Environment

KEY POINTS

Causes 

• Misconception – The mistaken local belief that the smoke generated by the fires will make God cry and his tears will fall back on Earth in the form of rain.
• Livelihood – Locals clear the forest land of “unwanted” bushes and let good grasses grow for their cattle in order to enhance their livelihoods.
• This gives the villagers easy access to many forest resources that can be turned into income.
• Lack of awareness

Consequences

• Many aspects of our existence – health, economy, food, water, leisure and even the air we breathe — are dependent on forests.
• Smoke from these forest fires increases the CO2 levels in the atmosphere, contributing to climate change, adversely affecting the local climate.
• Depleted forest ecology has an adverse impact on agricultural production.
• Natural resources are being consumed for insignificant short-term benefits and finally jeopardising the future.

Solutions

• Raising awareness – Villagers have to be informed about innovative practices and technologies that can take them away from such forest fires.
• Ownership of forests – Villagers believe that the future of the forests is in the hands of government and have a tendency to take whatever they can from the forest before the government takes it.
• We need to promote the idea that the forests belong to all people and their conservation is necessary for the whole of living organisms to survive.
• Ground level co-ordination – To tackle such forest fires, the officers at the ground level can work together with the public to bring about a holistic solution.
• With the help of mobile applications, SMS or through the website, citizens can help track forest fires whenever they occur and bring them to the attention of local authorities, who can then take appropriate steps.
• We need to raise awareness, empower women, increase access to knowledge, introduce green technologies and bring in resource-friendly income-generating activities.