Sunday, March 4, 2007

NOISE; COSTING THE EARTH

Noise pollution a major issue concerning environment. Reports from scientists and environmentalists determined that people are more prone to heart attacks and accidents. The intellectual capabilities are less. Even I have experienced the ill effects of noise. I was living with my Grandparents for one year in an area near to the airport. I got less marks that year as compared to when I was living with my parents in a calm and silent housing society. So I felt like writing a response to the article.
Noise pollution has become a major concern for the WHO. It affects the health of the people. It also leads to problems like memory loss, hearing loss and even leads to high blood pressure. Noise pollution constitutes a significant factor of annoyance and distraction
It is a major concern for the society because the people who are troubled due to noise pollution will try to take some action which could lead to conflicts. High noise levels may interfere with the natural cycles of animals, including feeding behavior, breeding rituals and migration paths. The most significant impact of noise to animal life is the systematic reduction of usable habitat, which in the case of endangered species may be an important part of the path to extinction. Perhaps the most sensational damage caused by noise pollution is the death of certain species of beached whales, brought on by the extremely loud (up to 200 decibels) sound. These are scientifically proven results and so they ought to be true.


MIRIAM O’REILLY
Costing the Earth confronts accepted views on the environment. I think the programme consistently manages to get the real story and tell it in a way that makes people care.'

Miriam O'Reilly







These conditions definitely need improvement. Nargis Kayani , an environment health consultant says “The government’s advice on dealing with noisy neighbours is to knock on their door and try and sort it out with a cup of tea. Well if you lived next door to a drug dealer, they wouldn’t tell you to do that, so why do they do it with noise? I find it insulting.” In the article the presenter was trying to show that noise pollution should not be ignored but should be given special attention. The author knows what is exactly going to happen if this continues and wants to make us aware. I got the idea of what the author wanted to say and so felt like responding to it. I completely agree with the author that noise needs to be reduced so that the problems can be solved.
The scientists are trying their best to find a solution to this but unless all the 8 billion put in a serious effort noise will not be reduced. For me I would say that reducing the travelling in automobiles and the high voice sound systems need to be stopped. If the whole world stops wars and research on wildlife using sound signals which prove to be fatal then we would be able to save our world.I do not know much as regard to the other things that we need to do. But we ca follow the scientists and environmentalists. I was enlightened about noise pollution, provoked, and inspired to reduce noise pollution due to this article.

TERRORISM TRIES TO FOIL FRIENDSHIP


The two South Asian rivals India and Pakistan have been trying to make peace for the last 6 years. The Samjhauta express which ran from Delhi to Lahore was one of the peace attempts initiated by India. To foil the peace plans the train was bombed in the early hours of 19th February at Panipat killing at least 68 people. This horrific bombing infuriated me and so I felt like writing a response to it.
India and Pakistan, bitter enemies from 15th August 1947, the Independence Day, are making peace. Earlier, due to the constant wars with Pakistan, there was no peace. But now, both the countries realized that by fighting they were just weakening each other and not even being strong themselves. After the Kargil war both the countries agreed had started negotiating.
In the terrible bombing of the Samjhauta [friendship] Express,
80% of the passengers were Pakistanis. I believe that this was an attempt of the terrorists to infuriate Pakistan so as to repeat history, so that the Pakistanis would feel that the Indians want to kill their people which would lead to further conflicts. Another reason can be that: Indian and Pakistani ministers are having talks over fighting terrorism together. The terrorists, wanting to control Kashmir are trying to weaken India and Pakistan in Kashmir region so that they can conquer it easily later on.
It also could have been an attempt from Pakistan to prove that that India is starting a conflict. Due to this accusation the world may believe in Pakistan leading to the downfall of India. It could also be India who has done it just for revenge. But both these possibilities are false as the talks that were going to take place between the external ministers of both the countries were neither cancelled nor postponed. In the talks both the ministers said that these blasts are not going to stop the peacemaking but they have made our intentions stronger.
"We heard a loud roar. I opened my eyes, I saw my children slowly dying" Survivor Rana Shaukat Ali
This gives a message to the world that everyone should join hands come together and fight terrorism. We should not be afraid of the terrorists instead face them. Rome was not built on one day nor was the ocean. Drops of water make the ocean. We can come together and form the ocean of anti terrorism. A handful of terrorists cannot face 8 billion people. Even though I am a teenager I can think and can get the solutions. I agree that this will not be easy. But hard work and challenges are a part of man’s life and they make him even stronger.
This is my point of view and I feel that if the people go with it, then the Earth will be what it was supposed to be.
[459 words]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Samjhauta_Express_bombings#Reactions
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6374377.stm