The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role

Here is a summary of “The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role” and responses to the questions and activities presented in the source, drawing on the provided text.

Summary of The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role

The article, originally published in 1994, discusses the Green Movement, which rapidly captured the imagination of the human race, starting around 1969. It marks a shift in human perception from a mechanistic view to a holistic and ecological view of the world. For the first time, there is a growing global awareness that the Earth is a living organism with needs that must be respected and preserved. The Earth’s vital signs indicate declining health, leading to the realisation of our ethical obligations as stewards and trustees for future generations.

The concept of sustainable development was popularised, meaning development that meets present needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their own. A notice in a zoo in Lusaka, Zambia, featuring a mirror and the label “The world’s most dangerous animal,” symbolises humanity’s recognition of itself as the greatest threat to the planet. There is a move towards a system based on partnership rather than domination.

Scientists have catalogued many species, but millions more remain unknown. The Brandt Commission, an early international group on ecology, questioned whether we would leave future generations a “scorched planet”. The Earth’s four principal biological systems—fisheries, forests, grasslands, and croplands—are the foundation of the global economic system and provide food and raw materials. These systems are being strained to unsustainable levels, leading to collapse, disappearance, conversion to wastelands, and deterioration. Tropical forests are eroding rapidly, and the use of dung for fuel depletes soil fertility.

Population growth is identified as one of the strongest factors distorting the future of human society. The world population increased significantly over the last two centuries, and continues to grow rapidly. While development (rising incomes, spreading education, improved health) can lower fertility, development itself is challenged by continued population growth. The author notes that more children can mean more people without work, perpetuating poverty. Voluntary family planning is presented as the alternative to coercion. India’s large population is specifically mentioned in relation to poverty.

Ultimately, there is a transcending concern for the survival of the planet, representing a holistic and ecological view of existence. The environmental problem is seen not just as a potential demise but as a “passport for the future”. This new vision has ushered in an Era of Responsibility. Industry is highlighted as having a crucial role in this era. The article concludes by quoting Margaret Thatcher and Lester Brown, likening our relationship with the Earth to having a life tenancy with a repairing lease or borrowing it from our children.

Here are the questions and activities from the source, along with answers or explanations based on the provided text:

Understanding the text

1. Locate the lines in the text that support the title ‘The Ailing Planet’.

   • “The earth’s vital signs reveal a patient in declining health.” 🌍🤒
   • “…a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and ailing environment?” 🔥🏜️🌍

2. What does the notice ‘The world’s most dangerous animal’ at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify?

   • It signifies that humanity is the world’s most dangerous animal. By showing the viewer their own reflection in a mirror, it highlights that humans themselves are the greatest threat to the planet. Thanks to awareness efforts, this “most dangerous animal” has begun to realise the wisdom of shifting from domination to partnership. 🧍‍♀️🐅➡️🌍 threat

3. How are the earth’s principal biological systems being depleted?

   • The principal biological systems (fisheries, forests, grasslands, and croplands) are being depleted because human claims on them are reaching unsustainable levels, impairing their productivity.
   • This results in fisheries collapsing, forests disappearing (decimated for firewood in poor countries, with tropical forests eroding rapidly), grasslands being converted into barren wastelands, and croplands deteriorating. The growing use of dung for burning also deprives the soil of natural fertiliser. 🐟📉🌳 disappearance 🌾➡️🏜️🚜😩

4. Why does the author aver that the growth of world population is one of the strongest factors distorting the future of human society?

   • The growth of world population is distorting the future because the increase has been rapid, and if it continues at the present rate, development itself may not be possible.
   • More children do not necessarily mean more workers, but rather more people without work, which condemns the poor to remain poor. The author suggests the choice is between controlling population and perpetuating poverty. India’s population growth is linked to the hope of people dying in poverty. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦📈➡️📉development 😞poverty

Talking about the text

These are questions for discussion in groups based on the themes presented in the text:

1. Laws are never respected nor enforced in India. 🤔⚖️🇮🇳 (Discussion point)
2. “Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and an ailing environment?” 🤔🌍🔥👶 (Discussion point reflecting the question posed in the Brandt Report)
3. “We have not inherited this earth from our forefathers; we have borrowed it from our children”. 🤔🌍🤝👶 (Discussion point reflecting a core idea of stewardship)
4. The problems of overpopulation that directly affect our everyday life. 🤔👨‍👩‍👧‍👦⬆️🛍️🏠🚦 (Discussion point)

Thinking about language

This section focuses on language use:

1. 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 mean.
   • The source notes that ‘inter alia’ means ‘among other things’. It then lists several other Latin phrases: prima facie, ad hoc, in camera, ad infinitum, mutatis mutandis, caveat, tabula rasa. The source asks the reader to find out their meanings but does not provide the meanings itself. 🤔🗣️📜❓

Working with words

This section examines specific words and phrases:

I. Locate the following phrases in the text and study their connotation.

1. gripped the imagination of (found in) - Connotation: Captured attention rapidly and completely. ✨🧠🌍
2. dawned upon (found in) - Connotation: A new awareness or realisation began. 💡👤
3. ushered in (found in) - Connotation: Introduced or marked the beginning of (a new era). 👋🚪🗓️
4. passed into current coin (found in) - Connotation: Became commonly used or accepted. 🗣️🔄💰
5. passport of the future (found in) - Connotation: Means for survival in the future; the environmental problem is the key to ensuring a 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 well as the figurative sense.

• This is an activity for the reader to practice. The source lists the words ‘grip’, ‘dawn’, ‘usher’, ‘coin’, ‘passport’ but does not provide the pairs of sentences. 🤔📝✍️

Things to do

These are activities suggested by the source:

1. Make posters to highlight the importance of the Green Movement. 🎨🌱🌍📣 (Activity)
2. Maintain a record of the trees cut down and the parks demolished in your area, or any other act that violates the environment. Write to newspapers reporting on any such acts that disturb you. ✍️🗑️🌳📰 (Activity)

These activities encourage children’s awareness and responsibility towards the environment.