Environment Science – Save the Planet

Animal Cruelty: It’s Time You Actively Fight The Menace

By Nature Talkies|2021-05-13T15:34:31+01:00January 28th, 2021|

Animal cruelty practices are making over the world every day where millions of animals are killed ruthlessly. And perhaps there seems no end to this brutality of people starving their dogs to death or killing them to dine on a delicious meal for the day.

The animal cruelty cases present several menaces acts, including intentional abuse, animal hoarding, simple or gross neglect, and animal sexual assault. This calls for an urgent need to implement strict laws guarding the lives of various innocent creatures who’ve got no one combating for their rights.

Causes of animal cruelty

There roots in no specific reason behind animal cruelty, and people, practicing it look no different than your neighbor, friend, or boss. However, many of the motives arise out of human self-interest that aligns similar to practices of child abuse or domestic violence. Herein one doesn’t see animal abuse as an immoral offense and can justify his/her behavior in myriad ways.

Yet, recent studies formulated some of the inflicts resulting in animal barbarity, including:

Animal use for monetary gains: Animals have been an easy source of earning profits. Selling animal meat, furs, pelts, or by-products, casting animal entertainment shows, etc., are popular money-making trades promoting the act of animal cruelty as a justifiable offense.

Disregarding animal emotions: Some people believe that animals don’t have any true feelings and that any behavior or action towards animals projects no harm to their well being. Nonetheless, the truth is that animals truly emote to their surroundings and feel every emotion from pain, joy, despair, hope, and loneliness.

Using animals as an object: Animals are often viewed merely as objects and not as sentient beings. They’re victimized as a means to dump and satisfy human emotions or needs. For instance, a hunter may view a rabbit as food for his family and not as a beautiful creature shot down in his rifle.

How can you fight this menace?

Now that you know how brutally these animals are being treated by us humans, it’s about time we take some meaningful steps towards curbing this.

For this, we all need to pledge collectively to ensure that these poor souls can peacefully (and fearlessly) live on the planet.

Here’s a quick rundown of some ways in which you can help eradicate animal cruelty:

It all starts with spreading awareness about the gravity of the situation. Kids can be taught from an initial level so that they learn to respect the lives of animals.
Shifting to the vegan diet can be a viable solution when it comes to shaking the prevalent roots of animal cruelty.
Next up, you can be mindful of consuming only those food products that are animal cruelty-free certified.
Your beauty accessories might also be the culprit because this industry has had a terrible reputation for its regard for animals.
Lastly, check the clothing you buy to ensure it doesn’t include animal-based leather or any other aspect that might point towards animal cruelty.

The post Animal Cruelty: It’s Time You Actively Fight The Menace appeared first on Nature Talkies – We Talk about Nature.

Benefits of Going ‘Solar’ at Home or Business

By Seema Adnani|2021-05-13T15:34:58+01:00December 14th, 2020|

“Solar power is the last energy resource that isn’t owned yet – nobody taxes the sun yet” ~ Bonnie Rait.

And before energy resources like coal and oil get exhausted from our Mother Earth, let’s save the mankind with solar power. Keeping in view the fast-paced depletion and overutilisation of natural resources today, the benefits of solar power cannot be over-emphasised. Jim Inhofe rightly said that “solar energy is bound to be in our future. There’s a kind of inevitability about it.”

As environmental degradation emerges as a global tragedy, more and more people are becoming increasingly nature-conscious and adopting “go green” measures. Using solar energy at homes or businesses is one of the most effective ways to join the movement and help save the planet. At the same time, nothing can beat the advantage of solar power in significant cost savings in the long run.

7 Amazing Benefits of Solar Power for Homes and Businesses

Not sure how solar energy can help your home and business? Discussed here the benefits of solar power.

Reduce Energy Costs

This is perhaps one of the biggest inspirations for people to install solar panels at their homes or businesses.

Due to rapid exploitation and depletion of energy resources like oil, coal and water, the cost of generating electricity is increasing rapidly. No wonder, this ends up on your energy bills – making up a significant portion of your monthly expenses.

Thankfully, sunlight is available abundantly in nature, generating solar power that can light up your home and business at no cost. After an initial investment in installing the solar panels, just sit back and relax as you enjoy the benefits of solar power without spending huge bucks on energy consumption.

For homeowners and businesses, going solar is a smart decision that can help you save lakhs of rupees year-on-year.

