill animals and insects for food. These activities ought to be managed properly otherwise we are doing injustice to nature. For, nature has its own limitation. When exploitation exceeds the unbearable limit, nature gives way and begins to effect development itself adversely.
Authority and Responsibility of Man
According to Genesis 1:28-29 God makes us masters over all living and non-living things on earth and sea. They are all placed at our disposal for our own use. And we do so. But we forget our responsibility to see that all these things are properly managed. We do not understand that we are the stewards of the earth whom God has entrusted. But we constantly use the resources until they are depleted. We keep rivers for sewerage, lakes and seas for dumping waste materials, trees for lumber indiscriminately and thereby destroy the condition of nature. We think that nature has no limit. We try to conquer nature without knowing that we are part of nature. Our well-being and survival is subject to nature. Nature goes its own way, not following our rules. Our plan is directed to exploitation of natural resources without concern to environmental conditions. In spite of becoming masters to manage the earth we are destroying/devastating the earth by bringing ecological disaster. Indeed, we have abused our authority entrusted by God. And we are defaulters in the sight of God. Time has come for us to make our plan and research in tune with the nature, failing which our lots will be miserable beyond repair. There will be nothing left for supporting development in future. How do we explain that the trees do not grow to the sky? How animal species limit their growth and rate of production in commemorate with the resources of the ecosystem? The total energy of plants is regulated by the amount of solar energy available to the organic compound of plants. Since combustion consumes oxygen the amount of combustion the earth can sustain is limited. In eco-system as in the social system, causes and effects are widely different and separated. So it is our duty to keep nature’s condition as far as possible.
Human Plan and Nature’s way
The construction of Aswan Dam in the Nile is one of the giant projects in modern times. The dream of irrigating hundred and thousand hectres of waste land for agriculture is found to be a great failure and tragedy. The once fertile farm lands through the flood of the Nile have become barren today. Egypt becomes silted and erosion of land is taking place everywhere. Many rich settlements on the river basin are now under the water. A snail-borne disease ‘schistosomaisis’ which causes fever and liver congestion is haunting the Egyptians. The Nile is no longer the gift but an ugly face of horror disturbing the very existence of life. Draining of Florida swampland reduced the flow of fresh water to the estuaries (the lower end of the river) and increased the salinity of the water which damaged the environment for fish and shrimp. The indiscriminate felling of trees of the Amazon forest tells upon the ecological balance of the earth. The people thought that Amazon forest woods will last for century after century even if trees are cut down. With the trees cut down many animals therein migrated to a safer place. The most horrifying effect is failure of rain in Ethiopia and Uganda which are at the distance of thousand of miles. Famine followed and created formidable burden. This indicates that the world was one and only one. The use of herbicide and weeds killer is more frightening as it blocks the cycle of oxygen. The use of insecticide is a senseless venture for eradication of insects. Some of the dangerous insects get immune from the chemical and some of the friendly insects are exterminated along with other insects. Nature has its own way to keep the pest under control through birds and preying insects (mentis). Why not we come back to natural way of function without relying on dangerous chemicals. Waters remain polluted, unfit for drinking. Life cannot exist without good water. We may treat the contaminated water with lime. But all the polluted water cannot be treated with lime. The excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers causes nitrate pollution of underground water which becomes unfit for human and animal consumption. Nitrates in drinking water can cause both cancer and birth defects.
During the Cultural Revolution of China, the sparrows were declared as enemies of men. They were blamed for eating the grains from stores as they live in the homestead of the family. The then government of China issued orders to the effect that all the sparrows should be hunted out. The order was executed and no sparrow was seen flying in China. In the following year China was attacked by worms in their homesteads in the absence of sparrows. Ignorance is human brain which could not foresee that sparrows are men’s friend cleansing worms and insects in the homestead. The following year China started importing sparrows from outside.
The great ‘Sahara’ which was once thick jungle remains today bare and barren. The trees therein were indiscriminately cut down by the Romans to build their houses and boats. No compensatory plantation was undertaken to keep ‘Sahara’ green. Today it stands as the biggest desert of the world. The most alarming condition of the world is depletion of oxygen (O2). It is through the trees that covert carbon dioxide into oxygen. When the trees are indiscriminately felled supply of oxygen is disturbed and less supply of oxygen (O2) is there. The carbon dioxide (CO2) inhaled through industrial smoke and waste creates atmospheric hazard and makes short of oxygen supply. This leads to respiratory problem to all living beings. Herein USA can be branded as the greatest defaulter to ecological balance. They have to pay for the damage done to the world.
The Importance of Trees
Genesis 2:5 says, “Before any plant in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord had not caused it to rain on the earth and there was no man to till the ground”. This clearly indicates that the rain falls because of trees. The cloud floating high the sky is attracted to stay overhead. And the cloud in contact with cool air turns into water and falls down as rain. Tree is the agent of rain. It stores up rain water during monsoon and gives out the water in the lean season. One tree can hold up seven gallons of water and thereby causes spring. In the absence of trees the rain water directly flows to the river and causes flood. Had we been wise enough to keep trees as earlier, there shall be no flood and the department of flood control will have been non-existent. Why not we grow more trees to bring rain and control flood too?
Air Pollution
Smokes emitted out of combustion of car engines and factories go up to the sky. The spray of perfume and insecticide also easily join them in the sky. The refrigerant like CO3, F11, and F22 etc get easily vapourised at low temperature. They rise directly to the sky and mix with the cloud and cause acid rain. These poisonous gases reach the stratosphere and temperature of the earth becomes warmer. This is called ‘green house effect’. The gases make inroad to the Ozone (O3) layer which is 15-35 km above the earth. Man-made chemicals and ordinary carbon dioxide gas absorbed infrared radiation and thereby create green house effect. Ozone (O3) shields the earth from ultra violet radioactive ray of the sun. It also purifies the poisonous gases. But the Ozone (O3) shield is depleted with the increase of Nitric Oxide (NO), carbon dioxide (CO2), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the atmosphere. And the earth becomes warmer and warmer year by year. The Ozone layer becomes thinner and thinner allowing hole in the South Pole by thousand of miles. It will allow the radioactive ray of the sun to hit the earth directly in the absence of Ozone shield. Ozone depletion effect is alarming as it cause skin cancer and retard the growth of infants. This will also cause melting of the snow-cap of the North Pole and South Pole along with the snow-caped mountains of the world. The sea-level will rise to 70 metres and coastal cities and settlement will be under the sea. Then there will drastic change of the condition of the world. Calamity and catastrophe will follow. At this juncture Jesus shall come to save the earth from total destruction. Acts 2:19-20 says “I show wonder in heaven above and sign in the earth beneath: blood, fire and vapour of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood. Before the great notable day of the Lord”.
Will Man Survive?
The fatal effects are there and the condition of the world has been changed to miserable lot. Yet we have hope of survival if we conform ourselves to nature’s way. We are not to control nature but we have to live according to nature’s way. Then we may regain the lost conditions. Our life-style, planning, research work should be based on the way of nature. The urgent need arises for sustainable development plans and programs to conserves and preserves natural system and environment. We have to evolve a new culture and international consciousness allowing nature to function its way and maintain ecological balance. The culture of machine and technology too much with us has to be controlled. Every member of the world should strive for common survival and co-existence in unity and understanding.
