Please refer to The Ailing Planet The Green Movements Role Class 11 English Notes and summary provided below. The following summary and solved questions have been designed as per the latest syllabus and books issued by CBSE, NCERT, and KVS. By going through and learning the below notes for Class 11 English you will be able to understand the entire chapter and easily solve questions in your exams. Also, refer to the Class 11 English Chapter Summary for all chapters in your textbooks.

Class 11 English The Ailing Planet The Green Movements Role Summary and Questions

The following The Ailing Planet The Green Movements Role Class 11 English Notes and questions answers will help you to easily learn the entire chapter. You will be able to solve all questions in upcoming Class 11 English exams and score better marks

Summary

The lesson, ‘The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement’s Role’ focuses on the deteriorating health of the Earth because of human being’s growing lust to exploit all its natural resources. A Zoo in Lusaka, Zambia calls the man as the most dangerous animal in this world. Fortunately, the Green movement launched in 1972 has been responsible for a new awareness that has dawned upon the human race. There has been an irrevocable shift from a mechanistic view to a holistic and ecological view of the world. There is a growing worldwide consciousness that the earth itself is a living organism -an enormous being of which we are parts. It has its own metabolic needs that must be respected and preserved. But, today, its vital signs reveal a patient in declining health. In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development popularized the concept of sustainable development – a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their needs.

According to Mr Lester R. Brown, there are four biological systems, namely fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands. They form the basis of the global economic system. They supply food to us and raw materials for our industries. But in large areas of the world, these systems are reaching unsustainable levels. Their productivity is being damaged.

For the first time in human history, we are concerned about the-Survival of not just the people but of the planet. In this era of responsibility, an industry can play a crucial role. Today, many industrialists and politicians have realized their responsibility in preserving the natural resources for the future generation.

The growth of world population is another factor distorting the future of our children. Development is not possible if population increases. The writer says that fertility falls as incomes rise, education spreads, and health improves. Thus, development is the best contraceptive.

Important Points

• Nanipalkhivala’s article on the declining health of the earth was written in 1994.
• The issues that he raised in the context are not improving but worsening. The situation is alarming.
• The thinkers are now creating breathing awareness to save the earth from going to dogs. Man himself can make or mar his destiny. He can save human race or destroy all forms of life.
• The present indications are not encouraging any hope or improvements.
• Day by day the increasing pollution of the environment is creating problems, space problem and survival problems. Man is rightly said to be the world’s most dangerous animal. He talks freely and in large herds like savages in the past.
• His war weapons are million times deadlier than swords and spears.
• The poisonous chemicals and gases, the carbon dioxide and the industrial waste are the real enemies of our race.
• The forests are disappearing, the deserts are expanding. The earth is becoming inhabitable.
• Our planet is in trouble chiefly because of a population boom. The writer draws our attention to all these bunting issues of the day in this thought-provoking article.

Short Questions

Question. What does the board “Most Dangerous Animal” at zoo of Lusaka, Zambia. Signify.
Answer: – The board “The World’s Most Dangerous Animal” at zoo of Lusaka, Zambia signifies the most important sense of awareness for mankind. In the cage with such notification, there was no animal but a mirror was placed where humans could see themselves which further states that human is the most dangerous animal in the world that is responsible for many kinds of exploitations.

Question. What are four bio-logical systems of the earth and how are they important to us?
Answer: – The four bio-logical systems of the earth are fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands. In addition of food, they give us raw material for industries.

Question. Differentiate between Holistic and Mechanistic view of development?
Answer: – Holistic view of development focuses on overall development of the world and it is done while keeping in mind that Environment should not be harmed in any manner. That is a wider aspect of development.
In Mechanistic view of development the perspective of a single country is kept in mind and development is the most priority. It does not matter if it harms environment.

Question. What do you mean by Sustainable Development?
Answer: – A development in which we meet the needs of present without compromising the ability of future generation is called sustainable development. In this process, we preserve those resources of energy which are in limited quantity such as petroleum so that they could be used by future generation.

Long Questions

Question. How is the growing human population responsible for the declining health of the earth?
Answer: – Undoubtedly, the number game is going to decide the future of human society. The rapid growth of population is our enemy number one. It not only all development activities but also reduces the existing resources. The world population was 100 crore up to the year 1800. The next century added 100 crores more. But at the end of the 20th century, the population touched the figure of 600 crores.
One way to check the population boom is to improve the quality of life and spread education. But today, the rich are becoming richer while the poor are producing more and more children. One alternative is to sterilise the people by using force. But that step is not practical. The only effective means is to spread the message of family planning, educate the people and make them aware of the dangers of overpopulation.

Question. Sum up in brief, the views and observations of NaniPalkhiwala about the present and future of our planet?
Answer: – The green movement is gripping the attention of the world today. It was started in 1972 in New Zealand. The earth, we now accept, is a living organism. Its vital parts need to be preserved.
Unfortunately, our earth looks more like an ailing patient than a healthy being. We are robbing it of all the forests, minerals and other resources. Man, it seems, has become the world’s most dangerous animal. For our own present-day comforts we are cutting forests mindlessly, overfishing in the water bodies, overgrazing our flocks on the grasslands, and over-cropping the land.
The blame squarely lies on the growth of population. The pressure of people is destroying all the resources. Nobody in India respects or enforces laws. There is nobody to improve the environment and safeguard the forests as well as wildlife. To save the planet population boom should be checked through family planning. Our generation is ‘only a trustee of the earth which truly belongs to future generations.

Question. How does Nani palkhiwala underline the importance of forests for the survival of all sorts of life on earth?
Answer: – Forests are man’s real friends. They sustain themselves if we destroy them carefully. They provide food to the people and raw material to industries. When forests are cleared mindlessly, deserts overtake or expand. Many species of birds and animals disappear. The burning question today is how to check deforestation. This world
belongs as much to us as to our successors or grandchildren. Hence, it is our moral duty to keep it green, fertile and rich in natural wealth. It is rightly said that there were vast forests and grasslands before man came on the scene. But it seems in the next stage there will be only deserts and wastelands. Indian constitution provides that the states shall protect the environment and safeguard the forests as well as wildlife. But who cares?

Question. How does the author justify his statement about the critical condition of our ailing Planet?
Answer: – The earth today looks like a patient in declining health. The natural resources are declining. There are four principal systems which support life on earth—fisheries, forests, grasslands and agriculture. They form the global economic system. But man has overexploited all the four sources. Fisheries have collapsed. Forests are disappearing. Pasturelands are turning into wastelands because of overgrazing. Agriculture is also in a bad state. In this protein-hungry world, nobody bothers about the future. Laws are rarely respected or enforced honestly. The results are disturbing. Indian forests have been reduced to one-tenth of their former size in the last 40 years. There is a wild race to strip the earth of all its resources. The root cause of this problem is population growth. The survival of our race and the planet depends on family planning and the removal of poverty.

Question. Why is it necessary for the present generation to leave the earth in a good enough condition for future generations?
Answer: – This earth of ours is our common property. We are sharing it with all sorts of living things and creatures. They have as much right to exist as we human beings. Secondly, we alone do not have a freehold on this earth. It is not our freehold property. We are only, tenants, on the earth for our lifetime. We have, In fact, not inherited the earth from our forefathers. We have only borrowed it from our children. We have no moral right to use up all the resources to meet our present needs and urge for comforts. We can not leave it barren for our grandchildren. Since we are only the trustees of this planet, we have to save it and leave it, rich in minerals and food. This is the minimum we can do for our descendants.