The term ‘Environmentalist’ denotes every person who studies, comprehends and advocates for the welfare of the environment and other living organisms. They play a vital role in environmental protection as they voice out against any anthropogenic activities that disturb the harmony of nature. To think about our environment and to care for it in this modern era, wherein we humans have almost forgotten the fact that the world is a combined home for millions and millions of species living within, is a remarkable task. Despite having played such a significant role in today’s world, they are little recognized or in the worst case even unrecognized.

We, Homo sapiens unlike our ancestral human (remember there lived 6 species of human on this earth before us), are digging our own grave destroying the earth with our undebatable intelligence and anthropogenic dominance by altering the world rather than living amidst nature. In this era of industrialization and modernization, we were so busy colonizing the forests and domesticating the animals for our sophisticated luxury that we almost forgot the importance of the ecosystem and environment. The reality is that environmentalism is a service and not a job and these people are working hard in making the world a liveable place for the future generation. But the increasing environmental deterioration may be the reason that it has become a less talked about subject and the increasing spam and fraudulent in this sector have made the people lose trust in the environmentalists.

To understand the life of the environmentalists and the people’s perspective on them, we attempted surveying with few young activists and here we are presenting a summary of it. When asked about how they became an environmentalist, most people answered that their interest towards earth seeded during the childhood days and that opportunities at schools such as JRC, NCC, NSS, etc., further watered that seed into being developed into a sapling. They also added that Environmental Science should be considered as a core subject and not as any skill development session. But the irony is that, though Environmental Science is incorporated in the curriculum, many schools these days take this subject for granted and even consider this period as some free hour to complete portions of other subjects. The throttle to environment jeopardises starts right from that period itself. They also mentioned about the constant support from their parents which played a vital role in shaping them as an environmentalist. So, as we could see, the bond with the mother earth develops during childhood in most of us, but the way one nurture it decides on what and how it turns out.

It is sad that in our country, the works and efforts of child environmental activist such as Licypriya Kangujam, Ridhima Pandey, Jannat, Bilal, etc., are not acknowledged properly. Proper recognition of these young minds would encourage and motivate the younger generation to care for the environment and hence would bring about a revolution in the future. The most debatable topic of the decade – ‘Whether the policies and awareness about the environment is being enough and helpful?’ was put forth before them. One common response was that much stricter policies, rules and proper awareness are two key factors for a sustainable ecosystem. These days we come across environmental advice and catchy slogan from anywhere and everywhere, but the real success is when these come into action rather than fading away in the form of pamphlets or rallies. Whether people are aware of environmental laws and policies is yet another big question. It is a bitter truth that people are not aware of EPA and other laws. (Click here for Environmental laws and policies). The knowledge about the environmental contaminants and pollutants alone does not help in the betterment of the environment but the awareness about the laws and rules on the ecosystem and environment and acting towards the same would be the only effective way for the sustainable development.

One biggest hurdle the environmentalists are facing is bridging the gap between the government and the people. For example, plastic has become comfy for the peoples over decades, that even when strong policies and awareness are been established by the government, the peoples prefer using it. The scenario can never be generalized for it to keep differing. For instance, when a factory or industry pollutes the environment, the local community suffers the consequences and hence agitates against them. While there is a worse scenario wherein the local community itself contaminates a lot more than any small-scale industries. To educate people in the latter case is the toughest and the environmentalists play a vital role here by guiding the local communities on the aftermath of these activities.

One of the most tweeted about topics of this year is the EIA 2020. We have witnessed media spreading awareness, people debating on it and even youths signing online petitions against it. Though these were efforts taken to awaken the truths about the environment, it still did not make any difference in real-time. With bitter heart, they expressed their melancholy that due to the corruption that prevails everywhere, the trust people have on Environmentalist and NGO’s are diminishing. The scams and corruptions are everywhere that people are not true to their cause, and because of certain fraudulent, the public has titled the entire service workers as corrupted and scam. India which was once known for its agricultural economy is now marching progressively towards the industrialization. If this continues, India will have all the monetary wealth, but the natural resources would go depleted and then we would have to depend on other countries for food products and livelihoods. This would adversely affect our country not just environmentally but also economically. It is our responsibility to provide our future generation with a better Earth to live on. The minds of the youths should be shaped into becoming a better person and to live in harmony with nature. Being an environmentalist is not an easy task as it involves all time, money, risks and sacrifices one can put in. So, let us take an oath that we would render our utmost support and cooperation and that we would actively participate in any such activities in the future not just virtually but by offering real-time on-field support.

We, The Enviprithvi team consider this an honour in offering our sincere thanks for everyone working selflessly out there on the field for the betterment of others and the world. We also take an oath of contributing in every possible way for a better tomorrow. Let’s start today, for procrastination won’t help the next generation.

TREAT THE EARTH WITH HEART, SO THE WORLD DOESN’T FALL APART...!

© Sabari Nathan, C. & ECOR Foundation