Whyshouldweprotectourenvironment

　　Nowadaysyoumusthaveheardaboutthegrowingconcerntowardsglobal

　　environmentalproblems.Onemayaskwhythereissomuchconcernabout

　　theenvironment.Theanswerissimpleandclear;ourveryexistence

　　dependsonconservationoftheenvironment.Theunprecedentedeconomic

　　progressof19thand20thcenturieshaspushedtheenvironmentaland

　　ecologicalawarenessintothebackground.However,todaythewhole

　　world,particularlythedevelopingcountries,facesanear-crisis

　　situation–botheconomicandenvironmental.

　　Perceptionofenvironmentalconcernsdiffers.Broadly,therearethree

　　typesofresponses.Thefirstonesaysthatenvironmentalconcernisa

　　conspiracyofthedevelopedFirstWorldagainstprogressintheThird

　　Worldandthatenvironmentwillbecomeanissueofimportanceonlywhen

　　theunderdevelopedcountriesreachthelevelsofproductionand

　　consumptionoftheindustrializednations.

　　Thesecondarguesstronglythatallthisnonsenseaboutpreservingthe

　　tigerandaestheticbeautyofgreenbeltsisdivertingtheattention

　　fromtheproblemsofthepoorandthatenvironmenthasnothingtodo

　　withtryingtogiveabetterdealtothelargeandever-growing

　　populationresponsibleforenvironmentalcrisis,maintainingthatthere

　　istoolittleofeverythingexceptpeople.Thethreedifferentviews

　　illustratehowlittleweknowofecosystemandecobalance.Letus

　　examineeachoftheseargumentsbriefly.

　　Thefirstargumentisthatenvironmentalconcernsarethebusinessof

　　richcountries,whichcausemostofthepollution.Butenvironmentand

　　developmentarenotnecessarilyincompatible.Themistakemadeby

　　developedcountriescanbeavoidedifproperdevelopmentalstrategies

　　areworkedout.Further,thereisnodivisionsuchastheenvironmentof

　　developedcountriesandthatofdevelopingcountries.Degradationof

　　theenvironmentisgoingtoaffecteachofusirrespectiveofthe

　　country,regionorarea.