TE diwali thread - How many of you gave up crackers ?
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These pollution propaganda is simply idiotic... The point I am trying to make is how much pollution diwali is causing over all in a year?
secondly.. This industrial economy is unsustainable by itself. Once Oil supply stops everything will dwindle. US consumes most of the natural resources... Rest of the countries want to emulate US...
Every year, more people die/suffer due to Diwali pollution than did in all terrorist attacks on our country in last 15 years. This was news from few years ago. And this is not counting fire accidents and other related incidents. Just the people who get affected by the pollution. I just wish media would properly highlight the plight of affected people who get hospitalized and the deaths caused by the pollution every year.
Last year, my land lords wife passed away on the day after Diwali after a severe asthmatic attack and other complications caused by the pollution during the night. I personally know of few other people who passed away on Diwali or next couple of days due to complications caused by the increase in pollution.
I know that a lot of people wound't give a damn when it comes to such things and would just laugh it off. Every time a terrorist attack happens and people die, there would be a lot of angry people, but when it comes to several times more people suffering or dying to due the aftermath of a festival (which could easily be celebrated without affecting others) caused by our very own people, no one gives a damn. Why this indifference to the fact that we are hurting our country more than any other external threat? One guy I know even went so far as to make light of of it by saying that Diwali crackers help purge the old and weak people and reduce the population though he was not so humorous about it when one of in his own family passed passed way due to similar reason couple of years later.
This year, the pollution levels are said to have increased by 8~10 times the safe levels on Diwali eve with the peaks going to 23 times and even if all that is going to get diluted over time, its not going anywhere.
Vehicular and industrial pollution can at least be seen as some sort of necessary evil for the progress of the country, but those are not some sort of excuses to go all out on causing even more pollution. To make matters worse, these days, its not just during Diwali that fire crackers are used. They are being used for every other occasion like weddings, other festivals, elections, sports etc and their usage is increasing every day.
Last year, my land lords wife passed away on the day after Diwali after a severe asthmatic attack and other complications caused by the pollution during the night. I personally know of few other people who passed away on Diwali or next couple of days due to complications caused by the increase in pollution.
I know that a lot of people wound't give a damn when it comes to such things and would just laugh it off. Every time a terrorist attack happens and people die, there would be a lot of angry people, but when it comes to several times more people suffering or dying to due the aftermath of a festival (which could easily be celebrated without affecting others) caused by our very own people, no one gives a damn. Why this indifference to the fact that we are hurting our country more than any other external threat? One guy I know even went so far as to make light of of it by saying that Diwali crackers help purge the old and weak people and reduce the population though he was not so humorous about it when one of in his own family passed passed way due to similar reason couple of years later.
This year, the pollution levels are said to have increased by 8~10 times the safe levels on Diwali eve with the peaks going to 23 times and even if all that is going to get diluted over time, its not going anywhere.
Vehicular and industrial pollution can at least be seen as some sort of necessary evil for the progress of the country, but those are not some sort of excuses to go all out on causing even more pollution. To make matters worse, these days, its not just during Diwali that fire crackers are used. They are being used for every other occasion like weddings, other festivals, elections, sports etc and their usage is increasing every day.
derp
Forerunner
As always, I didn't understand the numbers and statistics mentioned by you.
P.S:- Delhi has more number of vehicles compared to all the other metros combined. I don't see any development happening here!!
Superbad
Herald
If pollution has to be seriously reduced, an ecology has to be created where in the working class travels the least to the office. That is make affordable housing close to offices make job centric hubs in all major parts of the cities, ease up the option for the working class to start working from home, instead of traveling to the office everyday.
To reduce pollution a much more holistic approach needs to adopted rather than living on the threshold and blaming one event which disturbs the threshold.
To reduce pollution a much more holistic approach needs to adopted rather than living on the threshold and blaming one event which disturbs the threshold.
So, what you are saying is that since even more people die in traffic accidents (Which is a fact I already know and I remember highlighting in another discussion a while back), according to you its perfectly fine for people to die due to the excessive spike in pollution during Diwali season (while neglecting the fact that its an even more deliberate decision that can be easily avoided). Also, despite the increasing number of vehicles, the increase in vehicular pollution is nowhere close to the pollution level spikes caused by crackers. In addition, unlike vehicles where there are regulations on emissions, crackers have none at all.
As for accidents, while people love blaming accidents completely on bad roads or the govt, it has rarely ever been a reason. Accidents happens most often because of negligence, reckless driving and speeding or drunk driving. When the govt wants to increase fines for traffic offenses, people protest against that.
Leave those personal vehicles aside, how do 10 people die in local train accidents in Mumbai alone every day if not for sheer negligence.
These are all problems that people can solve by themselves to a great extent, but instead of making any attempt to do so, one is used to somehow justify that there is no problem with the other. Yet, whenever there is an attack (physical or otherwise) from outside, these very people would have their blood boiling and itching for some retaliation because after all its the only way one can show off their "patriotism" on Facebook and Twitter.
derp
Forerunner
We are beating around the mulberry bush!
