“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction”
- Rachel Carson,
Law College Dehradun organized an International Webinar on “Ecology and Law -An Essential synthesis for Helping Earth” on 22nd April 2021 under the aegis of Vasundhara- The Green Society. This marked the celebration of the marvellous occasion of ‘Earth Day’ for the year 2021. The Keynote Speaker – Prof. Saleem H. Ali, distinguished Professor of Energy and Environment, University of Delaware provided a detailed view about Ecology and Law. He has been associated with Department of Geography and Special Sciences and is a Council of Fellow with the Delaware Environmental Institute and is also associated with the Centre for Energy and Environmental Policy. He is primarily interested in the courses and challenges of environmental conflicts, the rule of ecological factors for peace and the environmental conflicts in extractive industry. Holding a Ph.D. Degree in Environmental Planning, he is currently associated with the University of Delaware, USA, and has over five books published and many journals, articles to his credit, and is also an esteemed member of various associations and non- profit organizations.
Lakshay Verma, Executive Member of Vasundhara- The Green Society, welcomed the luminaries and the participants present in the virtual webinar, followed by a brief introduction of the noteworthy speaker by Dr. Lakshmi Priya Vinjamuri, Chairperson of the Society, and a heart-warming welcome to the speaker by Dean Prof. (Dr.) Rajesh Bahuguna. The session was handed over to the solicited speaker for the start of the enlightening session.
Prof. Saleem H. Ali, Eminent Professor of Energy and Environment, in his insightful lecture session, shared his opinion on the theme of the conference, i.e., “Ecology and Law- An Essential Synthesis for Helping Earth”. He initiated the event by introducing the term “Ecology”, the relationship between organisms and their environment and the mechanisms and the interdependence between them. He mentioned Biosphere, ‘Sphere of Life’, which is the key aspect of ecology to keep a balance, as a Goldilocks Zone, quotes, “The living environment is the biosphere, the thin layer around the world of living organisms”. ‘The Dynamic Forest’ was brought up by the notable speaker stating about certain cities having green zones, types of trees to be planted in some specific regions for the expansion of flora and vegetation, and a lot more. The prominent speaker also threw light on the topics, ‘Agriculture and Climate Change’, “Farms and The Law”, ‘The Life Cycle Assessment’ or LCA (also known as life-cycle analysis), which is a methodology for assessing environmental impacts associated with all the stages of the life-cycle of a commercial product, process, or service. The notable speaker ended his session by quoting few lines of Mahatma Gandhi “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed”.
For a better insight of the subject, the organizers arranged a ‘Question- Answer Session’ wherein the most important questions by the participants were conveyed to the speaker by the moderator of the event. The following questions were answered by the eminent speaker:
- What is prehistoric wildlife and its role in the development of future ecosystem?
- Does banning single-use plastic even make a dent in the bigger problem of climate change?
- Can tectonic movements impact our ecosystem hugely?
After successfully resolving the queries of the attendees by the speaker the session was summed up by the Chairperson Dr. Lakshmi Priya Vinjamuri, and was formally concluded by Ms. Ishita Baghel, President of the Society with the ‘Vote of Thanks’.
The webinar provided a great and deeper understanding of the subject Ecology and Law and helped the participants to understand the concept in a detailed manner, the event turned out to be a great learning experience for everyone.