No More Power Cuts Affecting Your Productivity

With rapid urbanisation, industrialisation and commercialisation, energy consumption has increased manifold. As a result, power outages have become common nowadays. However, for businesses and even homeowners, frequent power cuts can impede their operations and affect productivity.

With solar energy, you will face no more power cuts as there is no dearth of sunlight, especially in tropical countries like India. Most interestingly, you can utilise solar power event at night. Modern hybrid solar systems are connected to the grid and also come with battery banks. This allows you to store the power generated during the daytime so that you can use the same at night as well.

Minimal Maintenance Requirements

Wondering the amount of maintenance and care required for your solar energy system? Relax. Solar systems require minimal maintenance, making them an economically-viable solution for homeowners and businesses. When installed properly, solar panels will continue to generate energy year after year without you having to worry about its upkeep.

There are no moving parts; no specialised installation or operating skills required. Thus, ease of maintenance is one of the biggest benefits of solar power.

Increase Value of Your Property

According to studies, homes and businesses that are equipped with solar power systems enjoy a higher property value and also sell quickly. As the concept of “go green” is gaining increasing popularity, more people are showing awareness towards protecting the environment and making the world a better place to live in.

As a result, property buyers are constantly looking for options that are eco-friendly, energy-efficient, and helps save more money in the long run.

Avail Government Subsidies and Incentives

To spread awareness and encourage people for consumption of renewable energy such as solar power, the Government of India and State Nodal Agencies provide attractive subsidy schemes for installing rooftop solar systems. As per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, you can avail subsidy up to 30% of the estimated installation cost for solar systems, sponsored by the Central Government. This is applicable in states under the general category, while states in the special category can enjoy subsidies up to 70%.

The subsidy scheme is available only for residential, institutional and social sectors. This ensures further cost savings as one of the top benefits of solar power.

Protect the Environment

Using solar power at homes and businesses is an incredible way to minimise your carbon footprint. Several environmental factors and human-induced activities are resulting in ecological imbalance, posing a serious threat to mankind and the entire planet. Furthermore, buildings and construction are together contributing to 39% of all carbon emissions in the world today.

By installing solar panels, you can reduce this number significantly and safeguard the environment. A standard residential solar energy system can help eliminate 3 – 4 tonnes of carbon emissions every year. And this number is equivalent to planting more than 100 trees yearly.

Commitment towards Sustainability

Whether you are a homeowner or a business, your attitude towards sustainability is an important component that defines your values and culture. By installing solar panels, you are taking a step towards operating responsibly and ensuring sustainable development.

For businesses, the benefits of solar power are profound. Consumers, stakeholders and communities are increasingly recognising socially responsible businesses. Therefore, a “green” initiative like using solar energy can help create goodwill, influence decisions, and augment business results.

Solar is the Near Future!

Believe it or not, the future of mankind lies with solar energy. Deforestation, industrialisation, pollution, climate changes and overexploitation of natural resources are the major forces behind ecological disharmony today. This isn’t just a threat to humanity but endangered animals and marine life are also bearing the brunt. With natural resources getting depleted at a rapid pace, it is a big concern – what is the kind of world we are leaving for our future generations.

Understanding the benefits of solar power and using the same for your homes and businesses can be a great initiative towards protecting the environment, reducing carbon footprint, and ensuring significant cost savings.

The post Benefits of Going ‘Solar’ at Home or Business appeared first on Nature Talkies – We Talk about Nature.

Potentially Harmful Environmental Factors to Keep an Eye on

By Seema Adnani|2021-05-13T15:35:02+01:00December 9th, 2020|

“It is our collective and individual responsibility…to preserve and tend to the environment in which we all live” – Dalai Lama

There exists constant interactivity between humans and a wide range of environmental factors. These interactions play a major role in affecting our health and quality of life. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the environment in relation to human health is “all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all the related behaviors.”

The Healthy People 2020 Environmental Health focuses on six primary themes, highlighting key elements of environmental health. These include:

Ground water and surface quality
Homes and communities
Quality of outdoor air
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Infrastructure, surveillance, etc.
Global environmental health

To create a healthy environment, it is important to understand how hazardous environmental factors can potentially harm human health and wellbeing.

Importance of Environmental Health

Human wellbeing and environmental health are intrinsically associated – improving quality of life and mortality rate. According to a study, 26% of deaths in children below 5 years and 23% of all deaths are caused due to environmental factors. Inability to maintain a high quality of environmental wellbeing has a direct impact on individuals with “compromised” health.

