Pushpa Gujral Science City and Punjab PollutionControl Board in collaboration with Centre for Environment Communicationcelebrated World Environment Day by organizing online Film Festival starting from today till June 5.
Dr. S.S Marwaha, Chairman, Punjab Pollution Control Board was the ChiefGuest at the occasion.
He said that it has become more important to conservethe nature to restore our ecosystem when the entire world is fighting thepandemic COVID-19. He stressed on the need to improve quality of air and wateras industries were not the only source of pollution but also the domestic wastewas equally contributing to the pollution.
He also launched the Environmental film festival at this occasion wherein afilm titled “A Second Hand Life” highlighting the plight of young childreninvolved in collection of e-waste was screened. The film highlights not onlythe plight of children involved in e-waste management which deprives them oftheir childhood but they are exposed to risks associated with contractingdreadful diseases.
The filmmaker Piyush Sharma who was also present at thisoccasion interacted and shared important incidents that prompted them to makethis film. The session was moderated by Ms. Alka Tomar, President, Centre forEnvironment Communication.
Dr. Neelima Jerath Director General ScienceCity during her introductory remarks said that human actions includingdeforestation, encroachment on wildlife habitats, intensified agriculture andacceleration of climate change have pushed nature beyond its limit. Shehighlighted that ecosystem restoration is impossible without biodiversityconservation because ecosystems can’t function properly without it. Manyspecies in the world are endangered or even critically endangered and many morestill are vulnerable.
Biodiversity loss is a great threat to the goal ofecosystem restoration. She said that if we continue on this path, it will havesevere implications for humanity, including the collapse of food and healthsystems. She highlighted that even though the use of electronics in our liveshas increased considerably but e-waste management is an area which has stillnot received full attention and users of electronics are not aware of thehazards of this waste, she added.
Dr. Rajesh Grover, Director, Science Citypresent at the occasion said that restoring ecosystems can play a major role incontrolling further global warming and climate change which in return will helpin mitigating climate change. He urged the participants to adopt simple thingsviz saving water, shifting to renewableforms of energy, saying no to single-use plastics, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle asmuch as they can do on individual levelto help Restore Ecosystem.