The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement's Role Our Earth is a living organisman enormous being, of which we are

parts. This is our planet, its destruction will make us all homeless. We are dependent on Earth and not the other way round. However, the thankless creature, man, is unconcerned about the dangers that pose threats to our survival. The article by ani !alkhivala deals with the concerns of the environmentalists at this eleventh hour and talks about the new awareness that has dawned upon our race. " holistic and ecological view of the world has been brought into consideration. The #reen $ovement launched in %&'( has never looked back. There is a growing need of sustainable development, which was popularised by World )ommission on Environment and *evelopment in %&+'. $an is the most dangerous creature, as it was declared by a ,oo in -usaka, ,ambia. Human beings are taking too much time to realise the need of the hour. One of the members of .randt )ommission, $r. -. /. 0ha, raised a vital 1uestion, 2are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and ailing environment34 $r. -ester 5. .rown e6pressed his worry over the fact that our four biological systems are reaching an unsustainable level. The tropical forests, 2the powerhouse of evolution4, as *r. $eyers called them, are being destroyed causing e6tinction of several species. The fear hovers, what if the words, 2forests precede mankind, and deserts follow4, come true. "nd the reality is that 7ndia is losing its forests at the rate of 8.' million acres a year. The "rticle 9+" of the 7ndian )onstitution provides that the :tate shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and safeguard the forest and wildlife of the country. To conserve the environment and to bring down the population of the world, which is ;.' billion, !alkhivala suggests that development is the only solution. <ertility falls as the income rises, education spreads, and health improves. ani supports compulsory sterilisation and defends it by saying that there is no other alternative but coercion. The population of 7ndia today is &(= million, which is more than the entire population of "frica and :outh "merica. What is happening today is that rich are getting richer and poor are begetting children, which begets them to remain poor. ow the folks have realised what endangers our race. 7t is not about the survival of human race but the survival of the planet Earth. 7t is an Era of 5esponsibility. The industrialists have to understand the present concern with most consideration. The view of the )hairman of *u !ont, $r. Edgar :. Woolard is much appreciable, 2Our continued e6istence as a leading manufacturer re1uires that we e6cel in environmental performance.4 -et us be grateful to $other ature and keep $argaret Thatcher>s felicitous words, 2 o generation has a freehold on this earth. "ll we have is a life tenancy with a full repairing lease4. 7n the words of $r. -ester .rown, 2We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers? we have borrowed it from our children4.