Eco-friendly Life – A Lifestyle Not Too Late to Follow to Avoid Nuclear Hazards
Environment of these countries is heavily, radically and routinely changed and as a result has become unsuitable for natural growth. There is no pure and oxygenated air for sustaining life in most of such countries. The specific flora and fauna are becoming extinct in a changed environment. For instance lion, deer, wolf, crow and other specific animals in India and vulture at global level are disappearing due to disrupted and polluted habitat.
Overwhelming vehicles plying in most cities of world i.e. Tokyo, Washington D. C., New Delhi, New York and others are emitting tones of CO, CO2, SO2, SO3, NOx (x=1,2,3), Pb, Rn and radioactive chemicals causing lung disease and cancer. Furthermore chemicals such as PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl), BaP (benzo alpha pyrene) and CFC’s (chlorofluoro carbons), used as refrigerant and electronic works, have drastic effects on the environment. NOx (nitrogen oxides) is an important precursor for acid rain and catalyzing O3 (ozone) decomposition where the acid rain is considerably effecting the crop production, aquatic life and fertility of land. An excess of CO seriously affects blood hemoglobin’s O2 absorption.
Due to such unwanted phenomenon vast forests of Scottish Highland, the Southern Uplands and Wales have disappeared. Tennessee Valley of USA and famous Murray-Darling basin of Australia are facing the danger of deforestation. The state of Ontario (Canada) maintains Summer Fire Fighting Force of about 2000 personal, 300 look out towers, 37 air bases for parachute fire fighters and water carrying planes to prevent mainly the forest fire. The developed countries are facing acute pollution problems of various kinds as sulfurous and photochemical smog such as that was identified in Los Angeles, USA in 1940’s to 1950’s, due to the excess release of the SO2 and SO3 gases and H2O vapors to environment.
Remarkably Singh has developed survismeter to reduce multipurpose and frequent use of solvents and chemicals to save environmental pollution. Devastation of the environment with its denizens at an alarming scale probably started with the dropping of the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki towards the end of the Second World War. A decade after the first atom bomb was dropped, the first hydrogen bomb exploded on Bikini Island (1954) causing entire fall vanished. Following this, in 1957 USA, and in 1958 erstwhile Soviet Union and Great Britain detonated high power nuclear bombs followed by 1961 Russian 57 megaton bomb detonation, and 1986 Chernobyl disaster in soviet Ukraine. India has faced about 200 nuclear accidents at Apsara since 1956.
The use of flora and fauna of such habitats by man has caused various defects such as chronic health effects, blood abnormalities, hemorrhage, cataract, bone necrosis and fibrosis. Even until recently thousands of sheep in northern Britain could not be slaughtered because of radionuclide accumulation in them through the grass that they eat.
Wild animals like reindeer in Sweden still show high level of radioisotopes particularly (Cs137) cesium. Windscale Cumbria (1957) reactor fire released hazardous radioactive gases in environment and fission products contaminated soil and grasses affecting grazing animals and others.
American tank leakage in Washington D.C. (1976) polluted aquatic and terrestrial environment. Radioactive hazards of Idaho national engineering laboratory severely fouled Snake River aquifer. In Goiania, Brazil, (1987) luminescent lethal cesium (Cs137) caused disease in man. China’s (Oct. 16, 1964) Lop Nor bomb explosion seriously effected the environment in the Himalayas.
Despite these effects to environment caused by never ending desire of man for high-tech chemicals, nuclear and explosive weapons, and manmade machines for manufacture of daily routine items for high standard of living, the restrictions to safeguard the green budget of the world and natural assets as jungles and forests as natural and unique model for maintaining its natural beautiful ecosystem are not being observed. Interestingly the cows of some African countries like Ethiopian are giving good milk, while Polish people bordering Chernobyl stopped to drink cow milk due to radioactive contamination, even water near Chernobyl is not drinkable due to heavy radioactive pollution. Ethiopia is producing maximum beans and tomato while in most nations the growth of seedlings of such crops is critically inhibited due to 0.3 to 0.5 PPM continuous exposure of NO2.
