‘SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IS THE KEY TO A HEALTHIER PLANET’

“According to new research by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people concerned about the environment in the past five years, especially after Covid-19 hit. More people are willing to make choices that demonstrate our commitment to restoring the balance of nature,” Mirza adds.

While there has been a significant reduction in air pollution due to a series of lockdowns over the last one year, plastic pollution has risen since 2020 with disposable cutlery, plastic wrappings and disposable masks being discarded. Talking about how can we help, Mirza says, “It is common sense not to create a problem in response to a problem. We don’t need to be a botanist, biologist, a scientist or an environmentalist to make well-informed choices. So use washable/reusable masks and reduce the usage of plastic wherever you can,” adding, “Last year, I used washable/reusable masks, unless I was travelling. We shopped for vegetables and fruits without plastic packaging, refused plastic bags, carried our own metal water bottles and refused all disposable single-time plastics.”