Earth's Future In My Hands

Give the world what belongs to the children of tomorrow, if not in a betterway at least in the way you inherited it.

Our natural resources are getting exhausted and hence we have to conserve them by finding alternative resources. Conservation is the management, protection and wise use of natural resources. Conservationists work to ensure that the environment will continue to supply the required natural resources for human needs. They can be conserved in many ways.

The conservation, protection and preservation of the environment is enshrined within the Indian Constitution which enjoins the ' States to take measures to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country '. However, while the Constitution of India was one of the first in the world, to recognise the importance of environmental conservation, this awareness has not restrained India from major environmental problems as it strives to attain its developmental programmes.

A quick glance at our Natural Resources

Energy Resources: About 95% of the energy for industries and domestic purposes as well as for transport and communication is supplied by fossil fuels viz., coal, petroleum and natural gas. The earth has limited supplies of fossil fuels. These fossil fuels were formed over millions of years ago from the remains of plants and animals and they can be easily destroyed by

• careless mining and overuse.
• increase in population means increase in use of energy resources.
• rapid industrialisation and development needs more energy.
Soil: Soil plays a very important role in our daily life as on it depends our food supply. It is destroyed by

• overuse of soil for more and more food production.
• throwing of plastic and polythene bags which are not biodegradable and which cause loss of soil fertility.

• loss of top soil due to erosion, caused by cutting down of trees on mountain slopes and plains. Roots of trees support soil to prevent erosion.

Forests: Forests have been cut down to make room for agriculture, settlements, industries, fuel, furniture, paper and buildings. More and more needs led to the cutting of more and more trees. Forest fires also destroy trees.

Water: The demand for water is constantly increasing as a result of
• population growth.
• expansion of agriculture and industry.
• pollution of rivers, lakes and seas lessens the supply of clean water.

Means of conserving Resources

Energy Resources: Many countries are working to develop alternate sources of energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Means of conservation are:

• improved mining and manufacturing techniques so that fuel is more efficiently used and not wasted.

• alternative sources of energy such as solar, wind, tidal, wave, biogas and geothermal energy can be used wherever these are easily available.

• petroleum can be saved when people make use of public transport.
Soil: To conserve soil:
• reduce the number of trees that are cut.
• plant saplings to prevent soil erosion.
• plan grazing i.e. not overusing grazing land.
Forests: Conserve forests by:
• taking care of old furniture.
• plantation of saplings in large numbers.
Water: It can be conserved by:
• using water sparingly.
• recycling water.
• avoiding pollution of rivers, lakes and seas.
Human population, growing as it is at an alarming pace, will demand at least 4 times more energy than today by the year 2040.

The projected increase in the use of industrial wood is 13- fold.