Your latest smartphone you bought in 2022 is having trouble or certain features are not working. It is not smarter anymore. You have visited the service centre at the other end of the city several times but to no avail. Or, the bill handed by the service centre is alarming. Now you are fed up and plan to dump the phone. What is to be done with the condemned smartphone?  Either it reaches the landfill or is struck up in a local repair house. It is the same case with the laptop you bought 3 years ago.

Neither can you boot the system nor is it free from viral attack. If you confront such situations, be cool, you are not the only one on earth. Billions of electronic gadgets are being dumped every day because they are irreparable. Every day a new product is being discovered. Ranging from an electronic microchip or data card to giant digital frameworks and electrical equipment with electronic components consume our space, posing a threat to the environment. Considering the threat to the environment by e-waste, The Environment Protection Act 1986, amended from time to time incorporated the E-Waste (Management Rules) 2016 in India. It also has undergone a lot of changes. The latest E-Waste (Management) Rules 2022 came into force on 1.4.2023. The Central Pollution Control Board monitors the implementation of the rules through its state pollution control boards. The above rules specify the responsibilities of the manufacturer, producer, refurbisher, and recycler. The idea is to ensure that the manufactured electric and electronic goods are properly recycled. 100s of electric and electronic items listed in the rules are meant to be recycled. All said and done, recycling the e-waste does not seem easy. While the speed at which the gadgets become obsolete is alarming, many of us do not discard the used gadgets on one pretext or other. This means that documenting data on the total e-waste itself has become near-impossible. By definition, e-waste is any discarded product with a plug or battery and electronic goods that form health and environmental hazards, containing toxic additives or hazardous substances such as mercury, which can damage the human brain and coordination system. E-waste is the biggest worry all over the world. The world’s generation of electronic waste is rising five times faster than documented e-waste recycling, the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor (GEM) reveals today. In other words, only 20% of the e-waste generated is recycled approximately. The 62 million tonnes of e-waste generated in 2022 would fill 1.55 million 40-tonne trucks, roughly enough to form a bumper-to-bumper line encircling the equator, says the UN Institute for Training and Research. Worldwide, the generation of e-waste is rising by 2.6 million tonnes annually, to reach 82 million tonnes by 2030. This is going to be a tough job to manage the e-waste soon!

“Climate Change is a hoax!” says Trump. Trump is known for his stand against the Paris Climate Accord.  When the US stepped out of the Accord during Trump’s first term, it was almost conceded as the collapse of the global framework. World leaders pinned hope only on the 46^th President Joe Biden who readily agreed and signed the accord. For Trump, America first and climate action waste!   “Make America bigger” seems to be his only goal, could we expect him to do good for other nations or planet Earth? The world not only realized that climate change is the biggest threat facing the Earth, but of late started thinking of climate emergency.

While the UN is confident that nothing is too late, the immediate focus is reducing fossil fuel. However, it is also a fact that unless underdeveloped nations are funded to meet the deadlines for phasing out fossil fuel, the objective of addressing the climate emergency will remain a tall wish and nothing more than that. The ongoing COP 29 at Baku (Nov 11^th to 22^nd, 2024), Azerbaijan is crucial to deciding the course of the climate action. But world leaders need to revisit their financial goals. The ensuing Trump administration has lowered the hopes that the US will continue to support the meeting of the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) to the extent of the revised target of $500bn annually. Already many countries have expressed their fear that they may find it difficult to meet the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). If the US drops out of the Paris Agreement again, the climate action will remain only on paper, because obviously, the estimated NDC of the US is the highest. If the current policies and investments are any indication, we are heralding an era of a likely increase of 3°C.  Already experts have forecast this contingency. There are about 200 member countries many of whom have already signed the Paris Agreement and are aware of the climate emergency that the world is facing today. They are willing to bring positive climate action. Barring the US, all are ready to meet the challenge. It is wise for member nations to arrive at a pragmatic solution, without the US on board and be prepared to plunge into action. There is no point in waiting for Trump to show mercy. The time has come for the global nations to show that climate actions are possible without the US (Pic courtesy: http://www.greenhumours.com)

