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Class 11 English Chapter 5 The Ailing Planet: The Green Movement’s Role
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The Ailing Planet: The Green Movement’s Role
Chapter: 5
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
1. Locate the lines in the text that support the title ‘The Ailing Planet’.
Ans. There are several lines in the article that clearty brings out how critically the planet is ailing. For example,
(i) ‘The earth’s vital signs reveal a patient in declining health….’
(ii) ‘Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and ailing Environment’ ?
(iii) ‘In large areas of the world, human claims on these systems are reaching an unsustainable level, a point where their productivity is impaired. When this happens, fisheries collapse, forests disappear, grasslands are converted into barren wastelands, and croplands deteriorate.’
(iv) ‘Since the tropical forest is the powerhouse of evolution, several species of life face extinction as a result of its destruction.’
(v) ‘The world’s ancient patrimony of tropical forests is now eroding………………………… growing use of dung for burning, deprives the soil of an important natural fertiliser.’
(vi) ‘..catastrophic depletion of India’s forests over the last four decades.’
(vii) ‘Large area’s, officially designated as forest land, “are virtually treeless”.
(viii) ‘A three year study using satellites and aerial photography …………………warns that the environment has deteriorated so badly that it is ‘critical’ in many of the eighty countries investigated.’
2. What does the notice ‘The world’s most dangerous animals’ at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify?
Ans. A zoo in Lukasa, Zambia has a cage in which a sign reads ‘The World’s most dangerous animal’ and inside there is a mirror. It gives a message that human beings are the most dangerous animals.
3. How are the earth’s principal biological systems being depleted?
Ans.There are four principal biological systems that form the foundation of the global economic system fisheries, grasslands, forests, and croplands. These four systems also provide food and raw materials for industries except for minerals and synthetics. With these systems becoming unsustainable, fisheries will collapse, the forest will slowly disappear, grasslands will turn into a barren wasteland and croplands will become worse.In poor countries, forests are being cut down for fuelwood which is used for cooking purposes. There are some areas where the cost of fuelwood is more than the cost of food. It is leading to deforestation at an alarming rate.
4. Why does the author aver (suggest) that the growth of world population is one of the strongest factors distorting the future of human society?
Ans. One of the reasons for the exploitation of the environment is the increasing population. It is observed that about one million people are increasing every four days. This is not a good sign. There is an urgent need to control overpopulation in the world. Development is the best contraceptive for this problem as it will help in reduction in fertility, increase in education and income and improvement in health. The growing population not only increases the demand for food but also depletes the current resources at a speed that is not recoverable.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
Discuss in groups of four.
[Please note: We, here, give you a direction to your discussion. These are a few points for you to begin with. We are sure, as you start, more points and ideas will make the discussion very interesting. Thóugh we have discussed within two groups, you çan have as many as you want, with four members in each group. ]
1. Laws are never respected nor enforced in India.
Group A : Laws are never respected nor enforced in india. We see that daily all around us.
Group B : With corruption being so rampant, money makes the law here. Everywhere we see people violating rules and actually getting away with it.
Group A : You are right. Just stand at a traffic crossing and you will see how people, in big swanky cars, violate all traffic rules! It’s so frustrating.
Group B : Not only that. Have you read the recent cases of poaching in our wildlife sanctuary ? Isn’t it a constitutional duty of the state to protect wildlife and forests? But, if you go Deep into the matter, you will find everyone is hand in glove. Many times, law makers are the law breakers. So, how will they enforce the law of the land ?
Group A : Cutting of trees and hills is happening right in front of us. Everyone is aware. But, the authorities turn a blind eye because those who are illegally settling in these encroached lands belonging to the Forest, are going to vote for them.
Group B : We Indians have to realise that laws are made to benefit us and protect us. So by defying them we are not proving our courage, but our ignorance and foolishness. At times, I feel we are not yet ready for democracy. A Singapore style government is required to clear up the lawless mess that our country is presently in.
Group A : Let us all try to do our little bit in bringing discipline in this country. My first suggestion is that we see to it that all our friends wear helmets while riding the bike. Remember We wear it for our protection, not the policeman’s.
2. “Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscape and an ailing environment ?”
Group A : Have you read the paper today ? Climate change has become a bigger cause of worry than world terrorism. Isn’t that something scary ?
Group B : Of course! The other day I watched on National Geographic how glaciers are melting at an alarming rate. This is actually far more pressing than terrorism. Insurgency and terrorism can be dealt with. And we all know that there are some ulterior motives involved in all acts of terrorism. If any government is firm on putting an end to the menace, they actually can. But, no one can do anything about climate change.
Group A : You are right. No government can bring the extinct animals back, nor can they make forests in places that have turned to deserts. The damage done to the environment is irreparable. It is so disheartening to think that we have left nothing for our future generations except a burnt planet, lands they cannot cultivate, vast stretches of wasteland, heaps of non-degradable garbage and a dying environment. Couldn’t we have done something better for them ?
