NCERT Solutions Class 11, English, Hornbill, Prose, Chapter- 4, The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement ’s Role
Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meaning from the context.
- a holistic and ecological view
- inter alia
- sustainable development
- decimated
- languish
- catastrophic depletion
- ignominious darkness
- transcending concern
Solution:
a holistic and ecological view – It refers to the view that calls for the preservation of the planet. The holistic and ecological view refers to understanding the importance of earth’s resources and environment for the future generations.
sustainable development – A balanced development that meets the needs of the present while taking care of the needs of the future generations.
languish – lot of species are neglected or go unnoticed
ignominious darkness – disgraced or dishonoured as nobody has knowledge about them or is enlightened about them
inter alia – among other things
decimated – to reduce drastically in number
catastrophic depletion – a disastrous and harmful reduction in the number of something
transcending concern – a concern that surpasses generation, boundaries. It is not only about the present but also about future; not only about people but also about the planet.
Understanding the text
1. Locate the lines in the text that support the title ‘The Ailing Planet’.
Solution:
The following lines in the text support the title “The Ailing Planet”.
- “Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and ailing environment.
- A three-year study using satellites and aerial photography conducted by the United Nations, warns that the environment has deteriorated so badly that it is ‘critical’ in many of the eighty-eight countries investigated.
2. What does the notice ‘The world’s most dangerous animal’ at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify?
Solution:
The notice signifies that there is depletion of resources and deterioration of environment. Man is responsible for this and his own survival is threatened.
3. How are the earth’s principal biological systems being depleted?
Solution:
The earth’s principal biological systems are being depleted by excessive use. Over . fishing is quite common. Forests are being cut to obtain firewood for cooking. Grasslands are turning into barren wastelands and croplands are deteriorating as their productivity has been impaired.
4. Why does the author aver that the growth of world population is one of the strongest factors distorting the future of human society?
Solution:
The growth of world population puts a severe strain on the earth’s principal biological systems. Due to excessive human claims these reach an unsustainable level where their productivity is damaged. Development is not possible if world population continues to grow so rapidly. Increasing population brings hunger, poverty and unemployment.
Talking about the text
Discuss in groups of four.
1. Laws are never respected nor enforced in India.
Solution:
It is painful but true that laws are neither respected nor enforced in India. Let us take examples from everyday life. Almost everyone is conversant with the rule of the road. Still there are cases of wrong overtaking, lane jumping, signal jumping, over speeding and road rage. Our laws insist on compulsory elementary education up to the age of fourteen. Yet we find many illiterate teenager boys or girls of this age loitering around in lanes or employed in petty jobs in road side restaurants or as domestic servants. Our Constitution insists on the protection and improvement of the environment. The states have been given the responsibility of protecting forests and wildlife. Forests are being cut and illegal shooting of wildlife goes on. Similarly, there are laws regarding abolishing casteism, untouchability and bonded labour. But these remain on paper. In actual life, these are never put into practice. Hence, it can be concluded that laws are neither respected nor enforced in India.
2. “Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and an ailing environment?”
Solution:
As we learn in the text, the first Brandt Report raised the above mentioned question about the deteriorating condition of the planet. Earth is like a “patient in declining health”. The depletion of forests, grasslands, fisheries and croplands are the result of excessive demand for resources. Over-population has led to a severe strain on the health of our planet.
We must realise soon that in this “Era of Responsibility” it is solely our duty to preserve our planet. We must realise that the earth belongs as much to the future generation as much to us. Rather making it our property, we should do our best to preserve it for the generations we have “borrowed it from”.
3. “We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children”.
Solution:
This is a revolutionary statement by Mr. Lester Brown. It focuses attention on the position of man in this universe. People take it for granted that the earth is theirs as they have inherited it from their forefathers. They forget the fact that the real owners of the land are our children. We are only custodians or trustees and we must continue development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their needs. We must not strip the natural world’ of the resources future generations would need. In our effort to feed the increasing millions, we are plundering the heritage of our children. We have open overusing natural resources for our present purposes. Destruction of natural resources will create an ailing environment. Our consumption of non-renewable resources should be checked. We must preserve natural resources and hand them over to children intact as they are the real owners.
4. The problems of overpopulation that directly affect our everyday life.
Solution:
Over population causes many problems in every day life. The three basic human needs—food, cloth and shelter have assumed alarming prepositions. Fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands are under severe strain. In many areas they have reached an unsustainable level. People resort to over fishing to obtain protein. Forests are being destroyed to obtain firewood. Grasslands are becoming deserts. Artificial fertilizers have improved the productivity of croplands. Overpopulation hinders development and adversely affects the spread of education and health care among the masses. It is observed that the poor beget more children. It only leads them to unending poverty. More children does not mean more workers but merely more people without work. Thus over-population leads to unemployment. Public transport proves insufficient. We see long queues everywhere. In short, overpopulation leads to deterioration in environment and shortens our lives by causing many diseases.
