11th std The Ailing Planet: The Green Movement’s Role

 11^th std The Ailing Planet: The Green Movement’s Role

Question 1. What does the notice “The world’s most dangerous animals” at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify?
Answer: The notice “The world’s most dangerous animals” at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia signifies that man is solely responsible for all the deterioration in environment and depletion of natural resources. Thus man is the world’s most dangerous animal.

Question 2. How population growth is the main cause of ailing planet?

Answer: The growth of world population puts a severe strain on the earth's principal biological systems. Due to excessive human claims these reach an unsustainable level where their productivity is damaged. Development is not possible if world population continues to grow so rapidly.

Question 3. Why does the author agree that the growth of world population is one of the strongest factors distorting the future of human society?
Answer:The growth of world population puts a severe strain on the earth’s principal biological systems. Due to excessive human claims these reach an unsustainable level where their productivity is damaged. Development is not possible if world population continues to grow so rapidly. Increasing population brings hunger, poverty and unemployment.

Question 4. How are the earth’s principal biological systems being depleted?Answer:There are four principal biological systems - fisheries, grasslands, forests, and croplands. These four systems provide food and raw materials for industry except for minerals and synthetics. These systems have reached an unsustainable point where their productivity have impaired. As a result, fisheries are collapsing, deforestation is taking place, grasslands are turning into barren wasteland and croplands are becoming worse. Overfishing is very common nowadays where people are becoming protein-conscious. In poor countries, the forest is being cut down on a large scale to obtain wood for cooking. In some areas, firewood is more costly than food. Many species are under destruction in tropical forests.

Question 5. Discuss the problems of overpopulation that directly affect our everyday life.

Answer: Overpopulation leads to many problems that are affecting mankind and natural resources. It leads to poverty and unemployment. The poor children are forced to live the same lifestyle as their parents did because of the lack of resources and facilities. Overpopulation leads to lesser education and low health facilities which results in more problems like the rise in harmful diseases and fertility rate. The natural resources are being consumed at a very fast rate to fulfill the need of the population throughout the world. Deforestation is one of the issues where forests are being cut down. All this results in global warming and if the population is not controlled, it will deplete the environment and earth.

Question 6.Discuss laws are neither respected nor enforced in India.
Answer:It is painful but true that laws are neither respected nor enforced in India. Let us take examples from our everyday lives. Almost everyone is conversant with the rule of the road. Still there are cases of wrong overtaking, road rage, lane jumping, signal jumping, and over speeding . Our laws insist on compulsory elementary education up to the age of fourteen. Yet we find many illiterate teenager boys or girls of this age loitering around in lanes or employed in petty jobs in road side restaurants or as domestic servants. Our Constitution insists on the protection and improvement of the environment. The states have been given the responsibility of protecting forests and wildlife. Forests are being cut and illegal shooting of wildlife goes on. Similarly, there are laws regarding abolishing casteism, untouchability and bonded labour. But these remain on paper. In actual life, these are never put into practice. Hence, it can be concluded that laws are neither respected nor enforced in India.

Question 7.“Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and an ailing environment?” Elaborate.
Answer:I fully agree with the view contained in the statement. There is every likelihood of such an eventuality occurring in future. There are solid reasons behind this apprehension. Our resources are limited. They will not last indefinitely if we go on consuming them indiscriminately. Fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands form the basis of the global economic system. They supply us food and raw materials for industry. Increasing population has put a severe pressure on them. Excessive use of these resources have impaired their productivity. In large areas of the world these systems have reached an unsustainable level. The results are awful and disastrous.
The fisheries will collapse, forests disappear, grasslands will become barren wastelands and croplands will lose their fertility. Decimation of forests will increase dryness and heat and there will be less rainfall. Hence there is a possibility of the earth becoming an overheated place full of increasing deserts, poor landscapes and ailing environment in future.

Question 8. Elucidate - “We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children”.

Answer:From many decades, humans are using the resources of the earth at a very alarming rate without worrying about future generations. Now the environment has become critical enough that humans must realize the era of responsibility towards it. With quite some time, human perception is changing and the earth is seen as a ‘holistic and ecological view’. Earth is seen as a living organism which has its own metabolic and vital needs. We must protect the resources for future generations. Use of ‘Sustainable Development’ which means meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising with future generations. Thus, the earth’s resources should be utilized in a way that doesn’t affect the future.

Question 9.Why does Nani Palkhivala call the earth ‘The Ailing Planet’? How can the ailing planet survive?
Answer:The signs of the earth connected with life necessary for staying alive show that the earth is a patient in declining health. Its deserts are advancing, landscapes are being impoverished and environment is ailing. Aerial photography using satellites has revealed that the environment has deteriorated very badly in many parts of the world. In fact, it has became critical in many of the eighty eight countries investigated. The concept of sustainable development and green movement can help the ailing planet to survive. People must discharge their moral responsibility as stewards of the planet and trustees of the legacy of the future generations. The plundering of the natural resources should be controlled. These must be preserved for the future generations.

Question 10.What are the earth’s principal biological systems? Why have they been depleted and how can they be preserved?
Answer:The earth has four principal biological systems. These are: fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands. They form the basis of the world’s economic system. They supply us food and raw materials for industry. These biological systems are being depleted by excessive use. Over fishing is quite common. Forests are being destroyed to obtain firewood for cooking. In many areas of the world, these biological systems have reached an unsustainable level. Grasslands are turning into deserts and produce from croplands is decreasing. It seems they have lost their productivity. The decimation of forests is likely to cause extinction of several species. We must change our outlook and stop overusing the natural resources. We have to hand them over to the coming generations in a healthy state so that they can meet their needs. Consciousness of our moral responsibility as caretakers of the legacy of our children can help to preserve these non-renewable resources.

Question 11.“Forests precede mankind; deserts follow”, Examine the validity of this remark in the light of reading ‘The Ailing Planet: The Green Movement’s Role’.
Answer: Forests are one of the most important biological systems of the earth. They came into existence much before mankind. In this sense forests precede mankind. We have inherited large tracts of forests from our forefathers. Forests are the power house of evolution. Several species of life exist in them. The world’s ancient inheritance of tropical forests is now wearing away at the rate of forty to fifty million acres per year. In poor countries, local forests are being destroyed to procure fuel wood. It is estimated that a five fold increase in the rate of forest planting is needed to cope with the expected fuel wood demand in the year 2000. It is the responsibility of the state to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife. However, large areas named as the forest land are now treeless. As the forests disappear, deserts will follow. We must take timely steps to prevent this.

Question 12.“For the first time in human history we see a transcending concern—the survival not just of the people but of the planet”. Elucidate.
Answer: In the twentieth century, there has been a revolutionary change in human perceptions. We have begun to take a holistic view of the very basis of our existence. The earth is now regarded as a living organism of which we are parts. It has its own metabolic needs and processes necessary for staying alive, which need to be respected and preserved.
The environmental problem does not necessarily indicate our death, it is our passport for the future. A new world vision has emerged. It is a holistic view, an ecological view. This regards the world as a whole rather than a collection of isolated parts. This vision has ushered in the Era of Responsibility. Industrialists, politicians and writers have become environment friendly and realised their responsibility in preserving the non-renewable natural resources.