खालील उतारा काळजीपूर्वक वाचा आणि त्यावर आधारित विचारलेल्या प्रश्नाचे (प्र. ११ ते १५) योग्य उत्तर निवडा:
एकविसाव्या शतकात पर्यावरणाचा प्रश्न काय स्वरूपात असेल ? हा विचार करणे, एकतर अगदी सोप आहे किंवा अतिशय अवघड आहे. हे वाक्य विरोधाभासाचे उत्तम उदाहरण आहे, असे आपल्याला वाटेल. पण ते पूर्ण विचारांती लिहिलेलं वाक्य आहे. पर्यावरणचा प्रश्न हा तसा मानवसापेक्ष आहे, म्हणजे तो आपल्याला वाटतो, म्हणून आहे. पृथ्वीचा इतिहास बघितला तर मी काय म्हणतो, हे लक्षात येईल. पृथ्वीचे जे अनेक कालखंड होते, त्यामध्ये लक्षावधी वर्षे नांदणारे सजीव निर्माण होत होते. ते प्राणी कोट्यावधी वर्षे पृथ्वीवर नांदत होते आणि कालांतराने नष्ट होत होते. अगदी सुरवातीच्या काळात हे सजीव सागरात वाढत होते. क्रिटेशियस कालखंडात सजीव हळूहळू जमिनीवर आले. त्यांची शरीर रचना जटील बनत गेली. या काळात ट्रायलोबाईट नावाचे काही प्राणी होते. त्या प्राण्यांना भरपूर सागरतळ उपलब्ध होता. पण काही कोटी वर्षे पृथ्वीवर वावरल्यानंतर, हे प्राणी नामशेष झाले. एवढेच नव्हे तर, त्यांच्या बरोबरचे इतर बरेच सजीवही नाहीसे झाले.
यानंतरच्या काळात ही, बरेच प्राणी नाहीसे झालेले पहावयास मिळते. डायनोसॉर वर्गीय प्राण्यांनी जवळजवळ 16 कोटी वर्षे पृथ्वीवर निरंकुश सत्ता गाजवली, असे म्हणता येईल. आज ते अस्तित्वात नाहीत. एवढेच नव्हे तर, त्या काळातील अनेक वनस्पतीही आज अस्तित्वात नाहीत. यानंतरच्या काळात मॅस्टेडॉन, खडगदंती इत्यादी प्राणीही नामशेष झाले. ते प्राणी तर पृथ्वीवर मानव अस्तित्वात आल्यानंतरच्या काळातही अस्तित्वात होते. मात्र त्यांचा नामशेष होण्यासाठी मानव कारणीभूत ठरलेला नाही, हे लक्षात ठेवायला हवे. मात्र हे सर्व सजीव नामशेष झाले, ते त्या काळातील पर्यावरणाचा समतोल ढासळल्यामूळे, हे सर्वजण मान्य करतात. म्हणजे विशिष्ट परिस्थितीत कोणत्या तरी नैसर्गिक कारणाने पर्यावरणातील आदर्श परिस्थितीत एकाएकी बदल होवून बरेच प्राणी नाहीसे झालेले दिसतात. हे बरेचदा घडलेले आहे. हिमयुगानंतर काही वेळा प्राण्यांच्या किंवा सजीवांच्या नव्या जाती, निर्माण झाल्या, असे आढळून येते. त्याचप्रमाणे ज्वालामुखी, भूकंप, यानंतर स्थानिक पर्यावरणात बदल घडून स्थानिक परिस्थिती बदलल्याची उदाहरणे दिसतात.
पर्यावरणाचा एक प्रश्न गेल्या शंभर वर्षातला म्हणजे औद्योगिक क्रांतीनंतरचा आहे. औद्योगिक क्रांतीमुळे आपण निसर्गाची लूट करू शकतो, हे गेल्या शंभर वर्षात आपल्या लक्षात आले. पहिल्या आणि दुसऱ्या महायुद्धात आपल्याला अनेक गोष्टीची प्रचंड मोठ्या प्रमाणात गरज भासली. या बरोबरच वैद्यकिय ज्ञानही वाढले. लोकसंख्येला तोंड द्यायचे तर जंगलतोड अनिवार्य होती. शहरे व खेडी पसरली. यामुळे जंगलाचा -हास झाला. हे आता सर्वच पर्यावरण अभ्यासकांना माहीत आहे.
