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The role of man in the environment 

05 Jun 2022

By Vidya Nidhi S. A. Kulasooriya The environment bestowed upon us by Mother Nature presents itself as a collection of ecosystems. An ecosystem is a community of organisms (plants, animals and microorganisms) living in conjunction with its nonliving environment, closely interacting with one another.  An ecosystem consists of two main components: biotic and abiotic. The best way to conserve the more sensitive biotic component is to protect the ecosystem. A stable ecosystem like a natural rain forest lives in harmony with nature having its own checks and balances continuing its natural, internal cycles in dynamic equilibrium. Unless there is a disaster like a landslide, forest fire, an earthquake or a volcanic eruption it will remain stable for hundreds of years. The moment there is human interference and this stability is affected, the entire ecosystem could collapse. This is applicable not only to forests but to all natural ecosystems and it is evident that man is largely responsible for the destruction of nature by exploitation of natural resources.  This article examines the consequences of such exploitation, the current awareness of their impacts and the proposed steps to be taken to avoid a catastrophic disaster to the very existence of man on Earth.   Misuse by man Besides the aesthetic value of natural ecosystems, there are several services provided by them. For example, take the supply of O2. An average, healthy human being consumes an equivalent of three O2 cylinders per day. Considering the cost of a cylinder to be Rs. 1,500, the cost of O2 consumed per day is Rs. 4,500 (i.e. Rs. 1.642 million per year). If he lives for 65 years, the total cost of O2 he has used will come up to Rs. 106.73 million. This is produced by photosynthesis of green plants mainly from forest communities. There are several other ecosystem services that are enjoyed by man and the total value of such services has been estimated as $ 33 trillion which is nearly twice that of all products and services produced by man.  The rapid rate of development achieved by man, especially after the industrial revolution, has been achieved by the overuse and misuse of natural resources together with the addition of enormous quantities of industrial waste causing severe environmental pollution. The ‘Great Acceleration Curve’ by Steffen et al. (2004) shows that 1950 had been a watershed year after which industrial and other development activities have taken place at an unprecedented rapid rate.  It is stated that if everyone wants to enjoy the standard of living of an average American, it will require four more planets. The great philosopher Mahatma Gandhi had once stated: “There are enough resources for man’s need but not his greed.” If humans continue their activities without abatement, there is no doubt that we are heading towards the self-destruction of this planet. Some scientists have therefore named the present period as the geological epoch Anthropocene, highlighting the negative impacts caused by anthropological activities.  Realisation and remedies Awareness of all these happenings and their potential disastrous consequences has brought together concerned scientists, policymakers, politicians, and corporate administrators to evaluate the current global status and examine the possible remedies to overcome an ominous end. This timely realisation is something to rejoice.  It started with the UN Conference on Development and Environment (The Earth Summit) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. After considerable deliberations consensus on several issues was reached. Foremost among them was the acceptance that man himself is largely responsible for the negative effects on the environment resulting in global changes of increase in temperature, rise in sea levels, climate change, destruction of the protective ozone layer, etc.  Agreement was reached on a number of remedial measures to protect the environment and conserve biodiversity. Foremost among them was the international Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). All the participating countries accepted this convention (some under conditions and a few after several years). Following the Earth Summit, international conferences, symposia, workshops and discussions were held to ensure that human activities have minimal negative impacts on the environment.  Nonetheless, decisions for the phased-out elimination of the use of coal, the replacement of fossil fuel use by alternative renewable sources of energy, the gradual reduction in the use and manufacture of internal combustion engines, etc. pose severe challenges to the current living styles of man, particularly in industrialised countries. Reviewing the progress after 20 years of the Earth Summit, at the Rio+20 summit in 2012, a three-dimensional programme was adopted for: (1) poverty alleviation, (2) sustainable patterns of consumption and (3) resource utilisation that facilitate ecosystem conservation, regeneration, restoration, and resilience in the face of new challenges. However, many countries are yet to take meaningful steps in this direction. For instance, for the ranking of Human Development Index (HDI) health, education, and income are the major factors considered. Although it has been suggested to change this to the Human Sustainable Development Index (HSDI) that allocates negative points for negative impacts of development, it is yet to be implemented. If the new HSDI ranking is adopted, Australia, the United States of America and Canada will drop from their current positions of 2, 4 and 6 to HSDI ranks of 26, 28 and 24 respectively.  Sri Lanka Let us look at the scenario in Sri Lanka. Having ratified the international Convention on Biological Diversity in 1994, a Biodiversity Conservation Action Plan (BCAP) was developed and adopted in 1998/99, with the establishment of a Biodiversity Secretariat (BS) in the Ministry of Environment. The BS subsequently prepared an addendum to the BCAP, the Red List of Threatened Fauna and Flora, highlighting the need for the protection of specific groups, an expanded Red List of Concerned Conservation, the Butterfly Conservation Action Plan, and the National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan (2016-2022). Finally, attention needs to be focused upon pollution of our freshwater bodies that include ponds, lakes, reservoirs and irrigation tanks. Based upon observations made on the algal populations of these water resources, a clear pattern of change that has happened during the past century is evident. The population density of algae has increased but its diversity has decreased. This is an indication of increased pollution.  Planktonic organisms become less diverse with increased pollution because only those species that can withstand pollution will survive. The more resistant species will become dominant and increase in density. What is more alarming is, the dominant species in most of the water bodies are potential toxin producing cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). There is an imminent danger that the accumulation of cyanobacterial toxins which cannot be destroyed by boiling the water, could become a widespread environmental health hazard in the near future.  In conclusion, it is accepted that development is necessary, but should adopt sustainable utilisation of natural resources and harmonise with environmental protection and conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity. The human species should earn its leadership among all living beings by playing a more protective and benevolent role towards all forms of life on Earth.   (The writer is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Peradeniya and a Research Professor at the National Institute of Fundamental Studies.)


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