GD and Essay Topic: Environment and Us

6 mins read19.8K Views Comment

Updated on Dec 28, 2022 12:26 IST

For the health and welfare of a community and of a nation as a whole, a clean environment is necessary. It is one of the essential conditions for life's existence on Earth.

By Akila Narayanan

This article was first published on October 12, 2020.

Our world is the one in which living or non-living forms are subjected to a minimum of human characteristics. The air we breathe, the water we consume, the natural environment in which we live. The world constitutes of all these things. For a safe and productive community, a clean environment is important. The plants, marine life and all living beings are profoundly influenced by the state of the ecosystem in which they live. Therefore, it is obvious beyond question that a clean atmosphere is important for a healthy ecosystem.

For the health and welfare of a community and of a nation as a whole, a clean environment is necessary. It is one of the essential conditions for life's existence on Earth. Environmental awareness among the young generation is important for our future survival. No surprise thus, that it is often a point of discussion in group discussions.

GD Topic: Importance of Clean Environment

Any living species that includes plants, animals, humans and marine life cannot live amid waste. In order to survive, they all need a safe and clean climate.
An unclean environment gives way to diseases and an ecosystem that is unbalanced and much more.
The loss of natural resources results in the survival of all living forms in an unclean environment.
It is not possible for a population that drinks dirty water or breathes in toxic air to be safe and prosperous. The toxic ecosystem has a detrimental impact on both the ecosystem and plants.

Environmental Pollution

Environmental harm caused by human activities such as industrialisation, deforestation, urbanisation, etc., contributes significantly to environmental pollution. Much is being said and heard these days about the need for a sustainable atmosphere and the measures to be taken to minimise emissions from the atmosphere and to give way to a safe and balanced ecosystem. Below are some of the prime factors that contribute to a damaged environment:

Harmful gases expulsion: Gases such as CO2 ( Carbon dioxide), CO (Carbon monoxide) and NH3 (Ammonia) cause a large amount of environmental harm. Human impacts such as fossil-fuel burning, cement manufacturing, etc., result in CO2 gas emissions. On the other hand, the key cause of NH3 pollution is agriculture where fertilisers based on ammonia are used. NH3 plays a major role in the production of Atmospheric Particulate Matter (APM) which depletes the breathable air quality index.

Deforestation: The insatiable appetite of man to extend his riches and frontiers has led to irrational deforestation. The increase in the amount of atmospheric CO2 is one of the main consequences of deforestation. Cutting down the forest contributes more to global warming than integrating factors such as vehicles and trucks. Deforestation contributes to changes in the global atmosphere and biodiversity loss.

Urbanisation: Urbanisation is inevitable as man discovers new horizons that leave the simplistic lifestyle the villages have to offer to live in towns. The setting in which urban people live is highly dependent on their habits and lifestyle. Urbanisation contributes most notably to deforestation and the depletion of natural resources such as water. An unregulated urbanisation would have a devastating impact on the climate, causing many living species to die out.

Littering: People most frequently litter their surroundings, which accumulates and turns into waste over time, resulting in environmental pollution. Garbage accumulation results in deadly diseases, such as Malaria and Cholera, to name a few. The toxic materials in waste will find their way into water and soil, contaminating them and causing diseases that are life-threatening.

Clean Environment

Render policies pleasant for the environment: Environment-friendly policies are, in the term of a layman, the guidelines for factory or environmental change which assert a reduced or minimal environmental impact. A government should consider its environmental effect and take the required measures to reduce it while making political choices for the growth of industries and urbanisation.

Plant a tree: A group and a person should actively contribute to a clean and safe atmosphere by promising to plant a tree every weekend or on off days in the city.

Buy recycled goods: Through buying goods containing recycled content, you avoid these items from ending up in a landfill and do your part to increase market demand for recycling bins and ensure a sustainable ecosystem continues.

Go green on transportation: A quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions are accounted for by transportation alone. So, next time you schedule a trip with family and friends to your favourite spot, stop using more cars than you really need, or use public transport if it is safe. People around the world grow an attraction to vehicles that have zero emissions such as electric vehicles or solar energy.

Natural pesticides: Similar to human overuse of antibiotics, overuse of chemical fertilisers and pesticides has harmful effects on soil species. Although beneficial to agricultural crops, they can have a detrimental impact on the health of organisms that are exposed directly or indirectly to such climate. The use of organic pesticides composed of minerals or other plant materials that hold pests at bay and break down easily in the soil helps prevent dangerous chemicals from polluting them. Examples include sesame oil spray, neem, pyrethrum, soap, etc.

Locally growing your food: Planting your food locally results in lower demand for food products to be exported. It also decreases the need for chemicals that directly pollute the climate. Organic food results in decreased use of pesticides and other toxic substances, and ecosystem change.

Divide out the waste: Segregation of waste involves separating the waste into dry and damp waste. Separated waste can be used for recycling, as well as ensuring that no waste is released into the atmosphere and all waste is processed for practical use.

The ecosystem plays an important role in maintaining life on earth. But there are some problems that cause harm to life and to the earth's environment. It is related to not only the atmosphere but everyone living on the planet. The primary cause, in addition, is deforestation, global warming, greenhouse gas and many others. Human daily activities are continuously destroying the environmental quality, which inevitably results in the deterioration of the earth's survival state.

About the Author

Akila Narayanan is a PGDM student from Thiagarajar School of Management, with a keen interest in Marketing and Finance. She is currently based in Madurai. She has done her graduation from Velammal College of Engineering and Technology, Madurai. She has been also awarded first prize by DM of Madurai for a social welfare project titled, “The Life Saving Block Detector”.

About the Author

Shiksha ExternalAuthors

This account contains a repository of informative articles by external authors with domain expertise in various aspects of guiding students on how to go about pursuing their undergraduate and postgraduate studies in... Read Full Bio