Indian Wildlife Club Forum

Our transportation choices obviously have a major impact on the environment, so what can we do to lessen our impact on the planet and reduce our dependence on oil?

The Federal Transit Agency(USA) reports, “Americans lose more than 1.6 million hours a day stuck in traffic. Without transit, the nation’s $40 billion in annual traffic congestion losses would be $15 billion higher. In fact, if all the Americans who take transit to work decided to drive, their cars would circle the Earth with a line of traffic 23,000 miles long.”

Long-distance trains, so-called “heavy rail,” are making a comeback, despite setbacks. Amtrak in USA, as a whole has lost about $25 billion since it was created in 1971, a staggering sum until you consider the $40 billion annually spent on highways.

Rapid-transit ferries can compete with cars in commuting times. The city of Sydney, Australia, for instance, makes major use of ferryboat commuting, as does Hong Kong, Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. There are some environmental problems and some cost issues with ferries, but, overall, when you have feasible water routes, it’s a great mode of transport.

Biking is also gaining in popularity, for health, for its environmental benefits and to eliminate auto-related costs. The National Personal Transportation Survey found that approximately 40 percent of all trips are less than two miles in length—which represents a 10-minute bike ride or a 30-minute walk. Fifty-four percent of all commuters live within 10 miles of their worksite—making their commute time by bike or car just about the same.

Employers also benefit, because studies show that people who bike to work are more productive and take less time off for illness. Bikers cut down on an employer’s need to subsidize employee parking, and exercise tends to make workers more alert.

Europe is showing the way forward in many ways.

European car-free zones have become very successful. Sixty cities have declared that they’re going to make their centers car-free. Britain has developed a car-free day, which is supported by 75 percent of the British public. Similar ideas have spread to Central and South America. In some places, such as Athens or Singapore, because of pollution problems, you can drive only every other day (license plates ending in an odd number one day, even the next), and London now is charging cars a hefty fee to enter the city center. In Copenhagen, Denmark, 30 to 40 percent of commuters get to work by bicycle.

Source:www.emagazine.com

Roots and Shoots

I had the privilege of listening to Jane Goodall at the Brish Council on 21 Jan 2007, while she was addressing the audience of  "Wildscreen India". 
Jane Goodall is intenationally known as the saviour of chimpanzees.  But it was indeed more thrilling to listen to her enthusiasm for the "Roots and Shoots" program she has initiated in 100 countries and is soon starting in India too.

Roots and Shoots of plants have the uncanny ability to pierce/sprout through brick walls.  She believes that the brick wall of unsustainable development/global warming will have roots and shoots growing all over soon  - roots and shoots being the young workers she is organizing into groups of grassroot workers from all corners of the world. 

The youth of today and even senior citizens can be mobilised for action and they are our "Reason for Hope"

Do visit the site http://www.rootsandshoots.org for more info.

Environmental problems are very site specific, and any good solution needs to factor in social and economical aspects. It comes with experience, and with asking lots of questions.

"Marketing" is an important issue, not only with environmental problems but with most problem in general. It is not only important to identify a problem, it is equally important to be able to present it to the public in a way that people can identify with it and to express it in a way that is easy to comprehend.

 You will be learning about many problems that may seem overwhelming, and at times you may feel that there are so many aspects to an issue that it is impossible to get a grasp on all of them.

Water quality is deteriorating, nitrate is killing off habitats, phosphorus is accelarating the closure of lakes, ground water is being polluted, farming accelerates erosion of soil, air quality is suffering, but on the other hand we need food, cash crops and food security. Where do you strike the balance?

 How do you make incentives for farmers to apply conservation practices? Who should pay for these costs? Who should pay for the economic downturn of fisheries ? These issued need to be aired and the public should know the impacts and the efforts to reduce them.

We need to generate debate on issues concerning the environment.  It is the ecosystem that is sustaining humanity.