“Cracker-free Diwali is just an annual slogan! No one cares!”. While this is the quick response from some frustrated environmental activists, there is a diagonally opposite descent note from protagonists of Dogmatic beliefs. For them, bursting crackers is not a big deal and will not do more harm to the environment than other pollutants. During Ram’s return to Ayodya, no crackers were burst. All lighted Diya to show their happiness. In those days Diwali signified the bringing of light and happiness around. Fireworks and the related chemicals were discovered much later during the last few centuries. Presently, the burning of firecrackers is the highlight of Diwali and for most people, Diwali is just a synonym for a night full of crackers, noise, and smoke. For some, firecrackers are burst because it is believed that they drive away evil spirits.

Today Diwali is nothing but a combination of health problems, and environmental degradation created due to air and noise pollution. Some even plead for the welfare of workers of the cracker factory, shutting their eyes to the fate of child labourers. (see picture). Despite objections from religious circles, the Government and Supreme Court together came heavily against bursting crackers, keeping in mind the primary concern of the health of senior citizens, children, and pregnant women.  The Supreme Court has expressed concern over growing air pollution and the dire need to mitigate it. The cracker sound has undoubtedly become feeble, thanks to the CPCB guidelines on green crackers and bursting times. With the skyrocketing prices on the one hand and growing awareness on the other, Diwali by and large has been silent. According to the Supreme Court order, only green crackers made from eco-friendly chemicals were sold and burst. The timing for bursting crackers was restricted to 2 hours. Manufacturing firecrackers that emit more than 125 decibels were banned. The Chinese-made explosives were also banned. According to the CPCB standards, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe. However, as expected, the AQI of Delhi has defied the firecracker ban during Diwali. On Friday, (1^st Nov 2024) the city recorded the worst air quality with an AQI of 400 and above, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. By the time this paper goes to print, the Air quality will have increased beyond the permissible limit. As usual, many have deviated from the laid-down norms and burst crackers beyond the permitted timings. Green Crackers might not be the only crackers that had been burst. This is exactly what we have been experiencing year after year. Delhi is already reeling under pollution pressures as the stubble-burning season has begun. While the AQI in Delhi is hovering around 400 +, Bangalore is somewhere around 200 as of 1^st Nov 2024. Precisely, all over India, the air quality has deteriorated to double its usual levels. We wonder whether the directives for cracker bursting are just a formality. There is no point in boasting that India has taken effective steps to check climate change unless we religiously follow the norms. Everyone must rise to the occasion to ensure clean air and silent celebration in the national interest.

As the JCB reached the well of a lake, a municipal contractor who lacked basic knowledge about the importance of the grasslands ordered, ‘Remove those grasses. ‘ When the monster machine started moving ahead, a few chirring munias flew out, while the juveniles were crushed. Coots, moorhens, and swamphens gave panic calls. This is not a rare sight; a JCB machine does not distinguish between parthenium, lantana, and grass. The JCB operator has only one mission, i.e., CLEAR EVERYTHING. And he is paid for that. In the meantime, we read some interesting news!

The Karnataka State Wildlife Board has approved the proposal to declare the Hesaraghatta Grassland area in Bengaluru as the “Greater Hesaraghatta Grassland Conservation Reserve,” At last, a long-drawn struggle has come to a close as the government opened its eyes to the ground reality. It was indeed a prolonged battle to save the vast grassland. In 2021, BDA tried to do some unscientific tree plantation drive, destroying the grassland. A valiant protest by the local activists ended fruitful in stopping the plantation drive. It is heartening to note that the residents staged an unyielding protest to declare it a conservation reserve.

In fact, grass has become a part of our lives, whether it is tall or trimmed. Especially, the Grassland is often an integral part of the ecosystem. In films, we see tigers emerging from grasslands. Animals and microorganisms survive in the grassland ecosystem. Everyone knows that grazing animals like sheep and goats survive on grass. They consume only the grass tips, leaving the regenerative capacity of the grass to the natural process. Plucking out the roots of the grass is just a man-made destructive activity to make way for the concrete jungle.  Water gets filtered by grass to enable clean water to enter the lakes and ponds. Grasslands capture water and regulate water flow, controlling floods besides storing carbon in the soil which regulates climate, and prevents soil erosion and loss of topsoil. Grassland enables more resilience to droughts, heatwaves, and wildfires. It is a gift from nature that the grassland houses pollinators like bees, birds, and beetles. 