Group B : You are making me feel so guilty. We had no right to destroy the planet the way we did. We are all responsible. In India, we have a shamefully huge population where half of them are starving in the streets. The rich are getting richer and the poor are dismally getting poorer.
Group A : But apart from the population, other problems are universal. Tropical rainforests are disappearing, deserts are advancing, the ozone layer is depleting. Destruction in the name of development is going to spell doom for all of us.
Group B : It is never too late to take a step in the right direction. Let us take that small step today for a greener and better environment.
3. “We have not inherited the earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children.”
Group A : Look at the condition of the world today! Politics, environment, everything is on the decline. Our forefathers left this world in our charge so that we hand it to our future generations in good shape.
Group B : And what have we done ? Just plundered and ravaged everything. We behave as if it is our sole property inherited from our forefathers.
Group A : But what I don’t understand is that, should we destroy something that we actually inherit from our forefathers ? Shouldn’t we keep it with more care and responsibility because somebody had preserved and gifted it to us? Should we just take it to a point of no return?
Group B : On the other hand, we should have made it better, with our advanced knowledge and education. What is the point of acquiring knowledge if we cannot benefit from it ?
Group A : Remember what Margaret Thatcher had said ? She very
aptly said that we do not have a freehold on this earth; what we do have is a life tenancy with a full repairing lease.
Group B : Now the biggest question is, can we repair the damage done by us ? We do not even have the capacity to do that. The only thing we can do now is stop right here so that we can at least hand over to our children something that rightfully belongs to them.
4. The problems of overpopulation that directly affect our everyday life.
Group A : What a menace this population is turning out to be! Can’t get up in a bus, can’t walk on the pavement without elbowing your way. There are people everywhere around, most of them just idling all the day without any work. How long are we going to carry on like this ?
Group B : You seem to be very annoyed. I am sure you had a tough time today. But what you say is right. I feel suffocated at times in the midst of the teeming population. Not a place in sight where you can spend five minutes in solitude.
Group A : And can you imagine how the entire system is somehow hanging in delicate balance under the burden of an
exploding population! Have you seen the local trains in Mumbai ? Or the short distance passenger trains in Bihar, U.P. or M.P.? It looks like someday the railway coaches are going to burst open.
Group B : Come to think of employment for all these people ? And seats in educational institutions? There can never be sufficient of anything for anyone because the number keeps increasing.
Group A : As a result, accommodation has become a major problem. Too many people and no place to stay! Long queues have become a common sight.
Group B : Apart from cities, even forest lands are being encroached and wildlife sanctuaries are turning out to be full-fledged villages. It may sound very funny but you don’t get a secluded spot even for a picnic! There would be twenty other groups of picnickers sitting all around you. It is disgusting.
Group A : Unless some drastic step is taken to control the population, the entire system is going to collapse.
THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE
The phrase ‘inter alia’ meaning ‘among other things’ is one of the many Latin expressions commonly used in English.Find out what these Latin phrases moan.
1. prima facie
2. ad hoc
3. in camera
4. ad infinitum
5. mutatis mutandis
6. caveat
7. tabula rasa
Ans. : 1. prima facie : at first sight
2. ad hoc : for a special case or purpose only
3. in camera : in privacy or secrecy
4. ad infinitum : endlessly; without limit
5. mutatis mutandis : with appropriate changes.
6. Caveat : a notice that an interested party files with the proper officers directing him to stop an action until he can be heard
7. tabula rasa : prior to change or experience; chance to start afresh
WORKING WITH WORDS
1. Locate the following phrases in the text and study their connotation.
1. gripped the imagination of
2. dawned upon
3. ushered in
4. passed into current coin
5. passport of the future
Ans. 1. gripped the imagination of : used here to mean ‘cap- turned the minds of people’.
2. dawned upon : came to realisation, became obvious.
3. Ushered in : brought in.
4 . passed into current coin : used in currently spoken language.
5. Passport of the future : entitlement into the future.
II. The words ‘grip, ‘dawn’, ‘usher, ‘coin’, ‘passport’ have a literal as well as a figurative meaning. Write pairs of sentences using each word in the literal as figurative sense.
Ans. Grip :
Literal : I gripped her hand for fear of falling.
Figurative : Fear gripped the entire locality after the murder.
Dawn:
Literal : It was a mesmerising Sight to see the veil of mist at down.
Figurative : It did not even dawn on me that I could be checked.
Usher :
Literal : Two volunteers were deputed to usher in the guests.
Figurative : The song of the cuckoo ushered in the season of spring.
Coin :
Literal : The five rupee coin has now a bronze colour.
