GROWTH IS NOT A BOON BUT A BANE ELVIDIO MIRANDA
The word that is predominant on the lips of our politicians is Growth, Growth and more Growth. All that the politicians think of is only of how to make more and sell more, with least attention being given to the pitfalls that Growth entail. The use of fossil fuels is growing dramatically and the air is being polluted with carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and sulpher dioxide which are the main greenhouse gases that lead to global warming and climate change. It is very essential that we control to the greatest extent possible the use of coal and petrol and diesel, which are mainly used in power plants, iron and steel and aluminium plants, industry and vehicular traffic. With the greater incidence of use of fossil fuels we are making the quality of the air that we breathe deteriorate and lead us to falling prey to mostly respiratory diseases that make our lives unhealthy. How do we control the use of fossil fuels? Every time we use an air-conditioner, a fan, a vehicle or anything that has consumed fossil fuels, which may be dispensed with we are contributing to the carbon emissions that lead to warming of the surface of the earth and which causes unusually drastic climate changes and many-a-times natural disasters and submergence of land masses due to melting of the snow caps. To lessen the carbon footprint it is essential that every human controls the use of fossil fuels, even if it means not adding comfort to our lives at the cost of indirectly using carbon that leads to greenhouse warming. The use of vehicles should also be sparing so that greenhouse gas emissions is brought under control and the carbon footprint is also kept in harness. Almost every human activity leads to more and more use of fossil fuels which are damaging to the environment and which should be controlled so as to maintain a standard health quality for a better living. We know that countries like China, USA and also India is competing to increase the Growth rate at the cost of damaging the entire climatic condition of the world. Although climate change may not be a local effect limited to one country it is paramount that the various protocols signed during the climate change conferences like the Paris Climate Agreement should be followed by all the countries. Is it worthwhile, increasing the growth rate to a high level but damaging the health of the people around the world or would is it better to control the Growth rate to reasonable levels and thus enhancing the quality of our lives and our health? It is known that various industrialized areas in the world like China, USA and India are reeling under the shroud of smog, a deadly concoction of smoke, fog and particulate matter reducing visibility as well as affecting the health of the people, uncalled for respiratory diseases. Every major scientist agrees that greenhouse gas emissions is leading to climate change and a global coordinated effort has to be made to control the use specially of fossil fuels so that the air that we breath is clean and healthy. It is also observed that the forest cover is being sacrificed and depleted at the altar of Growth and trees being the lungs of the atmospheric carbon dioxide which it takes in and emits oxygen thus leading to the rejuvenation of the quality of air, it thus becomes bounden on us to plant more trees and to save the use of coal and products of crude oil so as to maintain the quality of the air that we breath. Our politicians have to follow a more strict regulation in which nature is protected so that we are not subject to the ills that befall as a result of destruction of the natural cover, which is a system that has an integrated network of natural occurrences that should not be violated so as to bring about more comfortable life styles. A stitch in time saves nine goes the popular refrain and it is thus essential that our politicians concentrate on agriculture, horticulture and floriculture in order to make our lives better on earth, rather than resorting to man-made manipulation of the environment and flouting of the natural laws thus making our lives worse on earth.