It will not be out of context to mention the importance of the grasslands of the western ghats. The grasslands are at the top of the mountains forming a perfect natural ecosystem with Shola forests just below. Such ecosystems are unique and the grasslands drain the rainwater slowly. The spongy topsoil of the grassland-shola ecosystem works like a blotting paper and drips out in rivulets. For millions of years, this process has continued in these pristine forests on hill slopes and adjacent plains. Of late, these natural forests are vanishing at an exponential rate, because of the ignorance about the role of grasslands.

Precisely the waterbodies and forests will vanish if grasslands are destroyed

‘Please do not listen to environmentalists. They will say that the place has 300 types of ants and butterflies. Who counted them?’ a quote by a politician in a daily newspaper drew our attention. He was very sharp in passing such a strong statement, advising people to ignore the environmentalists. Such statements from politicians are not uncommon nowadays. It is ample proof of the shallow knowledge about the very meaning of the environment. Let us believe, the next time, if someone calls them to chair a convention on biodiversity, they will refuse the same.

During the last few decades, Indian forest acts have been diluted to accommodate many activities such as mining and other infrastructure projects to encroach the forest lands. Pristine forests are slowly giving way to avoidable developmental activities. Sustainable development is only in papers. The latest trend is to convert forest land into parks. The forest department is made to hand over sizable land to state governments or local authorities. The local authorities will then develop the acquired land into amusement parks with enclosures for animals and space for food courts. In due course, the converted land will lose its forest tag and get ready for some commercial activity.

People may not be aware of the clever moves of politicians. To appease the environmentally conscious people, who may not know the repercussions, converting forest lands to ‘people-friendly’ amusement parks is an easy excuse. To achieve such nefarious moves, politicians have to direct their anger against environmentalists. Such conversion moves may help politicians to accommodate contractors and suppliers who use the opportunity to fill up their coffers. Simultaneously politicians also turn into multimillionaires. If awareness grows and people muster the strength to protest, the agents of politicians will suppress peaceful environmental campaigning. Sometimes politicians even take the lead role in spearheading the environmental movement, to sabotage the movement silently. Innocent protesters fall prey to the evil traps of the politicians-bureaucracy combo.

Every day, we hear a lot of climate events. Melting glaciers, rising temperatures, unusual rains, failing monsoons, and flooding cities are all evidence of a climate emergency. If temperature rises beyond a certain tolerance level, life on earth will become miserable. The presence of an ant, a bee, or a butterfly does not impede human existence. They are the important links in our food chain. Naturalists and researchers count them, list and measure their worth, and explain the need to save the whole ecosystem. Reintroducing a cheetah saving a tiger or stopping a tree felling is not just an environmental activity, but an effort to stop the climate emergency, that is looming large on this planet. Will politicians listen or fill their pockets? The answer is known to all. If they cut the trunk, sitting on the delicate branch of a tree, they will fall as well as the tree.

Who realizes that a pet was once a wild animal? Recently a pet parent was going behind a pet dog without a leash. When asked why he didn’t use the leash, he replied that his pet did not want to be chained. No pet wants to be leashed.  Leashes are used to prevent animals from harming strangers. Fortunately, that unleashed pet did not harm the children or passersby. But in gated communities, there is a general rule that no pet could be taken for a walk without a leash. An animal is born to have five senses and tamed animals obey their masters for fear of punishment. Sometimes, pets perform feats for rewards. Until recently, we saw that bulls or horses were punished with whips. Nowadays, this torture is slowly coming down as people are scared of animal welfare activists. Bullock and camel carts were man’s inventions when no automobiles were there. However, we have forgotten their evolution.

All domestic animals were once wild animals and were domesticated by human action. Men were depending on animals from time immemorial. Elephants, horses, and camels were used extensively in wars. Contemporary domestic animals like dogs, cattle, horses, or camels were once wild but unfortunately, no one may believe that those were also once wild. Trained elephants in circuses and temples dance to our tunes literally. However, tamed elephants are seldom healthy.

