Green thoughts

My first thoughts today -- on World Environment Day -- is how hot my city, Bangalore, has become. Of course, anyone who has just landed here from any other city would rubbish my statement as absurd, but there is no denying the fact that every place has become hotter than before. High-altitude summer tourist locations, like Ooty, too are no longer as cool in summer as they used to be.

Concern for environment used to be merely fashionable; no longer. Many, with be benefit of hindsight, realise now that all the noise environmentalists used to make many years ago, might have been worth it, after all.

Like most issues this too needs to be tackled at two levels: micro and macro. If each individual does her or his little bit to care for the surroundings, we'll definitely achieve a lot. As Aditya suggests in this post, what is demanded of us are very simple steps like:

-- switch off unwanted light, fan, computer etc

-- do not waste water

-- use CFL lamps instead of ordinary filament lamps

-- do not litter, use the wastepaper basket

-- when there is a choice go for biodegradable material

But, unfortunately, more than lack of awareness, the problem lies in our inability to adopt the right method. Educated, knowledgeable people throwing on to the road wastepaper and the like from their cars is a very common sight. They do that not because they are are not aware that they shoudn't do it, but because they don't care; or more precisely, there'sn't a trigger that makes them care.

A good majority of people belong to this category. That's why awareness campaigns haven't yielded what they should have. This is where we need a strong administration that will force such people to take care of the environment. If people don't care, the government must force them to take care.

PS: If the government too doesn't take care... God help us!