planet earth agile or fragile?

In the name of development, the resources are exploited and it returns back to the human life in the form of global warming and energy crisis.

The year 2008 has been declared as the International Year of Planet Earth by the UNESCO. To think of Earth it takes a life time. Geographical details apart, it is marvelous to sense what has earth got in store for us. Providing us with necessary resources to lead our life is in itself a thing to be admired. And the declaration has come at a time when we are heading to the crisis of global warming.
From time immemorial, scientists from all over the world have collected enormous information on Earth, its physical and chemical composition, diversity of life, its history of physical, chemical and biological changes and so on. Still the knowledge is expanding. Earth gives the same kind of wonders and excitement from microscopic scale to the studies from space.
Our life on earth and the survival of the living world to a great extent depend on how we deal with the natural resources available for us. Overpopulation, changes in lifestyle and the resultant poverty and pollution are slowly killing the life on earth. In the name of development, the resources are exploited and it leads to crisis like global warming.
Although Earth has 79% of water, only 4.2% is in the usable form. Development of any society is closely linked to the availability of water resources. Usage, availability and quality of water, conservation issues related to water are the problems which need immediate attention. Water availability depends very much on rainfall pattern on a regional scale but it depends more on the management strategies of people at the local scale.
The key issues regarding biodiversity are its depletion, lack of knowledge about the distribution, and its sustainable utilization.


The surface water bodies such as rivers, ponds and lakes work as a source of water as well as the home for high diversity of living organisms. They distribute and replenish the ground water system. Ground water is the most critical part that supports the lifeline of any land. It depends on the atmospheric and climatic patterns as well as on the surface water regimes such as rivers, ponds and lakes.
Locally, depletion, pollution and wastage are the major problems related to water resource utilization. There is an urgent need in documenting, planning and implementing the conservation schemes for water at all scales.
Human development and prosperity was possible due to the diversity and richness of the soil in terms of the useful mineral content and life in the soil. Extensive transformation of land and land use patterns have happened in the last century all over the world. These have affected soil characteristics and in turn the local environment and the supporting human life and local biodiversity.
Energy is a critical resource that comes from earth and sun, which is important for the development of modern society. At present we are very much dependent on the non-renewable resources such as minerals and fossil fuels. Availability of these resources is not endless. In fact in many areas it has started showing the limits. A prudent use of energy, planning and search for the alternative sources are the ways ahead.

Due to ruthless commercialization of activities and excessive usage of resources without considering the by-products, we are now facing those global changes.

The major energy resources at the present usage are fossil fuels including coal and petroleum products such as petrol, diesel, kerosene, gas and so on. These are the primary factors for our movement and production. Electricity which is being produced through hydroelectric power generators, thermo power generators, nuclear power generators are the major energy sources for lighting, performance of all electrical equipments and machines.
All our communication and production system rely very much on electricity in the modern days. Traditional village settings used and still it is using cattle and human energy for traction and very many other village activities. Key issues on a national scale are the production of additional energy, planning of sustainable production, efficient distribution and optimal use to maximize production.
Living space is another resource. The rapid urbanization of the population is a recent phenomenon in the history of Earth. According to the UN-HABITAT 2006 annual report, by mid 2007, the majority of world population will be living in the towns or cities. If that is true, by now more than half of the population must be urban.
Ecological and economic effects of urbanization are very critical with respect to the sustainability of our life and survival in future. Urbanization has its associated lifestyle problems and resource utilization patterns which ask for more energy and resources. Urban areas ask more resources and facilities and produce more pollutants.
As a remedial measure to this problem, many concerned people have now started arguing for a better and efficient planning and management of resources. A recent thought named “New Urbanism” emerging in various places, argues for a shift in design focus from the car centric development and business park model to pedestrian and public transport centric mixed use community models.
Recently, the issue of world’s climate change is debated much. Though such changes come mostly due to processes internal to the earth, the present problem in debate is the major changes that are visible now due to the anthropogenic activities. Due to ruthless commercialization of activities and excessive usage of resources without considering the by-products, we are now facing those global changes probably as counter activities of earth. Many minor activities done at the local scale have global repercussions.
Public health and earth’s environment are connected. Many of the earth’s materials generated by both the natural and anthropogenic processes have been increasingly recognized as potential source of illness on humans. For example, exposure to asbestos, silica and some mineral rich dust are known to trigger certain diseases.
Exposure to anthropogenic atmospheric particles such as automobile exhaust, urban air pollutants, cement and other factory exhausts, debris from the building demolitions and construction sites and the dust particles carrying pathogens also form a cause of concern.
Now when we observe the International Year of Planet Earth, it is the duty of every human being to ask himself / herself what is the ecological footprint that we are going to leave behind when we pass on.
Are we keeping the earth agile? Or are we making it fragile? Let us act with maximum care and sensitivity keeping in mind our future generations.