A word of caution to the ‘trustees’ of Earth

 Every person has the responsibility to preserve the earth with all its greenery, executive vice-president of the Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment E. P. Yesodharan has said. He was inaugurating a seminar on 'Green Generation' organised by the council on the occasion of the World Earth Day, here, on Wednesday.Even though there is no increase in the quantity of natural resources, including water resources, available on the earth, the number of people who consume these resources has been increasing. This has an enormous impact on the planet, he said.In his presentation, the former head of the Department of geology, University of Kerala, V. Prasannakumar said the younger generations should be made aware of the fact that each individual has the responsibility to ensure wise utilisation of the earth's resources."The World Earth Day should be a time to take stock of the gains we have made from the earth and to formulate new policies and visions for pulling back mother earth from the verge of an environmental catastrophe," he said.Almost every resource sought after by man is the product of processes that take place at the upper mantle and the crust of the planet. At the same time, such processes turn hazardous to man when they take the form of an earthquake, a tsunami or a volcanic eruption. Mankind is neither the owner nor custodian of the earth; instead mankind is only a trustee of the planet. It is the duty of a trustee to efficiently manage the earth's resources and to mitigate the hazards that get generated, he added.Director of the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS) M. Baba and professor emeritus at the CUSAT P.V. Joseph were among those who presented papers at the seminar.An elocution competition was also held on the occasion. In the UP section L. R. Reshma, S. S. Arya and Sohaib Sahib of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom, emerged first, second and third, respectively. In the High School section Aparna S. Kurup of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom, was the topper. While L.S. Shruthi of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pallippuram, emerged second, H. S. Varun of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom, secured the third prize, a press note issued here said.

The Hindu, 23rd April 2009