We often hear or read about environmental problems. These are often global-level problems and we feel helpless to make any changes. There are international laws and regulations and then there are our own national laws and acts for environmental protection. There are also national and international organizations working towards protecting our environment.
Natural resources are the materials provided by nature. They include forests, water, coal and petroleum reserves. Day-by-day we are exploiting our natural resources. River Ganga features an example for the exploitation of natural resources. The coliform bacteria are usually found in the human intestine whose presence in the Ganga water indicates contamination by faeces and disease-causing micro-organisms. The Ganga Action Plan project was launched in 1985 to clean the Ganga and make its water free from pollution.
The 3R's in conserving resources are Reduce, Recycle and Reuse. We can make environment friendly decision by knowing more about how our choices affect the environment. The concept of sustainable development encourages forms of growth that meet current basic human needs, while preserving the resources for the needs of future generations. Economic development is linked to environmental conservation. Thus sustainable development implies a change in all aspects of life.
