World Environment Day was on June 5:

Humans, animals and plants are all suffering as a result of the changing weather conditions throughout the globe; one day it's unbearably hot, making one feel as if he/she is living inside a heated oven. Then the next day, suddenly, it is raining cats and dogs, with flashes of lightning and bolts of thunder everywhere. Weather conditions have changed drastically today, mostly due to global warming.

Mother Earth is angry, no, she's furious. And she's sending warning signals to us, humans to stop abusing her. But, are we heeding her? No, not really. We continue to plunder her natural resources, destroy wildlife and their habitats, pollute the air, waterways and soil, cut down trees, and clear out valuable rainforests at unprecedented rates. We believe that our little careless acts of cutting down a few trees, throwing garbage into a waterway, releasing polluted fumes into the atmosphere will not matter. But, what we don't seem to realise is that when all such 'little acts' of destruction are put together, on a global scale, the impact it has on Mother Earth is irreparable.

Unless we clean up our act fast and start being more responsible from now onwards, especially when it comes to using our natural resources, keeping our planet clean and being more eco-friendly, we'll have to face worse natural disasters than what we are facing today, in the future. The World Environment Day which fell on June 5 was observed in almost all the countries of the world, drawing attention to the numerous environmental threats such as global warming, acid rain, pollution, destruction of rainforests, natural habitats, and the extinction of animal and plant life. But, let's hope the hue and cry made over these issues did not end with the setting of the Sun on that day and was limited to print only. We should make it the responsibility of each and every member of the global family to protect and care for Mother Earth and act on all decisions made on that day.

Over the past millions of years, our Mother Earth has generously been giving us all that she has, to sustain our lives. Now she is in need of our help. She's crying out to us to take good care of her and protect her. So, even though the present scenario is alarming, let's not despair. Let's not walk away from or turn a blind eye to the impending peril. Mother Earth is the one and only home we have. Every one of us, no matter what age, race or colour we are, can and should do something to slow down and if possible reverse some of the damage we have done to the environment.

If we make a commitment today to live sustainable lives and be responsible about our environment, we can do it.Learn to use our natural resources which include air, freshwater, forests, wildlife, seas and farmland carefully and protect them. We can save our planet only then.

Keeping the world clean, safe and in good condition for the next generation is the responsibility of everyone of us walking the Earth, today! If we don't act now to arrest global warming and keep Mother Earth's rising temperature under control, she's bound to lose her cool completely, and the results would be disastrous.

Stop pollution - it's killing us!:

The air, water and soil of habitats all over the world have been, and are still being polluted in many different ways. This pollution affects the health of all living things. The purity of air is destroyed by car and lorry fumes, and power stations create acid rain which destroys entire forests and lakes. When fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal are burned to provide energy for lighting, cooking and so on they form polluting gases.

The oils spills which seem to be on the increase lately pollute sea water and kill marine life; chemical waste from factories and sewage works, and artificial fertilisers from farmland, pollute river water, killing wildlife and spreading diseases.The careless or deliberate dumping of garbage in the environment is not only unsightly, but also dangerous to us all. In fact, garbage is a huge problem, as big as the garbage dump in Bloemendhal, in our little country. It's a problem we must urgently look into.

Prevent global warming and protect the ozone layer :

Fifteen to thirty miles above the Earth lies the stratosphere, a broad band of gases and one of these gases is ozone. It's only a small part of the stratosphere, but very important because it prevents too many of the Sun's ultra violet rays from reaching us. Too many ultra violet rays can give us skin cancer and destroy plankton, the important microscopic life in the sea. In the 1980s it was discovered that 'holes' were appearing in the ozone layer above the Antarctic and Arctic. CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons, gases used in the manufacture of aerosols and fridges, are believed to be responsible for destroying the ozone layer.

Certain gases in the atmosphere, mainly carbon dioxide, methane and CFCs, act like the glass in a greenhouse, allowing sunlight through to heat the Earth's surface, but trapping some of the heat as it radiates back into space. Without this, the Earth would be frozen and lifeless. However, owing to man's activities,'greenhouse gases' are building up in the atmosphere, causing a greater amount of heat to be reflected back to Earth. The result is an increase in average world temperatures and in the future this could lead to the flooding of more and more cities worldwide and severe hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts and so on.The ice caps too are melting.

Ideas to help

* Don't waste electricity. Electricity is produced by burning coal, oil and gas and this action gives off carbondioxide.

* Car fumes produce carbondioxide and nitrogenoxide - so try to cut down on car journeys if possible.

* Recycle - Methane, the most effective 'greenhouse gas', is released into the air as the rubbish in landfill sites rots.

Ways to help

* Use less energy by switching off lights when rooms are not in use.

* Don't leave the fan and TV on while you attend to something else.

* Try to buy 'environment-friendly' products.

* Stop throwing garbage everywhere.

Protect endangered habitats and wildlife

Wild habitats all over the world are fast disappearing. Forests are being cut down, rivers and seas polluted, ponds filled in - the destruction seems endless. As the habitats decrease, so do their communities of animals and plants. Habitat destruction is one of the main reasons why many species face extinction today. Other reasons include the hunting of animals and collection of plants.

There are now more than 5,000 species of animal and about 25,000 species of plants threatened with extinction.

During the last 200 years more than 200 species of mammals and birds have become extinct (disappeared from the Earth forever). It is possible that we are losing one species of animal or plant every day!

Save rainforests

Rainforests are valuable habitats. About half of all the species of animals and plants in the world live in rainforests. Thousands of rainforest plants contain substances that can be used in medicines. Rainforests are being cut down to make way for 'civilised man' to grow crops and graze cattle, and provide timber. An area almost the size of Britain is burnt every year. Rainforests help to regulate the world's climate and atmosphere.

We have a valuable rainforest right here in our country - the Sinharajah rainforest. Let's start by protecting it.