Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. We are faced now with the fact that tomorrow is today... Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words: Too late.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

The urgency to address the environmental concerns has probably never been greater.. Nation states across the world are striving hard to come to a consensus on ways and methods to reduce the ecological footprint and move towards a low carbon economy. According to 2010 State of the World Report (published by The Worldwatch Institute), the Ecological Footprint Indicator, which compares the impact of human actions on the ecology with the natural resources available to supply key ecosystem services, shows that humanity now uses the resources and services of 1.3 Earths. In other words, people, if they continue living the way they are, would require a third more of the Earth’s capacity than is available to sustain themselves.

One of the most disconcerting trends of the last two decades has been the amplification in global temperatures due to unplanned and unsustainable economic development, which has led to climate change and vulnerabilities. Climate Change is resulting in unpredictable natural occurrences and events causing unprecedented social, cultural, and economic upheaval and damage. For example, the rising sea levels in Tuvalu, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, and the Maldives threaten to inundate not only human habitats but cultures, histories, memories, and aspirations of some of the oldest human communities. On the other hand, in Africa, an estimated 10 million people have migrated or been displaced over the last two decades mainly because of environmental degradation and desertification.

In this context, it becomes imperative to find solutions to deal with the wide array of environmental challenges. The first step in this direction is to recognize that environmental conservation is a prerogative of not just the State but the entire humanity irrespective of nationality, colour, race or creed. However, it is important to recognize the fact that the quantum of responsibility and capability to create a sustainable habitat should ideally be different for states as well as humans. The second step would be to assess the degree of environmental degradation in order to frame strategies and a policy framework to alleviate the degree and severity of degradation. In this regard, creating awareness about environmental issues and the interlinkages between human life and ecology is critical.

Just as environmental degradation is no longer specific to any city or nation; its consequences will also not be bound or governed by political boundaries and alignments. There is a need for governments, civil society organizations, academic institutions, and every individual on this planet to come together in solidarity for the protection of the only planet where life is possible. In this regard, the role of educators and teachers is especially important to educate school students and youth about the inextricable linkage between human beings and environment. Any action towards the conservation of the environment will be plausible once sufficient awareness has been created about the perils of a degrading environment.