Both the affluence of developed countries of the world and the desperate poverty of underdeveloped countries is injurious to the life support system on our planet.
Human life in developed countries of the world requires large amounts of energy and material inputs while a ceaseless stream of wastes is generated which damages the environment and results in rapid depletion of resources of our planet.
Life in under-developed countries strives to survive on a meager share, clamouring for the basic necessities and in ignorance or desperation often damages the very resource base on which rests the entire life support system of this planet.
We have to build a sustainable world – a world which should last forever. There should be a fair sharing of global resources among the living beings of the world. Everyone in this world should get at least the basic amenities of everyday life – food, clothing, drinking water, shelter etc. in such a way that there could be no damage to other life-forms and the environment. Man should learn to live in harmony with nature.
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The resources of this world, if properly managed, distributed and utilized economically, are sufficient for all living beings-as the biosphere stands today. In future, however, we may require sharp decline in growth rate of human population, which we are capable of bringing about with a little more efforts (Khoshoo, 1990).
To build up a sustainable world, a world of permanence in which all living beings live in perfect harmony with each other and with the environment we shall have to adopt certain basic practices which can be enumerated as under:
1. Protecting and augmenting regenerability of the life support system on this planet which can be achieved by :
(a) Rationalized husbanding of all renewable resources.
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(b) Conserving all non-renewable resources and prolonging their life by recycling and reuse.
(c) Avoiding wasteful use of natural resources.
2. Fair sharing of resources, means and products of development between and within the nations of the world. This should lead to a significant reduction in disparity in resource use, in its economy and shall curtail the associated environmental damage all the world over.
3. Educating people regarding the concealed economic and environmental costs of over- consumption of resources with particular reference to its impact on developing countries of the world.
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4. Adopting willingly sustainability as a way of life by encouraging frugality (to be content with less) and fraternity (sharing things with others in a fair way).
5. Meeting all the genuine social needs and legitimate aspirations of people by blending economic development with environmental imperatives to remove poverty.
Today the environment is no longer a concern about a locality or wild-life or deforestation or pollution; it is crisis about the developmental pattern which we have followed so far. It is a global issue which forces us to think as to where we are going? What shall happen if we do not stop, reconsider and make necessary modifications in our means, methods and objectives. It is high time that we should rethink and take proper steps to build up a world of permanence – a sustainable society which lasts forever.