June 5 is World Environment Day. On this day, let us all take a pledge to keep our environment clean and pure.
Whatever is happening in the world of politics notwithstanding, it is the duty of each and every educated and sincere human being to commit to the conservation of the environment.
We in Qatar are very fortunate to see the government take the utmost care in ‘flowering’ the roundabouts and pedestrian pathways.
I remember when I was in Abu Dhabi, world-class techniques and skills were used to lay ‘carpets’ of grass around the city overnight. In Al Ain, the gardening of the roads was worth seeing. The efforts of the Dubai administration in reducing the menace of congestion and overcrowding by relocating residential areas and industries away from the main city are commendable.
Today, nations agree that war is a ‘lose-lose’ situation because no one can be the winner after a war, as the environment becomes unfit for survival.
War brings widespread destruction not only to the human community but also to the environment in various ways. Landmines have destroyed thousands of hectares of arable land; chemicals and toxic materials introduced in water bodies are causing major ecological threats; depleted uranium shells used in missile heads lie scattered around battle zones, causing irreparable damage; so-called biological warfare produces deadly germs that remain for years even after the end of the conflict; pollution caused by the use of modern artillery and weapons notwithstanding, the warring forces damage the ecological balance of the region by making it unfit for natural habitat.
We all have to realise before it is too late that the responsibility of conserving the Earth’s resources lies with us. Unless we appreciate and take care of Nature’s legacy to us, one day the resource scarcity will lead to large-scale perishing of all life forms.
For the Earth loves us, let us all love it back.
— The reader is an Indian student based in Doha, Qatar.