Debates on climate change and global warming that only the cognoscenti were busy with have not only interested lay people but also become louder and wider in public domain. Keen observers of the twin phenomena have sounded the world at large about warming and its consequences, particularly changed pattern of monsoon and soil productivity leading to reduction in raising food crops and availability in drinking water. Adding to the challenges in life that future generations cannot escape, the experts have been talking of carbon footprint, defined as the total emissions by individuals and organisations expressed as carbon dioxide or green house gas equivalent, a subject that may not be within the grasp of most people, despite the knowledge about oxygen needed to support and sustain life of all life forms.
The part of green cover across land on the Planet Earth and open space in urban regions to keep the quality of air conforming to accepted norms don’t seem to have been taken note of by the functionaries in the Government cock-eyed on widening roads and raising multi-storeyed structures resulting in concrete jungles. While administrations are fighting a losing battle in balancing the needs of the growing population with enduring the various life-supporting resources, people in their individual ways of life can extend a helping hand by adhering to moderation in their consumption for both pleasure and survival.
