The Ailing Planet

Short Answer Questions

Q. What is Global Warming?

Ans. Global Warming is the warming up of the Earth’s atmosphere due to certain manmade activities which causes the earth’s temperature to increase. If not checked the temperatures might rise to an alarming degree which could make life on earth impossible in the future.

Q. What is Green Movement?

Ans. The Green Movement is a movement worldwide which increases the consciousness of the million people contributing to the increase of Global Warming. It discusses the problems to be faced in the future and the solutions that mankind must take upon to make survival in the Earth possible in the near future.

Q. What are Green House Gases?

Ans. Those gases which trap the heat of the sun and help keeping the Earth at the right temperature are called Green House Gases.

Eg. Carbondioxide, Carbonmonoxide, Methane, CFC etc

Q. What is Sustainable Development?

Ans. Sustainable Development means development of the world while considering the need of the future generations. It suggests using only the required amount of natural resources from nature and leaving enough to sustain the future generations. It also implies making the Earth’s environment more suitable for life to continue further by reducing the amount of pollution of Artificial activities.

Q. What is Green movement and what are its aims?

Ans: The Green Movement is the mass movement for the ailing planet earth which preaches the world to be a living organism.

Its aims are given as follows:

• Reduce Global Temperature
• Increase forest Cover
• Reduce Pollution or Carbon Footprint.
• Make the industries have a sense of responsibility towards the environment

Long Answer Questions

1. What does the notice “ The world’s most dangerous animal” at the cage in the zoo at Lusaka and Zambia signify?

Ans: The notice in the cage signifies man as the most dangerous animal. Man is the only animal who can do all most anything in this world. Man has used the earth brutally for its resources. He doesn’t consider the adverse effect which his actions leaves. This has resulted in the destruction of nature to a large extent. Global warming is now the biggest man made problem of the Earth. Activities like deforestation, mining and industries etc, are causing continued damage upon the earth. Thus we see how unlike any other animal man tends to behave. This is why man is called the most dangerous animal in the world.

2. “We have not inherited this earth from our forfathers”, we have borrowed from our children. Justify the statement.

Ans: The above sentence emphasized on the fact that people do not own the earth just because they are born in it. Humans have the tendency to use recklessly whatever they can get their hands on. This attitude of man has made him use the planed without any mercy. When people borrow from others they tend to behave more rationally . Thus if people considered the earth as borrowed from their future generations, they will most probably harm the planet a lot more less. So here ‘thinking forward’ seems more rational towards curing the earth rather that focus on the past ownership of the lands.

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

Ans: The earth’s principal biological systems are depleted due to various reasons. There are four principal systems- fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands. Man due to his ignorance and greed begins overexploitation of the resources. First there is the collapse of fisheries due to over demand of man’s lifestyle. Next forests face destruction due to food, fuel and firewood, timber etc. Grasslands are depleted due to human activities like farming which demand huge space. The need for space to carry out activities in the name of higher income and development have caused the natural resources to decline.

4. “ The Earth’s vital signs reveal a patient in decling health” elucidate.

Ans: Like a patient whose condition can be deduced by his physical characteristics, similarly the earth’s physical features like climate change etc shows us ‘the ailing planet’ itself. The features like a green planet full of vegetation is seen reduced to an alarming level. The climate is seen to be changing abnormally and many species of plants and animals are also on the brink of extinction. This is caused by activities like the destruction of the principle biological systems- forests, fisheries, grasslands and croplands by human beings. Due to the greed of man the earth is mercilessly used for its resources. These activity es weakens the earth’s power to sustain life in the near future. Moreover all these abnormalities are seen to manifest in various calamities like sandification of croplands, droughts, global warming, rise of sea level, abnormal weather etc. Thus we see the earth as a patient whose health’s condition is revealed by the changes in climate and vegetation.