Take a moment. Reflect on freedom, our environmental freedom. We could ask ourselves how involved we have been in the protection of our environment.
It occurs to Wart Hog that a lot of well-articulated information on various environmental topics could be distributed with the aim of increasing the public’s insight on environmental matters.
However, if individuals don’t really see themselves as being the focal point in ensuring environmental protection, all this effort will be unfruitful.
What then is environmental protection and why should we take care of the environment? Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the natural environment at individual, organizational or governmental levels.
Many of us have from time to time stopped to consider the environmental impacts of our choices and actions. But then we have felt powerless because big corporations continue to degrade the environment.
And policy makers seem to be in a state of paralysis and unable to do anything at all, just helpless.
You may wonder whether or not your individual efforts could make any difference.
One thing for sure is that caring for the environment does not mandate you to become an environmental specialist.
It mainly requires one to know more about the environment and make more eco-friendly conscious decisions as well as taking up a stance to advocate for more individual involvement in environmental protection.
The primary reason why we need to take care of the environment is because it is our home and it is us air to breathe, food to eat, water and many other resources we need in order to carry out all our daily activities.
Our entire life support system is dependent on the well-being of all the species living on earth which is scientifically referred to as the biosphere. It is therefore cardinal that we ensure that the biosphere is kept clean and safe.
Additionally, taking care of the environment will help maintain biodiversity which is important for continuity of life.
Biodiversity refers to the variety of plants, animals, and other living things in our world.
It can be negatively influenced by habitat loss and degradation due to our activities.
Hence, if we take care of the plants and animals in our environment by monitoring our daily activities, we will maintain biodiversity.
Protecting our environment also allows us to leave free of any pollutants or hazards that we might introduce into the environment.
Almost on a daily basis we hear reports of hazardous chemicals or waste being discharged into rivers or others of nuclear damage caused to plant and animal life.
However, if each one of us took a step further to ensure that we correctly dispose our waste as well as report any cases of indiscriminate waste disposal.
We would achieve the environmental vision of a clean and healthy environment.
Environmental protection also allows for future generations of humans to live life without having to deal with the damage that we would have done.
One notable fact is that our actions today will in one way or the other have a negative or positive effect in the lives of the generations to come. If we build a shopping mall today for instance it is with hope that it will exist for many years to come and this plainly indicates that we hope for it to positively help future generations.
It is the same way that our attitude towards environmental protection should be treated.
Individual citizens can watch their actions by ensuring that they support environmental protection.
Remember a mere gesture of using cotton bags rather than plastic bags for shopping, or reusing a water bottle could go a long way to protect and hence save our environment. Everyone’s help is needed to turn our environmental destruction around and begin to repair the damage done. How are you doing your part to contribute?
It is about time that we stopped viewing environmental protection as separate from economic growth and political stability. The same way political and economic stability is collaboratively achieved; environmental protection requires collaborative action from individuals, private organizations and government legislative bodies.
Therefore, in order to achieve national development that is sustainable, environmental protection should be incorporated in the development agenda.
Effective legislation at the top can control the larger companies and government-funded programs in ensuring that they operate within correct environmental standards.
Contrary to popular views that environmental protection is anti-development, you should be rest assured that the practice actually helps society to use resources without negative impacts on society’s health and its ability to produce for future consumption.
Wildlife & Environmental Conservation Society of Zambia
P.O. Box 30255, Lusaka, Zambia.
Telefax: 260-211-251630, Cell: 0977-780770
E-mail: wecsz@coppernet.zm