...The Food and Agricultural Organisation(FAO) of the United Nations recommends urban agriculture including animal rearing within cities as a useful means to tackle poverty and promote sustainable city practices.  It is feared that rapid urbanisation in developing countries will consume about 14 million hectares of cropland by 2020 and make matters worse.  Many African cities and a few European cities are now seriously considering urban agriculture as a viable multifunctional land use strategy.

.........Processed foods increase the ecological footprint of a city, as goods have to be transported from long distances.

The FAO estimates that Delhi will require an additional 1,96,500 trucks of 10 tonne capacity by 2010 to supply food for its population, while Mumbai will need 3,13,400 more trucks.  This will have serious implications for traffic and roads.

.......  Cities that have seriously considered the issues of urban poverty, environment, and food security have made plans to allow for more agriculture within their urban and peri-urban areas.  Bangkok has 60 percent of its metropolitan area as agriculture land, as has Madrid.  Beira in Mozambique has a high percentage of about 88 percent of its green spaces used for family agriculture.  Ottawa has 5,000 hectares of agriculture land within city limits...........

The famous marshes of Xochimilco, located on the outskirts of Mexico City, are fed by treated wastewater from the city.  This water is used for irrigating flowers and vegetables and also recharges the aquifers.....The East Calcutta wetland is an example worth looking at. This 3,900 hectare wetland located in the peri-urban area is used for fisheries.  The many ponds are benefited from the 1,300 million litres of treated wastewater discharged from the city.  About 13,000 tonnes of fish are harvested and about 60,000 people provided a livelihood.  In addition, 150 tonnes of vegetable are also produced daily.  Pigs and ducks are reared as well.........

A.Srivathsan(The Hindu 27 June 2006)

http://www.environsciences.com

 This site contains useful information about environment/nature studies and have the details of every topic of our school & college study.

On a recent visit to Rishikesh when I stayed at one of the mountain resorts, I decided to trek the mountain slopes along with one of the workers at the resort-who was a cook cum coolie at the place.

As we walked along, I was surprised to hear him talk about the uses and medicinal values of almost every plant that grew around there. He said he and his family members have never visited a doctor.

 As we came back, he wanted to know if I can help him get a job in Delhi. I felt ashamed and helpless. Tried explaining to him that the knowledge he has and the air he breathes in is so much superior to what we urbanites have to offer.

I do not think he was poorly off. Is there anything we can do to empower him- to respect him for his knowledge?

Environmrnt education or awareness does not necessarily stop at refining the Automobile exaust gases or stopping an industry from spewing smoke from their chimneys. Environment awareness has to be addressed as a whole.

The need today is to inculcate an environment friendly attitude into people.  One effective way is to share the knowledge, educate- through visuals and talk shows to school children by volunteers and teach them that Flora and Fauna are something to be respected and protected. 

The Gram Panchayat platforms could be urged to hold slide-shows and teach the rural people to protect their environment for their own benefit and diversity. All this could be done with the involvement of a few like minded people to volunteer and campaign.  We have to come together first.

I agree that we need to broaden our concept of Environment awareness to include the general public- the adult population who are in charge of the planet right now.

There are some excellent documentaries getting made in India -well researched and focussed- which must become available to the general public to raise the level of awareness.

While funding agencies are coming forward to fund more and more documentaries, the need of the hour is to distribute and market the resources we have already.

A community approach to looking at conservation problems fosters an ability to consider sustainability issues from the view of different stakeholders.

"Awareness" happens through sharing of information.

 A common claim about group settings is that they foster an effective combination of learning with understanding and are therefore likely to support conceptual change. Environment concerns pervade all activities in the adult world. We need to broaden our concept of Environmental awareness to include the general public- the adult population who are in charge of the planet right now. The process by which experiences are shared through collective action and reflection both builds a community and defines it.

Unwillingness to share, especially difficult and controversial aspects of one’s work, tendency to follow the leader, tendency to arrive at a consensus by covering up intriguing layers of disagreement-these are some of the issues which plague healthy debates in conferences and even in face to face discussions.

WE HAVE TO SEE differences of opinion as a resource rather than a liability. Criticisms and disagreements as a source of learning and enrichment.