And why just humans! Poor environmental health also has a major impact on our natural resources and the society at large. Therefore, it is crucial to address the potentially risky environmental factors that accentuate the likelihood of human exposure and poor health.

5 Environmental Factors Affecting Human Health

For overall human health and wellbeing, environment matters. It is crucial for all environmental factors to be well-balanced to ensure we live a healthy, prosperous and contended life. However, there are several environmental elements that people need prevent to remain healthy and improve their quality of life. Let’s check out:

1. Water Pollution

Do you know that on average 1 in 10 people do not have basic accessibility to safe drinking water?

The current UN World Water Development Report warns that “climate change will affect the availability, quality and quantity of water needed for basic human needs, thus, undermining enjoyment of the basic rights to safe drinking water and sanitation for billions of people.”

Water quality is greatly impacted by higher water temperatures and a decline in dissolved oxygen today. This has resulted in a decrease in freshwater basins’ capacity to self-purify. Furthermore, high levels of pollutants, pathogen contamination caused due to floods, plastic pollution, etc. are significantly affecting the quality of water.

As a consequence, 2.2 billion people today have no access to “safely managed drinking water.” Water pollution has led to an increased quantity of harmful contaminants, including aluminium, lead, copper and chromium. Additionally, even trace amounts of arsenic, barium or cadmium in drinking water can result into prolonged illnesses.

2. Quality of Air

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 7 million deaths occur worldwide every year due to air pollution. Data reveals that “9 out of 10 people breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits containing high levels of pollutants, with low- and middle-income countries suffering from the highest exposures.”

Ambient air pollution, in addition to smoke and other pollutants inside the home, is the primary cause behind premature deaths and ecological imbalance. Mortality rate has increased considerably as a result of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, acute respiratory infections, heart disease and even lung cancer.

According to an article published in NCBI, air pollution is regarded as one of the major environmental factors in the incidence and progression of some diseases such as asthma, lung cancer, ventricular hypertrophy, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, psychological complications, autism, retinopathy, foetal growth and low birth weight.”

Therefore, proper measures should be taken to ensure you are able to cope with the consequences of air pollution, especially if you live in a highly industrialised area or cities with smog alerts such as Delhi.

3. Asbestos

Do you live in an industrial area where asbestos is being used widely? If yes, it is time for you to consider relocating to a potentially asbestos-free region. Most industries, particularly construction, commonly use asbestos as it is resistant to heat, water, and fire. Producing asbestos is also inexpensive.

However, it is one of the most hazardous environmental factors inhaling which may result into a wide range of illnesses in human beings and animals. The fibres from asbestos are inhaled easily, reaching the lower regions of our lungs. Over prolonged exposure, this can result in fibrotic lung disease and can also cause changes in the chest cavity’s lining. Such diseases can affect your respiratory functions and even cause death.

Asbestos fibres also heighten the risk of developing mesothelioma and lung cancer. Since lungs are affected due to asbestosis, it can cause increased blood-flow resistance and enlargement of the heart as a result.

4. Homes and Communities

While homes and communities cannot be considered as direct environmental hazards but these are known to expose people to several conditions that affect their health and wellbeing. These include structural problems, indoor air pollution, noise pollution, fire and electrical hazards, improper sanitation and heating, paint hazards caused from paints, etc.

These factors can significantly impact human safety and health. Therefore, it is important to take essential measures to maintain healthy homes and communities that can help improve overall environmental health.

5. Impact of Climate Changes on Human Health

Do you know that the air you breathe is majorly affected by climatic changes? Fast-changing weather patterns and warmer temperatures can degrade air quality significantly, resulting in cardiovascular diseases, asthma and other respiratory problems. According to environmentalists, climatic impact is one of the environmental factors that can pose serious threat to human health and wellbeing.”

Rising temperatures and higher levels of carbon dioxide in the air also cause a number of allergens which can affect human health. Widespread wildfires are also causing major climatic changes, resulting in smoke and other air pollutants. On the other hand, drought or flood are also known to cause serious heath hazards to human beings.

Conclusion

In addition to the above-mentioned environmental factors, there are numerous other health hazards that you should be aware of and take measures to prevent the same. It is through this approach that you can feel safe and healthy, living a more fulfilling life.

The post Potentially Harmful Environmental Factors to Keep an Eye on appeared first on Nature Talkies – We Talk about Nature.