Rejecting ancient traditional knowledge which taught the people to respect the earth and its natural resources, the present trend is focused on indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources in the name of progress. Environmentalist Anil Joshi said this while speaking at the Earth Day programme at Uttarakhand Space Application Centre (USAC) here on Friday.
Joshi said, “We can see the threat and effects of global climatic change but in our blind race for ‘development’ we are ignoring facts to indiscrimately exploit natural resources. The Indian civilization and culture provides the best means of tackling the threat to existence on earth.”
He also elicited the focus of the USAC director towards work on Himalayan canal network to enable the utlisation of the water and youth of Uttarakhand for the state’s betterment. More than 2,000 bodies in more than 200 nations observed Earth Day but not limiting involvement to one day in a year, people should protect and connect with the environment on a day to day basis, he added.
Professor Ajay Gairola from the Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee stressed on the need for linking efforts with science to effectively tackle the present environmental problems.
The director of biotechnology department, MK Nautiyal said that a serious threat now looms over ground water resources- the most valuable element available on earth. He stressed on the need for making necessary changes in the present method of farming in order to improve the level of ground water resources.
The USAC director Durgesh Pant opined that people will have to be linked with the earth and environment based on emotional intelligence. Space technology will have be used effectively to find solutions to mitigating the threats facing the environment, he said.