In the past few decades, due to ever increasing needs and greed of man, our environmental quality is deteriorating day by day. Global warming, climate change, hurricanes, melting of icebergs, floods, acid rain, and extinction of flora and fauna is all due to environmental disturbance. Environmental issues have become serious health threats to humans. Pollution is the main reason behind many types of cancer, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases, which sometimes lead to death. Environment conservation has become the priority of every country worldwide. This problem, which we are facing today, is due to lack of environmental awareness among the individuals and lack of knowledge. This problem can be solved if environmental awareness amongst the people could be raised. The advantage of environment awareness is its contribution to public support for government action in environment policy and management. Environmental awareness can be raised with the educational and informative programs. This chapter explores the role of social media in raising environmental awareness.
TopIntroduction
Life on the planet earth has become possible only because of the five elements. These five elements are Jal (water), Bhumi (earth), Agni (fire), Pawan (wind), Akash (space) which are described in the Vedas as Panch Tatva. These are the five universal elements which are essential elements that made our human body too. On Earth, Environment is the most integral part for all living and non-living beings. Environment means all which surrounds us. Human beings are dependent on our environment for its daily needs and it provides us with fresh air, water, natural resources, plants etc. It is our environment around us which fulfill our needs and replenish natural resources that help human being to exist on this planet. Man and nature has very close relationship and if we destroy our environment we would also be destroying ourselves too. In the age of industrial development man is indiscriminately exploiting our natural environment in order to fulfill ever increasing needs of growing population. Due to rapid industrialization and with the outburst of immense population, there is great pressure on our environment. In this way, we are exceeding the pressure of our environment. This increasing pressure on environment creates many serious environment problems. Forest has been cut for the land use purpose to make houses, industries, factories. Industries pollute land, air and water. Natural habitats and forest of animals are being destroyed and many species are facing extinction today. To make our environment safe and ourselves healthy, we would have to stop cutting of forest, conserve our natural resources and prevent our environment from pollution. All this is possible only if we make people more and more aware of our environment and describing them about the environmental effects on their life and what are the consequences that they are going to face if they harm, pollute and destroy it today.
Environment is defined as the surrounding in which we live and all organisms are interconnected with each other and environment. It includes natural resources, weather and climate that affect human survival. The present and the future generations have to take serious step to combat from three major issues namely population, poverty and environmental pollution for the existence of human life in this world.
Environmental pollution in today’s world has become a big problem. The major cause of pollution is increased industrialization and urbanization. If it is not taken seriously, it would destroy the world future. Environment protection means protecting our earth from pollution, global warming and ozone depletion. It should not alone be the duty of government but also individuals to save and protect our environment. It should be taken seriously and combat with the combined effect of individuals, organizations and government. Environment protection can be done only through environment awareness.
Environmental issues are increasing day by day and now they have become issues of great concern worldwide. To conserve our environment, it is necessary to make people aware and informed about various environmental hazards (Kaplan & Haelnein, 2010). These problems led to growing concern about earth and environment and also develop the concept of earth stewardship where everyone from individual till organization is responsible for being environmentally responsible and promote sustainable environment practices (Johnston, 2006).
Environment education is the first step in skill development, personal development and also gaining knowledge (Boin, 2010). Environment education system is guiding the norms, attitude and policies to the individual. Environmental awareness comes from environment education, through environment education comes the concept of environmental sustainability, which means to protect and conserve our natural resources and environment (Comfort, Boin & Demchak, 2010). Three important features of environmental sustainability are knowledge, behavior and affect. The way individual think is the key role in sustainability. This attitude and mindset of individual decides the environment protection and sustainability.
Environmental awareness through social media is a easier and faster way to communicate people and groups about the environmental issues. It is the group of internet-based platform which build on technological foundation of web 2.0 and which allow exchange and sharing of user generated content (Staff, 2011).