"We never know the worth of water till the well is dry"- Thomas Fuller
Sustainability is not an option but an imperative. For a better world to live in we need clean air, pure water, nutritious food, healthy environment and abundant greenery around us. Without sustainability, environmental degradation and economic decline will be feeding on each other, leading to poverty, pollution, poor health, political upheaval and unrest. The environment is not to be seen as a stand alone concern. It cuts across all sectors of development .The rapid increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, land degradation, increasing floods and droughts, advancing deserts and deteriorating conditions of the fragile ecosystems, deforestation, loss of biodiversity and environmental pollution have become subject of serious global concern. The overall impact of these phenomena is likely to in depletion of the ozone layer, change in climate, rise in sea level, loss of natural resources, reduction in their productivity ultimately leading to an ecological crises affecting livelihood options for development and deterioration in overall quality of life.
Development based on exploitation of natural resources, pressure of the population and their growing demands and poverty of the people have taken a heavy toll on our environmental assets. We have to increase our economic growth rates , provide the basic support services to a large section of our population and deal with the problem of poverty and unemployment. At the same time, we have to pay enough attention to conserving our natural resources and also improving the status of our environment. We need to tackle the problem of environmental degradation in a holistic manner in order to insure both environmental and economic stability.
Intensified shifting cultivation, indiscriminate use of timber, fuel wood, fodder and other forest products, forest fire and encroachment have led to rampant deforestation. The future management must, therefore take into account this compelling needs in order that environmental aspect is not overlooked while fulfilling the requirements of the community. Almost everyday we seem to hear of various environmental problems like -acid rain, global warming, destruction of rainforests , extension of thousands of species of flora and fauna and so on. The air water and the soil all over the world have been, and are still being polluted in different ways. This, in turn is affecting well being of all living things. When fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal are burned to provide energy for lightning, cooking , heating and industry etc they emit various kinds of polluting gases. Oil Spills pollute sea water land endanger marine life, chemical wastes from factories and sewage plants and artificial fertilizers from farmlands pollute river water, killing wildlife and spreading diseases. The careless or deliberate dumping of litter is not only unsightly but dangerous too.
Nowadays ,most of us know that these threats do really exist and that humans have caused them. To protect the environment is the need for the hour and it all sounds very depressing but certainly must not despair. Everyone amongst us, regardless of whatever age we are ,can do something to help slow down and reverse some of the damages. We cannot leave problem -solving entirely to the experts, we all have collective responsibility towards the environment. We must learn the substantial way of using the natural resources i.e learn to use judiciously our natural resources which include air, freshwater, forests, wildlife, farmlands and seas without damaging them As population expands and world in good condition so that the future generations can avail the same resources that we have now.