The huge ‘leucodermic’ trunks and ears found in domesticated elephants are clear evidence that they are nowhere comparable to the natural wild elephants. Annual elephant camps are organized in states like Tamil Nadu to give a boost by making them live in a natural atmosphere. Elephants in the wild are healthier and gorgeous. Most of the time, we found the chained elephants in temples weaker. There is a dire need for the existing wild animals in the jungles to preserve their wild character. But what we experience is contrary to reality.

Wildlife tourism has taken a heavy toll. 100s of jeeps are being plied by the Forest Department inside the protected reserve forests. Of course, such Safaris are professionally organized by the department. But it is forgotten that we are intruding on wild animals’ privacy and disturbing the silence of the forests. The moment any jeep spots a big cat, the driver communicates to other jeep drivers and the next minute the jeep convoy surrounds the animal, making the animal retreat inside deeper zones.  In a recent safari, it was found that a tigress was casually lying on the ground, unmindful of the visitors. On seeing strangers, the big cat neither attacked nor growled or roared. In many cases, the tigers and leopards in the forests get accustomed to tourists on their safari. In another case, the elephant trumpeted and moved towards the jeep when the driver comforted the tourists that it was a mock charge and there was nothing to worry. The status is similar, either in Bantipur Tiger Reserve, Karnataka, or Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan.

In any case, these are not good developments. There is nothing wrong with conducting a Jungle Safari, which is expected to create interest in conservation. But wildlife tourism must undergo serious changes. Wildlife authorities should revisit the existing safaris all over India. Keeping a safe distance from wild animals, avoiding noise pollution, stopping rushing the other jeeps, and limiting the tourists are some of the measures that can help keep the wild animals, wild. The argument that the Forest Department will lose its revenue does not hold water. The government should pump in more money for protecting the wild assets.

Donald Duck, Micky mouse, Goofy, Pluto, Oswald, Bambi, Winnie, Lago, Tigger, Dory… The list is endless. The world-renowned Walt Disney had done a great justice for conservation of animals and birds, through his cartoon characters. Some are still being the choice of children all over the world. Whatever may be the inspiration, he has brought life to these animals and equated with human beings. When a child looks at an animal that could speak and communicate, naturally the child feels closer to the animal and starts loving them naturally. In our opinion, this is a great awareness program during 20^th century when animation was insignificant. He relied on sequencing 1000s of sketches to make a motion picture. His mission was indeed successful.

Similar thought haunted me, when the nature photographer Karthik shared with me his latest photos. On looking at a few Photos clicked by him in the same branch of a tree, in just an hour, a story emerged in my mind. Perhaps, it is only imagination, but there was some truth in it. First a Coppersmith barbet finds a Chikku and comes with its pair. They eat half of the fruit and leave. An Indian White Eye takes the leftover. Now the fruit is not there when a squirrel reaches the branch, and therefore it makes a sound. It appeared as if the squirrel requests its mate sitting in other branch not to come to avoid disappointment. (See picture). There is perhaps some kind of communication between animals, but we still can only imagine or interpret in our own way

Naturalists always try to decode the animal behaviour. But science is still evolving and there are many grey areas which is beyond man’s comprehension. The trumpeting of an elephant, the chirping of a bird, the roaring of a lion or barking of a dog tend to communicate something or other. Over a period of time, man mastered the art of communication between animals to a certain extent. The communication through sound, visual display, touch and chemical secretion are a few known ways the animals communicate. Right from hunger or happiness to love and sex, animals do express themselves from time to time. The courtship of birds is interesting and visible in fact.

But some of their communications are yet to be decoded. A new born baby cries when it feels hungry or when there is an insect bite or simply when she feels any discomfort. A mother by her experience and keen observation understands the child’s needs and comforts her. But many invisible emotions or discomforts often need medical intervention. Even a child specialist is not able to dragonize the behaviour often.  As for as animals and birds are concerned, such behavioural interpretations may help conserving the species. Especially if the children are taught the behaviour in a lighter way with creativity and imagination in place, the desire for conserving them will be inculcated. Developing this interest in conservation is a science as well as an art. The educationalists should explore ways in lines of Walt Disney to create interest in animals.