Youth in the vanguard

The outcry of the environment is becoming wilder, and the need of the hour is to arrest the same, which lies in the hands of today’s youth. They can nurture their learning process and implement strategies to tide over this issue. The pathos of global warming would turn out to be a perennial problem if not addressed timely. Though climatic adversity gained momentum over the last few years, the beginning of global warming was marked by researchers during the middle of the 1800s itself on account of the sensitivity of the Earth to minimal atmospheric changes.

In 1712, Thomas Newcomen, a British ironmonger, invented the intensive use of the steam engine, which became the gateway to the industrial revolution. The world's population reached 1 billion in 1800, and in 1824, the French physicist Joseph Fourier brought the concept of the greenhouse effect to light. It is a process in which the sun’s radiation is trapped by greenhouse gases and not reflected back into space, thereby preventing the planet Earth from freezing.

Among the whole host of greenhouse gases, the most well-known one is carbon dioxide (CO2). Volumes of CO2 are released naturally due to geological formations, but in the present scenario, the production of CO2 is accelerated due to human-intervened burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and other related activities. Currently, it stands at 3,88,500 parts per billion, which is almost 1,08,500 parts increase since before industrialisation. Plants are unable to keep up by removing the gas from the air, and this CO2 contributes immensely to the development of global warming due to the emission of infrared radiation. Apart from CO2, methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are also to be blamed in terms of global warming potential.

Various summits were executed to reach unanimity in curbing the intensity of global warming, yet much remains unexplored in terms of finding a cure for the rising shocks of the devastating global warming.

Today, global warming is evolving as a warning to humanity and leading slowly to catastrophic outcomes. It demands strategic measures to knock down the velocity of this turmoil. The youth of the modern world is the most dominant population, with an approximate count of 1 billion. Not only the youth but also the student community, an energised segment of society, should be made sufficiently aware of the probable consequences of global warming if left unattended.

Institutional efforts to design courses on environmental awareness, ecological balance, and promotion of evergreen practices must be made to bring steadfast adherence to the rules and regulations of environmental governance. Learning begins at home, and therefore, at an early stage in life, even kids should be informed about the consequences in order to instil in them a sense of societal commitment to keeping the environment safe, healthy, balanced, and green.

The slogan in the Indian ecosystem is to avoid plastics and related items, but adherence to its implementation is negligible. Even today's scenario exhibits that plastics are provided in shops, outlets, and stores, though initial pretensions of non-availability are made by the sellers but subside with repeated requests and acceptance to afford them with prominent additional charges.

Metaphorically, most students observe World Environment Day by putting up placards with interesting rhyming lines of caution and care, about not eroding social imbalance or how to go green by adopting green practices in every sphere of life. Green practices, though initiated by many environmentalists, are yet to penetrate more widely. It is time for institutions to come forward and devise compulsory courses in the syllabus framework on creating sufficient and realistic awareness, or alternatively, the subject ‘Social Science’ could be revamped at the school level.

Awareness can be generated by delivering more out-of-classroom learning through real-time projects. According to reports from the World Bank, the agricultural land in terms of percentage is 60.4 per cent, and the rural population as of 2022 was 64.13 per cent. India, primarily an agricultural country, derives its honour due to the beauties and bounties of the lush green, crop-rich lands, which can not only be major sources of revenue but also be remembered as carbon-free zones.

Unfortunately, joblessness, coupled with urbanisation, increased the rapidity of migration, resulting in the incessant shredding of greeneries in cities to accommodate the unmanageable dwellers. The regular din and bustle accelerated vehicular movements on roads, leading to multi-fold footprints. The emission of carbon increased, pollution went up, climatic disorder became unavoidable, and so did diseases across varied age groups.

The need of the hour is to sensitise the youth to enable them to live a healthy and happy life by adopting effective strategies. Apart from themselves, community awareness is also a must as no one can survive alone. Anthropogenic activities are detrimental to sustainability, and therefore, at the very outset, a change in lifestyle needs to be followed.

The decay in biodiversity and reduced attempts in ecosystem conservation trigger the need to act immediately by recycling paper, saving valuable resources, and using durable, reusable, and hygienic products for consumption. The slaughtering of animals for a sumptuous meal must be arrested as large volumes of livestock can release a significant amount of methane in the atmosphere, the most potent greenhouse gas, and also restrict the mutual interdependence of animals in their peaceful survival due to the large demands of industrial meat and dairy products.

The practice of cycling may generate some sweating, but the dual impact of low carbon emission and health and hygiene cannot be undermined. The youth of the nation can be trained to generate a sense of environmentalism among the masses by adopting the use of solar photovoltaics, wind turbines, and geothermal plants as renewable energy options. On the other hand, restricting the food loss and wastes, and plant-centric diet can be practiced. Such innovative measures can fight against climate change if the young, unsung voices are spread across the globe.

The writer is Assistant Professor, Dept of Commerce, Christ University, Bangalore. Views expressed are personal