World Environment Day: Don’t wait for government

Hyderabad: This year’s theme for World Environment Day, of sustainable consumption of natural resources, does not just pertain to governments or corporations but also boils down to the individual level. One example of how an individual can contribute towards the cause is by avoiding unnecessary travel or even by switching one’s car engine off at signals.

As per a recent report, the combined usage of petrol by AP and TS is nearly 2 lakh metric tonne annually — more than 23 crore litres — which puts the usage among the top five states in the country. There are more than 1.5 crore registered motor vehicles in both states. Food wastage is also a global concern and as per estimates, nearly 30 per cent of cooked food goes waste annually in both states. Saving paper is another step which individuals can take.

Accoridng to a study, annually about 10 million tonne of wood is consumed in India to make paper and the demand is expected to increase to 24 million tonne by 2025. A major portion of this demand is met through trees from forests.