Although the bio-diversity of some African countries e.g. Ethiopia, in many respects, has not been studied and as a result much is not known about their microbial, invertebrate and even the more conspicuous vertebrate diversity, in spite of this, the few studies conducted indicate the high diversity in them. Looking at flagship species in different diversity center areas in the countries clearly show the difficult and delicate state in which these habitats and their denizens are, and the imminent danger they are facing unless urgent remedial measures are taken.
The countries, in addition to their biological diversity have also diverse physical environment. This diversity includes the beautiful rift valley with the chain of freshwater and salty lakes with its enormous bird population e.g. the highland crater lakes in various parts of Ethiopia such as Zikuala, the Bishoftu lakes, Haike, Zengena etc., the afro-alpine mountains in the southern and northern parts of it with their unique plant and animal populations, all the rivers in the country including the mighty Blue-Nile gorge, the beautiful lowland as well as highland plains, the hot springs of the rift valley, are a few examples of that variation. In addition to the physical and biological diversity, which is readily available for exploitation, we also have to focus on ways of using the historical and cultural heritages of the countries.
In African countries there are far from complaining concerning manmade environmental problems. For instance it is true that educational institutions have not been interrupted due to environmental problems for example as in Los Angeles, USA where public school and outdoor recreation classes are cancelled on the days when O3 concentration reaches to 0.3 to 1.0 PPM, to avert serious diseases as choking, coughing and night vision. But this does not mean our flora and fauna are not endangered
Throughout the world there is big hue and cry for safe, clean and green environment. Even a new science called clean technology (CT) is initiated to revive the natural growth of environment in developed and developing countries, US Govt. in 1970 passed a Clean Air Act. The expenditure of already polluted countries to deal with the garbage disposal is more than they spend on their developmental projects.
The countries like USA and Russia have million of tones of nuclear wastes; they are in dilemma what to do with this sensitive issue. On the other hand Ethiopia is enriched with natural green and clean technology without any nuclear wastes. African mountains and valleys are highly safe with no pollution danger in the near future and are attraction for international tourists like ‘water smokes’ a Tana Lake. Considering the urgent need of free, fresh, and clean habitat for man and living beings, Africa is a non-polluted thick green budget for sustaining life on its land with minimum interference. Its rivers and lakes are free of water pollution in comparison to other countries and therefore the world leaders or population should be aware of this resource and use it wisely before it is too late.
Africa’s biomass potential is not harnessed for its energy needs so there seems a need to briquette the waste biomass like coffee husk and other similar wastes into fuel rolls with smokeless burn and high calorie contents, ca 4000 kilo calorie/kg. Briquetted fuel rolls are common man fuel and eradicate the drudgery of women. The processing of such wastes for biogas or fuel rolls production requires simple know-how without any pollution or accidental risk. Simply it needs awareness and cognizance.
Remarkably Ethiopia has largest number of cattles in Africa that can help to develop simple cattle dung gas plant for biogas energy. Biogas is a great energy potential for people living in far-flung and hilly areas at their doorsteps, it needs simple circular or square pit fitted with lid and PVC pipe outlet and people with their day today agriculture exposure can operate.
This will provide gas for cooking, lighting for children’s study, and dual fuel for pumpset or engine for flour mill, transport and saw machines. This can stop deforestation due to woodburning for energy needs and provide NKP (nitrogen, potash, and phosphorus) rich compost manure to revolutionize the greenery for crop and timber. The urban solid and liquid wastes can be added to cattle dung for biogas production. Awareness to global and local environmental problems and the use of alternative energy sources help improves the life standard of the rural poor as well as keep the environment clean. Consequently by adopting an eco-friendly life world leaders could “hit two birds with one stone”.
