Awareness on constitutional provisions for protection of environment among college students

          ABSTRACT

The present study entitled “awareness on constitutional provisions for 
protection of environment among college students”.It was conducted among 90 
students from different colleges in Ernakulam district. A close ended 
questionnaire was employed to analyze the level of awareness on 
constitutional provisions for environmental protection .The questionnaire 
consisted of 25 questions. Data was collected using the google forms.The 
collected data was analysed using different statistical methods and it was found 
that that majority of college students comes under average level of awareness 
on constitutional provisions for environmental protection.It was also found that
there exists no significant difference in the awareness level on constitutional 
provisions for environmental protection among college students based on 

gender and stream of study.

          INTRODUCTION

The word Environment etymologically comes from the French word ‘environ’which means “everything that surrounds us’. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it defines environment as “the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded. The complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors that act upon an organism or an ecological community and ultimately determine its form and survival.” In another words, “the sum total of allsurroundings of a living organism, including physical, biological and chemical

factors, which provide conditions for development and growth of that living

organism.”

Living things interact with environment and change relative to environment. It

is understood by definitions that the environment consists of the relations

between all living and non-living things. To make the environment compatible

for living, it is necessary to have awareness of the environment and

environment protection. The effects on environment by mankind include

impacts on both the biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism which in turn

impacts on population, ecosystem, and other resources. Globally, the

relationship between the environment and human beings has taken full concern.

All the natural devastating activities such as deforestation, acid rain, air

pollution and desertification had caused global changes.

• Protected Areas including National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves, and Community Reserves, comprising significant habitats have been established based on Constitutional Provisions.
• The Bombay Natural History Society, the Wildlife Institute of India, and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History are a few of the research institutions established for wildlife protection.
• Different policies and plans like National Biodiversity Action Plan, National Water Policy, National Policy and macro-level action strategy on Biodiversity, and National Forest Policy are formulated through Constitutional Provisions.
• For the recovery of endangered species like the Hangul in Jammu and Kashmir, Snow Leopard in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Arunachal Pradesh, Vulture in Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat, and Nilgiri Tahr in Tamil Nadu, an “Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats” plan is being implemented.
• Project Tiger, Project Elephant, Crocodile Breeding Project and Project Rhino are some of the species-oriented projects to protect biodiversity and the environment has been launched.

The Government of India has passed numerous laws and regulations to combat environmental pollution, but these measures fall short of what is needed to keep pollution levels under control. Each citizen must take the initiative to reduce environmental pollution at their own level and raise awareness of environmental protection for all living things.

Conclusion:

In the past, neither the word “environment” nor any particular provisions were explicitly made in the Constitution to address environmental protection. The constitution is the supreme law of the land, including sections that particularly address environmental issues which might prove effective for the environment. Constitution has a number of provisions for environmental protection and the Government of India came with many efforts for the same. Though it is the judiciary that came with innovative and courageous moves to interpret the constitutional provisions for environmental protection.

 

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