Figurative : Today’s youngsters coin words as per their convenience.
Passport :
Literal : My passport will expire in another two years.
Figurative : Clearance of his legal papers was his passport to freedom.
THINGS TO DO
1. Make posters to highlight the importance of the Green Movement.
Ans. Students will do themselves.
2. Maintain a record of the trees cut down and tone parks demolished in your area, or any other act that violates the environment. Write to newspapers reporting on any such acts that disturb you.
Ans. To,
The Editor,
The Assam Tribune,
Guwahati
Sub : Cutting down of hills and felling of trees.
Sir,
Through your esteemed daily, I would like to bring to the notice of the authorities that despite the ban on cutting of hills, everyday truckloads of earth are being carried away from our locality.Many illegal settlements have come up on the hills around here and they unhesitatingly cut a part of the hill to build the hut. For the same reason, trees are felled too. As a result, with every shower, the loose earth from the cut portion of the hills flow down with rain water causing heavy siltation in the drains as well as on the roads. Just a few years back, the hills behind our house had thick forests which have, in view of the above facts, not so surprisingly disappeared.
Unless some strict measures are adopted and enforced, the water logging problem in the city will never cease. Rain water cannot flow through the drains as those are filled with layers of mud and earth from these hills. Simply digging up the mud and dumping it on the roadside after the rain cannot be a solution. When the authorities are aware of the whole situation, I, as an aggrieved citizen, appeal to them to take urgent and practical steps to put a stop to it.
Yours truly,
Karan Rawal
Address
House no. 7,
Bye-lane 8, Zoo-Narengi Road,
Guwahati- 21
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. What is “Sustainable development”?
Ans:- Sustainable development has been defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The term Sustainable Development was used by the World Commission on Environment and Development.
2. Why have several species of wildlife become extinct?
Ans:- This can be due to: Environmental pollution. Deforestation causes a decrease in reproductive power and loss of habitat. Soil erosion.Habitat loss is the primary cause of higher extinction rates. Several species of wildlife have become extinct and the number of animals is rapidly decreasing due to cutting of trees and hunting the animals.
3. The population in the world is growing at an alarming rate. Comment?
Ans:- Human population throughout the world is rising at an alarming rate because of the decreasing death rate, increase in the birth rate, lack of family planning etc.One of the reasons for the exploitation of the environment is the increasing population. It is observed that about one million people are increasing every four days. This is not a good sign. There is an urgent need to control overpopulation in the world. Development is the best contraceptive for this problem as it will help in reduction in fertility, increase in education and income and improvement in health.
4. Why is our age the “Era of responsibility”?
Ans:- The current era is the era of responsibility. The natural resources of the world are under stress of over-exploitation.It is well known that industries are a main source of causing environmental pollution. There will be a great change in the preservation of the environment if the industrialists become conscious-of their responsibilities and become environment friendly. We all have the responsibility to use these natural resources judiciously.
5. What happens in poor countries?
Ans:- In poor countries, forests are being cut down for fuelwood which is used for cooking purposes. There are some areas where the cost of fuelwood is more than the cost of food.
6. What is the Green Movement? What has been its role in the declining environmental scenario?
Ans:- The Green Movement refers to a global environmental movement that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, advocating for the protection and conservation of the environment.In 1972, the Green Movement helped environmentalists to raise awareness about the harmful condition of the earth and since then there has been no looking back as the movement has been successfully educating people about the conservation of the environment. It emphasises the need to address various environmental issues, such as pollution, deforestation, climate change, and depletion of natural resources.
Then the author explains the concept of Sustainable growth of 1987. “Meets the wants of the current time, without losing the ability of upcoming generations to meet their needs and fulfil them”. Furthermore, we must utilise the natural resources in such a way that we fulfil our needs as well as conserve these resources for the upcoming generations. People consider themselves as a partner and not as a member of this planet. In actuality, we are partners with millions of creatures of this entire planet.
7. What are the four principles of the biological system that form the foundation of the global economic system? Explain.
Ans:- There are four principal biological systems that form the foundation of the global economic system – fisheries, grasslands, forests, and croplands. These four systems also provide food and raw materials for industries except for minerals and synthetics. With these systems becoming unsustainable, fisheries will collapse, the forest will slowly disappear, grasslands will turn into a barren wasteland and croplands will become worse.Then the writer is concerned about the lessening of the forest land. The dung which we should use as a natural fertiliser, we are generally using to produce fuel. On the other hand, the soil is not receiving natural fertiliser.
The population is rising at a very high rate. Development and growth are the 2 most appropriate solutions to people’s problems. With such a population, development is a difficult task to do. We need proper family planning to control the situation of overpopulation. There is a major need to control the population of the earth. The writer at this point once more repeats the positive change in view of the people regarding ecology. Industries must also take responsibility for a better ecosystem.
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