आपण पूर्वीचे दाखले घेतो, त्यात वाढती संख्या हे प्रजाती विनाशाचं कारण गृहीत धरले जाते. पण कुठेही इतक्या झपाट्याने म्हणजे मानव जात ज्या झपाट्याने वाढली आहे, त्या झपाटयाने प्राणीजात वाढल्याचे उदाहरण नाही. दूसरी गोष्ट म्हणजे या प्राणिजातींनी वातावरण प्रदूषित करून पर्यावरणाचा प्रश्न निर्माण केल्याचेही दाखले अजून मिळालेले नाहीत. याउलट निसर्गात 'जगा आणि जगू दया' हेच तत्व वाढलेले दिसते. कारण नैसर्गिक अवस्थेतले प्राणी हे एका अन्नसाखळीतले दुवे असतात आणि त्यांची अन्न साठवायची पद्धत म्हणजे आपले भक्ष-जमू देणे त्याला सुखेनैव वाढू देणे. भक्ष्याच प्रमाण काही कारणांने कमी झाले तर, उदाहरण घ्यायचे तर, गवत कमी झाले तर निसर्गतःच हरणं व ससे कमी होतात. अशा परिस्थितीत त्यांच्यावर जगणारे पशुपक्षी आपले प्रजोत्पादन घटवतात, कमी करतात. तेंव्हा हे जूने दाखले आणि आपण करत असलेली पर्यावरणाची हानी यांच्यामध्ये तफावत आहे. हे लक्षात यायला हरकत नाही.
या उताऱ्यावरून निसर्गात कोणते तत्व पाळलेले दिसून येते ?
EN
Read the following passage carefully and answer the question (Q. 11 to 15):
What will be the nature of the environmental issue in the 21st Century? It is either very easy or very difficult to think about this. This sentence may seem like a perfect example of a contradiction. But it is a sentence written with complete thought. The environmental issue is human-related, that is, it is because we feel it. If you look at the history of the earth, you will understand what I am saying. In the many periods of the earth, living things that lasted for millions of years were created. Those animals lived on the earth for billions of years and eventually disappeared. In the very beginning, these living things grew in the sea. In the Cretaceous period, living things gradually came to land. Their body structure became complex. During this period, there were some animals called trilobites. Those animals had plenty of seabed available. But after living on the earth for a few billion years, these animals became extinct. Not only this, many other living things along with them also disappeared.
In the following period, many animals have become extinct. It can be said that dinosaurs ruled the earth for almost 16 crore years. They do not exist today. Not only this, many plants of that time also do not exist today. In the following period, animals like mastodons, tusks etc. also became extinct. Those animals existed even after the existence of humans on earth. However, it should be remembered that humans were not the cause of their extinction. However, everyone agrees that all these living beings became extinct because the balance of the environment at that time was disturbed. That is, under certain circumstances, due to some natural cause, many animals suddenly change in the ideal conditions of the environment and become extinct. This has happened many times. It is found that new species of animals or living beings were created after the ice age. Similarly, there are examples of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and changes in the local environment after this.
One environmental Issue is from the last hundred years, that is, after the industrial revolution. In the last hundred years, we realized that we can plunder nature due to the industrial revolution. During the first and second world wars, we needed many things on a huge scale. Along with this, medical knowledge also increased. To cope with the population, deforestation was inevitable. Cities and villages spread. Due to this, the forest was degraded. This is now known to all environmentalists.
We take previous examples, in which increasing numbers are assumed to be the cause of species extinction. But nowhere is there an example of animal species growing so rapidly, that is, the rapid growth of the human race. Another thing is that there is no evidence yet that these animal species have created an environmental problem by polluting the environment. On the contrary, the principle of 'Live and let live' seems to have increased in nature. Because animals in their natural state are links in a food chain and their method of storing food is to let their prey live and grow happily. If the amount of prey decreases for some reason, for example, if there is less grass, then naturally deer and rabbits decrease. In such a situation, the animals and birds that live on them reduce their reproductive output. Then it is no problem to realize that there is a difference between these old examples and the environmental damage we are doing. What principal is found in this passage ?
In the following period, many animals have become extinct. It can be said that dinosaurs ruled the earth for almost 16 crore years. They do not exist today. Not only this, many plants of that time also do not exist today. In the following period, animals like mastodons, tusks etc. also became extinct. Those animals existed even after the existence of humans on earth. However, it should be remembered that humans were not the cause of their extinction. However, everyone agrees that all these living beings became extinct because the balance of the environment at that time was disturbed. That is, under certain circumstances, due to some natural cause, many animals suddenly change in the ideal conditions of the environment and become extinct. This has happened many times. It is found that new species of animals or living beings were created after the ice age. Similarly, there are examples of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and changes in the local environment after this.
One environmental Issue is from the last hundred years, that is, after the industrial revolution. In the last hundred years, we realized that we can plunder nature due to the industrial revolution. During the first and second world wars, we needed many things on a huge scale. Along with this, medical knowledge also increased. To cope with the population, deforestation was inevitable. Cities and villages spread. Due to this, the forest was degraded. This is now known to all environmentalists.
We take previous examples, in which increasing numbers are assumed to be the cause of species extinction. But nowhere is there an example of animal species growing so rapidly, that is, the rapid growth of the human race. Another thing is that there is no evidence yet that these animal species have created an environmental problem by polluting the environment. On the contrary, the principle of 'Live and let live' seems to have increased in nature. Because animals in their natural state are links in a food chain and their method of storing food is to let their prey live and grow happily. If the amount of prey decreases for some reason, for example, if there is less grass, then naturally deer and rabbits decrease. In such a situation, the animals and birds that live on them reduce their reproductive output. Then it is no problem to realize that there is a difference between these old examples and the environmental damage we are doing. What principal is found in this passage ?