Better society starts with a better environment.
World environment day (WED), is observed on 5 June annually. It was designated by the UN General Assembly in 1972 on the first day of United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, focussing on the integration of human interactions with the environment. It is celebrated to raise global awareness about environmental change and how we, as a citizen, should in our own way contribute towards its betterment.Canada is the host country this year with the theme “Connecting people to nature”.This year’s theme urges us to think how we are inextricably a part of nature and how intimately we depend on it. It directs us to oust the atrocity towards nature and work assiduously.
Deforestation, land degradation, global warming and pollution are deteriorating our climate and environment and any effort for its mitigation will need a close empathy between human and nature. We need to resuscitate the bond with nature to enjoy its perpetuity. And to begin with, one can start by planting trees and regularly keeping the environment clean.Likewise, social work in Nagaland should be conducted in such a manner so as to not eradicate the seedlings which one day will grow into a fully matured tree but instead separate and clean the harmful waste and overgrowth of weeds. We spend time hankering to explore other places and in the meantime we neglect our own land. Nagaland is known for its pleasant year round climate and hilly terrains paving way for the trekkers and tourists to take the challenge of hiking in the mountains and enjoy the serene waterfalls. About 64,616 domestic tourists and 2,769 foreign tourists visited the state in 2015 in an increasing rate. One such example of ecotourism is the conservation of Amur falcons by the department of forests, local NGO’s and the local communitiesfor which Nagaland has earned the title “Falcon Capital of the World”. As American naturalists and ornithologist Roger Tory Peterson said, “Birds are indicators of the environment. If they are in trouble, we know we’ll soon be in trouble”.
In this techno world, all answers to our queries are just a click away but unless one experiences the exquisiteness physically, it is impractical to judge and define. How often have you wandered in the pathless woods for a real time adventure. The feeling of wilderness surrounding you is something man cannot compare with materialistic gains. In fact,Santa Monica in California is taking a new initiative called as “Remedy hike” to be launched on WED with the aim of improving the health by connecting with nature and with each other.A stroll in the neighbourhood or park or a trek in the high up for recreational satisfaction can be quite soothing to our mind and it willalso improve our health. Research shows that social isolation is bad for health and results in disrupted sleep patterns, altered immune systems, more inflammation and higher levels of stress hormones. Fresh and cleanair is in limited supply in this 21st century owing to human activities. According to the “State of Global Air 2017” report, it shows that India accounts for the maximum premature death from ozone pollution surpassing China. India has witnessed a 150 per cent rise in lives lost over the past two decades from ozone pollutants.Also, in regard to indoor air pollution (IAP), a study conducted by Clean Air India Movement (CLAIM) in Delhi reported that as many as 34 percent of the people who spend most of their time indoors, in offices and at homes, have various types of respiratory diseases because of the IAP. Bad indoor air quality can cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among women and aggravate asthmasymptoms among children.India this year on WEDis going to launch a massive campaign of waste management in 4000 towns where litter bins will be made available to collect both solid and liquid wastes. To add to this, the Supreme court’s decision to go paperless is a prudent step in saving water and millions of trees from getting axed.
Going outdoors will boost our creativity and self-esteem and also relax our mood and focus which can be referred to as ‘green exercise’. Vitamin D which is a sunshine vitamin is needed for a healthy bone and overall health. 65-70 per cent Indians are Vitamin D deficient and 15 per cent are insufficient. Getting outdoors can help maintain our Vitamin D levels in the therapeutic range of 50-70 ng/ml naturally.The Earth carries an enormous negative charge, is always electron-rich and can serve as an abundant supplier of antioxidant which is a health booster.There is no age barrier for outdoor activities. Research also shows that older adults who spend more time outdoors have less pain, sleep better and have less functional decline in their ability to carry out their daily activities. We’re now witnessing record rates of childhood obesity, along with increasing rates of type 2 diabetes, asthma, vitamin D deficiency, and ADHD, all of which may be somewhat linked to children spending less time with nature and instead remaining indoors and engaged in electronic gadgets. In fact, a shift toward a sedentary lifestyle and away from active outdoor activities has been described as a major contributor to the decline in children’s health.One great way of blending with nature is a combination of yoga and nature as both have a perfect intangible complimentary effect.The deep breathing we inhale during a yoga practice can supply our lungs with clean air which nature provides.
We don’t need a data to convince us of our love for nature. We, the Nagas and our land are not a separate entity from the rest of the world as everything in our world is inextricably connected in an intricate manner. The Nagas were nature worshippers long before the advent of Christianity. Great care and utmost reverence were paid to nature. However, with the advancement of the Naga society, the very ethos of preserving and revering nature has been challenged as it can be inferred from the biennial analysis of Forest Survey of India (FSI) 2015, which indicated a significant decrease of 78 sq km in comparison to 2013 report. Forest cover of Nagaland stands at 12,966 sq km accounting for 78.02 % of the total geographical area of the state, however efforts must be made and policies must be solicited to bring more area under forest. There is no room for lull moment in preserving the environment and humansbeing the most intelligent, subconsciousandponderous living entity, the onus of preserving and safeguarding the environment lies on us. Earth is the common habitat for more than 7 billion humans and millions of species biodiversity and so long as the veracity of the probabilistic Drake equation is proved, feasibility of inhabiting and exploiting other planets remain stranger than the strangest science fiction, therefore earth regeneration remains the greatest challenge confronting the human civilization and chances are there are no feasible option we can avail but to protect, preserve and regenerate our earth.
“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed”, a notion by ‘father of the nation’ Mahatma Gandhi.
