Green Month

Yesterday marked the beginning of the World Tree Planting Month and we too have joined in with the rest of the world to espouse environmental concerns.

The Environment Ministry has launched a campaign to plant 100,000 tree saplings countrywide and it is hoped this would be a sustained effort and not confined to specific days of the year.

We say so because more than at any other time in our history there is an urgent need to redress the environmental balance with the alarming destruction of the world's ecosystem due to man made follies and human greed.

This is in the backdrop of warnings from environmentalists and experts that this degradation would inexorably lead to the extinction of life on Earth due to the wanton destruction of its land mass.

Already we hear of melting glaciers, global warming and changing seasons all brought about by the imbalance caused in the ecosystem due to environmental degradation. Indiscriminate destruction of forest cover for expanding human habitation and development has had a telling impact on changing environmental patterns.

There is also the threat of extinction of animal life and rare species all contributing to cataclysmic consequences. No doubt while man has made phenomenal advances where the world has transformed into a global village there is also the flip side where his greed has blinded him so much as to ignore the factors that would keep this universe intact.

By destroying the agents that sustain life he has brought the world close to extinction. Today many parts of the world have been reduced to wastelands due to destruction caused to the environment in the name of development.

In Sri Lanka too we see samples of this destruction of the environment which has had a grave impact on our eco system. There is mass landfilling, massive deforestation and logging. The is a race to acquire all land space for so-called development.

Even the hitherto unspoilt rural setting is not spared with the construction boom taking over once tranquil verdant landscape. Already we see once gushing waterfalls in the hill country suddenly going dry and also unpredictable weather patterns ruining crop planning.

Reams have been written by environmentalists and experts about the slow death inflicted on the country's eco system and the urgent need to balance development imperatives with environment considerations.

The hackneyed phrase of sustainable development will have no meaning if we continue to keep ignoring environmental standards.

Not many decades ago our forests, rivers and waterfalls were the envy of many a foreigner. Alas, today the story is different. It is hoped that this tree planting campaign will not go the way of previous ones and gather sufficient momentum and prove a catalyst for a green revolution that is essential if we are to survive as a nation.
 

Brave students

Our front page story yesterday highlighting an event where three young students from Colombo and outstations schools were honoured for bravery it is hoped would catch the attention of the young population of the country to emulate their feats.

Those reading the act of gallantry of these youngsters recounted at the ceremony at the Awards for Brave Students held at the Ananda College Auditorium would try to take a leaf out their book and prove to be worthy citizens of Mother Lanka.

All their acts of bravery resulted in the prevention of loss of lives. It is such bravery that the country needs at present when it is confronted with many challenges not the least of which is the terrorist threat.

It is heartening to see more persons coming forward with information leading to arrest of terrorist suspects and also taking risks on behalf of others. The timely action of a bus crew recently which helped avert a carnage when they ordered out passengers of a bus planted with a bomb and drove it to a safe location stands out in this regard.

We say this because we are also not without those who decide to play it safe and believe in the dictum of least resistance. How many of our people harken to the police advice to be ever vigilant for bombs or suspicious movements. Some fear the inconvenience they may have to undergo by 'sticking their necks out'. This is akin to shirking of one's duty and responsibility while endangering lives.

It is time that all members of the public collectively think in terms of their civic duties and act with a degree of responsibility and a sense of propriety. Their acts may go a long way in contributing to public safety and above all be a fillip to the ongoing efforts to defeat terrorism.