Anyways, coming back to your point, having multiple cars is a deliberate decision too, burning of biomass openly in localities is a deliberate decision too, dumping pollutants in rivers and releasing them in the atmosphere is a deliberate decision too. Usage of cfcs in white goods and otherwise is a deliberate decision too.
There are far more graver sources of pollution than the pollution caused by firecrackers. If we tackle that, we would be doing serving the cause of the nature read environment in a much better and holistic way. I do not understand, if we ban crackers, do you think our earth would become a better place to live? Or do you think we would achieve our targeted 35% reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases?(INDCs)
There are other ways of curbing the menace of pollution than restricting someone from following a tradition.
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The spikes!
No doubt, each and every thing you mentioned is polluting and a nuisance to the living beings. It's just that crackers cause a sudden "spike" in the air/noise pollution which is difficult to acclimatize to for not-so-healthy people and animals.
Anything that causes sudden increase/decrease in any kind of parameters is harmful. Reaching a mountain top or ocean bottom in very less time is harmful. Jumping from a sauna into a swimming pool is harmful... etc.
Farmers, auto mechanics, dyers, etc dump toxic wastes into water streams on a daily basis. Imagine if they decide to dump this waste on just one particular day in a year. Nature won't be able to handle it. On this particular day, our water purifiers would also conk off. We live in a polluted environment but our bodies repair some of the damage when we rest. But during diwali, air pollution increases so suddenly that many people with prior respiratory issues need to be hospitalized. Pollution is still there on non-diwali days but not so much that would make them feel helpless.
We are polluting the environment in many ways but nobody sees an immediate impact and hence we ignore the wrongdoings. Cracker lovers are targeted because quite the opposite happen with them.
But I believe bursting crackers may not have a long lasting impact... probably not to our genes. Other forms of pollution can definitely screw our future generations.
derp
Forerunner
The spikes!
No doubt, each and every thing you mentioned is polluting and a nuisance to the living beings. It's just that crackers cause a sudden "spike" in the air/noise pollution which is difficult to acclimatize to for not-so-healthy people and animals.
Anything that causes sudden increase/decrease in any kind of parameters is harmful. Reaching a mountain top or ocean bottom in very less time is harmful. Jumping from a sauna into a swimming pool is harmful... etc.
Farmers, auto mechanics, dyers, etc dump toxic wastes into water streams on a daily basis. Imagine if they decide to dump this waste on just one particular day in a year. Nature won't be able to handle it. On this particular day, our water purifiers would also conk off. We live in a polluted environment but our bodies repair some of the damage when we rest. But during diwali, air pollution increases so suddenly that many people with prior respiratory issues need to be hospitalized. Pollution is still there on non-diwali days but not so much that would make them feel helpless.
We are polluting the environment in many ways but nobody sees an immediate impact and hence we ignore the wrongdoings. Cracker lovers are targeted because quite the opposite happen with them.
But I believe bursting crackers may not have a long lasting impact... probably not to our genes. Other forms of pollution can definitely screw our future generations.
Both ethically and morally, it is wrong to stop someone from doing some ritual which is a part of tradition. If a person beleives that Diwali can't be celebrated without crackers, so be it. He has all the rights to burn crackers in his private property. This is the precise reason, the supreme Court shot down multiple petitions.
India is a secular state, and as long as I am not lighting crackers in your land, I have all the rights to do so. This is the reason smoking is banned in public places. However, you can still smoke in private. Also, if you completely ban crackers , economically speaking, many industries would be wiped off. Few people are doing this business for generations and they can't be rehabilitated to other professions. People should consider everything before making judgements.
of course!
my post wasn't against any cracker lovers or multiple car owners. it was all about "spikes"
my stance is neutral towards any kind of celebrations - polluting or non-polluting. i don't care whether people burst crackers everyday or drive a 70-year old vehicle on kerosene. it's just that people need to understand what they are doing.
Superbad
Herald
Greenhouse gas emissions, 1990-2011. (% of world total)
US: 16%
China: 15%
EU: 12%
Russia: 6%
Brazil: 5%
India: 4%
Rest of world: 44%
WRI
https://twitter.com/intlspectator/status/670581970376740864
US: 16%
China: 15%
EU: 12%
Russia: 6%
Brazil: 5%
India: 4%
Rest of world: 44%
WRI
https://twitter.com/intlspectator/status/670581970376740864
We made a rule in family
NO ONE WILL BUY CRACKERS,Free Airtel 4g For doing so
We get lots crackers as gifts and even try to donate as many of those to other friends/families etc
Still I burn whatever little is left with my sister and am MORE than happy
NO ONE WILL BUY CRACKERS,Free Airtel 4g For doing so
We get lots crackers as gifts and even try to donate as many of those to other friends/families etc
Still I burn whatever little is left with my sister and am MORE than happy
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