The Ailing Planet: The Green Movement's Role Class 11 English Hornbill

Key Points of the Story

• The Green Movement, initiated 25 years ago, has become the fastest-growing global environmental awareness campaign in history.

• It marks a revolutionary shift from a mechanistic to a holistic and ecological worldview, comparable to Copernicus’s paradigm shift.

• The earth is recognized as a living organism with vital metabolic processes that must be preserved for future generations.

• Sustainable development (popularized in 1987) emphasizes meeting present needs without compromising future resources.

• Human activities (deforestation, overfishing, pollution) are pushing the planet’s biological systems (fisheries, forests, grasslands, croplands) to collapse.

• Population growth exacerbates environmental degradation, with India and tropical forests facing catastrophic losses.

• The passage concludes with a call for corporate and governmental responsibility, quoting Margaret Thatcher and Lester Brown: “We have borrowed the earth from our children.”

Detailed Summary

Introduction
The article begins by discussing the Green Movement, which has captured the global imagination and sparked a major shift in how humans view the world. This movement emerged in the 1970s and has advocated for an ecological worldview.

Shift in Perception
The article explores the shift in human perception from seeing the Earth as a machine to recognizing it as a living organism with its own metabolic needs. This is compared to the paradigm shift caused by Copernicus in the sixteenth century, which changed humanity's understanding of the universe.

Growing Awareness
The rise of environmental consciousness has led to a growing realization of humanity’s ethical obligations as stewards of the planet. This new awareness is now integrated into the concept of sustainable development, defined in 1987 as development that meets current needs without compromising future generations.

Environmental Degradation
The article describes the deterioration of the Earth’s vital biological systems, such as forests, fisheries, grasslands, and croplands, caused by overexploitation and unsustainable human activities. It also highlights the depletion of forests, especially in developing countries, and the harmful effects of deforestation.

Population Growth
The article discusses the impact of population growth on the environment, emphasizing that a larger population leads to increased consumption of resources. It advocates for voluntary family planning as a way to control population growth and ensure sustainable development.

India’s Challenges
In India, the loss of forests has reached alarming levels, with government statistics underestimating the actual rate of deforestation. The article highlights the failure of laws and regulations to protect the environment and stresses the need for stricter enforcement.

Global Action Needed
The article calls for a holistic, ecological view of the world, in which all human activities are interconnected with the environment. It emphasizes the role of industry in environmental sustainability and the need for businesses to prioritize environmental performance.

Conclusion

The article ends by stressing the importance of the “Era of Responsibility,” where humanity acknowledges its role in safeguarding the planet for future generations. It echoes the message that the Earth is not a possession but a temporary home, entrusted to humanity for the benefit of future generations.

Theme

The central theme of the article is the urgent need for a paradigm shift toward environmental sustainability and ethical responsibility. It highlights the importance of recognizing the Earth as a living organism and taking collective action to preserve it.

Message

The article conveys the message that humanity must transition from exploitation to ecological partnership, adopting a holistic approach to development. It stresses that environmental preservation is not only essential for survival but also a moral obligation to future generations.

Difficult Words

• Irrevocably: In a way that cannot be undone.

• Metabolic: Relating to the process by which the body converts food into energy.

• Stewards: Caretakers, individuals who manage or take care of something.

• Sustainable: Capable of being maintained or continued without depleting resources.

• Scorched: Burned or damaged by extreme heat.

• Decimated: Severely reduced or destroyed.

• Ecological: Relating to the relationships between living organisms and their environment.

• Coercion: The practice of forcing someone to act in a certain way.

• Tenancy: The condition of holding or occupying something, especially land.

• Synthetics: Products made by chemical processes, often artificial or man-made.