Download PDF

Editorial

Ejustice December 2019- Vol 2 Issue 3

A decade for Ecosystem Restoration?

UN decade of ecosystem Restoration begins in 2021. This is a moment for us to realize that humans cannot survive without having heathy ecosystems.

Biodiversity, the diversity of life on Earth, is essential to the healthy functioning of ecosystems. Habitat loss and overexploitation, driven by our unsustainable consumption patterns, are some of the primary causes for the loss of biodiversity.

Healthy ecosystems, interdependent webs of living organisms and their physical environment, are vital to all life on Earth. Our ecosystems provide us with clean air, fresh water,
food, resources and medicine.

Human species are already responsible for killing 80 percent of the life forms for food production, agriculture, cloths, safety, human- elephant conflict and by environmental pollution.

We are on the verge of a major catastrophe that is not been taken seriously. Climate Change is real & many have experienced or witnessed it this year. The world that we live in is getting warmer, Oceans are rising & Plants, Species are going extinct at a rapid rate.

If we take a look back at 2020 there were so many Environmental issues & destructions that took headlines this year. If we take a look at the reasons as to why this has been happening around the world, we would only have humankind to blame. We are destroying our own world.

If we take a look at Sri Lanka over the last few months. There has been Deforestation, Illegal Sand Mining, Illegal land grabbing, killing of Wild Elephants & various projects implemented in the name of development that would & are damaging our eco system. This is what is wrong with our country.

We have so many resources that could help sustainable living, provide our needs & even heal our country from this economic depression but yet here we are borrowing loans from countries that do not even have half the resources we own. This is what you term as an appetite for destruction.

One might wonder if there aren’t any laws in this country, but the truth of the matter is that there are laws but the laws can be bent to fulfill expectations. This is the sad reality of the Country that we live in. If we do not voice out our opinions, then who will? We need to be more vocal and hold those accountable for Environmental Destructions that happen in our Country as we are the conservationists of our Environment.

A country cannot survive without having holistic approach to its security. Environmental security is one of the most important pillar of such national security. Once destroyed we will understand that environment security had link to many other conflicts. Those who destroy the ecosystems are the drivers for that disaster to happen. There is no much time to reverse this for the humankind. (END)