Protecting our environment and natural resources

Dhanapala Weerasekera Former Chairman Marine Environmental Authority

Continued from July 14

Scientific research confirms that the earth we live in is a unique planet with a balanced environment, which has enabled a wide range of life forms to develop and survive and that of the millions of stars and planets located in our solar system, our earth is the only one having the conditions necessary for survival of any life whether animal or plant. The many religions which modern humans believe in, date from a few thousands of years ago and vary in a few details, but we are not herein interested in any discussion on such spiritual beliefs which we respect as every human’s right to accept or not.

Ecological system

Our concern is on the physical factors which involve the environment we live in and matters related to the inter relationship between the total environment of the planet, its ongoing changes and effects of such changes on life forms ranging from the smallest algae to trees, categorized as flora, and animals large and small categorized as fauna. We humans, who are a highly developed animal, belongs to the category or fauna.

Unlike the large number of other planets in our universe, planet earth has developed into a balanced ecological system, with all requirements for life to exist in.

This process has taken billions of years and the life forms developed parallel with the changes which have occurred from it’s origin or prehistoric period, to what we call the modern world. Scientific evidence of research proves that there have been environmental upheavals even in prehistoric times with catastrophic impacts, including temperature changes referred to ice ages and heat waves, continuous rains and floods huge volcanic eruptions, earth quakes and sixty five million years ago an impact of a large meteorite changed the primeval climate of that time so drastically, that most life forms of the period, ranging from small mammals to large dinosaurs got extinct, and new life forms developed for millions of years, to once again inhabit the earth.

The planet we live in, our mother earth, has been comparatively stable for thousands of years and finally reached a stage of environmental development suitable for life of today’s flora and fauna including humans to survive in.

There have been environmental upheavals during the last few ages during which period most modern life forms developed, but the existence of natural resources which developed and co-existed with other life forms enabled nature to survive and adjust after such upheavals and for life forms to continue and develop.

Natural resources

The great difference now is that mankind has destroyed the earth’s natural balance by destroying natural resources and increasing atmospheric as well as water and land surface pollution creating problems the world faces, including causes and affects.

The earth and its life forms as traced by scientific research and accepted today, have been quite stable for thousands of years, with the strength to adjust and recover from the occasional environmental changes that occurred, because of the balance between life forms and the natural resources that life depended on. From primitive to modern humans, right up to a few hundred years ago, this important natural balance continued, and resulted in a comparatively stable temperature, clean water and fresh air, good earth, forest cover and inter related life forms, providing essential food chains and resources required.

This balance and protection of natural resources is referred to by all humans ranging from the primitive tribal leaders to great religious leaders venerated for thousands of years and whose teachings covered the need to protect and preserve natural resources as gifts of the super natural.

Global environment

The stark reality we humans of today have to accept, is the fact that the steady balance of a healthy global environment which has lasted for millions of years, has been destroyed by modern humans within a short period of just over a hundred years.

Humans evolved about thirty thousands years ago and developed physically and mentally to reach the status of early intelligent man, homo sapiens. With the growth of their wisdom and their understanding of the need to protect natural resources, they harvested the fruits of nature leaving natural resources for their progeny to continue harvesting.

Wealth and power

The destruction which commenced during the lifetime of a few elders still alive and of parents of today’s youth, continues unabated and has resulted in the danger of our own children, grand children and great grand children, having to face unprecedented environmental deterioration, shortages of food and more seriously the affects of such deterioration.

The greed for better life styles of today’s adults, for more wealth and power of individuals and nations, has triggered off a virtually irreversible chain of environmental degradation and imbalance that will have to be paid for by our progeny, including the youth of today.

It is a tragic reality that these dangers are known to most adults, at least the intelligent and educated adults and by most leaders of countries and specially the developed countries, which are responsible for the global environmental dangers, but they delay taking any action to at least mitigate the dangers we face, as their thinking is limited to the power wealth and comfort of their life spans and do not wish to risk their present lifestyles even for the sake of the future of their own progeny.

Some in their greed and selfishness convince themselves and the society around them that there is time for them to act and that something will happen during such time to reverse the predicted environmental trends.

Subsequent articles of this series which will be continued regularly as a joint environmental service program by the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. and the Lanka Initiative for Flora and Environmental L.I.F.E., will deal with all the related subjects which form a part of the total environmental problem, collectively described as Global Warming and the Sea Level Rise. A brief reference is made in this article to indicate the connected subjects which will be covered in detail.

The main cause of the problem is the massive environmental pollution caused by burning of fossil fuels in factories and vehicles coupled with deforestation, which reduces the only natural resource which can absorb the increasing amounts of carbon dioxide, spewed into the atmosphere by use of fossil fuels and excessive burning of coal.

Bottled water

Shortages of pure water, which is essential for survival is a serious threat to all life forms, including us humans and is caused by pollution due to excessive use of agro-chemicals, coupled with overuse, wastage and poisoning of ground water and the new easy way out by use of bottled water instead of finding ways to clean available water by old traditional methods. Increased demand caused by increasing population and greater per capita usage threatens our natural balances.

Pollution of our oceans is as serious a subject as any land-based pollution discussed. Of the green plant life that contributes to cleansing of our atmosphere by absorbing and holding the carbonic emissions from all sources, algae in the oceans are the greatest contributor to this essential process of photosynthesis.

Oil spills

Oceans are now threatened with serious degradation by oil spills and oil discharges from ships and also from land based sources including garbage and refuse dumping directly to the seas or to rivers and streams which flow into the seas carrying harmful chemicals which are carried by rivers and streams.

The problems is made more acute due to the effect of global warming caused by human activities and scientific studies show that large extends of coral and micro marine life is seriously endangered due to warming of the oceans and land based pollution.

The destruction of corals and marine micro organisms will triggers off a serious impact on the marine food chain which will result in a depletion of fish and other sea foods.