Punjab CM for steps to check global warming

Chandigarh, Apr 22 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister today called for a decisive war on global warming and environmental pollution in order to s"save this planet as a home for our future generations." Addressing a galaxy of distinguished environmentalists, scholars and media luminaries at the Ecology Awards Function organized jointly by The Times of India Group and the JSW Foundation on Environment on the 'World Earth Day' this evening at Hotel Taj, New Delhi, he warned that steps should be taken immediately to prevent the planet from plunging into darkness for ever.

"This danger comes not from wild animals or any alien species from Mars but from you and me only. Man has become the greatest threat to life on this planet," he said.

The Chief Minister blamed thoughtless, indiscriminate and ill-planned use of science for the looming disaster. Throughout the world, the national budgets for acquiring deadly weapons, bombs and other war machinery are many times higher than budgets for health, childcare, education or for fighting poverty, crime.

The Chief Minister regretted that while our generation appeared to have acquired immense knowledge, it sorely lacked wisdom necessary for its own survival. He said that it was as if the human kind were in the grip of a fatalistic death-wish, spending billions and billions of dollars on producing instruments of murder and mass destruction at a time when children cried for food and basic amenities for life.

The Chief Minister spoke about the ecological 'legacy of India' and that latest theories in science had confirmed the oldest beliefs of religion that nothing exists in this world independently. The Vedas are full of refernces on the importance of natural environment. The Sikh Gurus also spoke most forcefully about this subject. In Japji Sahib, Guru Nanak Dev-ji described air, water and earth as our spiritual guide, father and mother respectively", he pointed out.

Mr Badal asked the media to set the political, social, economic, educational, cultural and environmental agenda of the country. The media must move away from political sensationalism and should now set the agenda for a cleaner, greener India, he added.

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