My Selection for the book on Environmental Issues: 

Sustainability The Fourth Wave of Economy, Author Dr. Rashid Aleem

This month, I volunteered at the Sharjah International Book Fair held in Sharjah, UAE, from 2-12 Nov, 2016. I met several authors, purchased many books and there I came across this very interesting book on Environmental Issues: Sustainability The Fourth Wave of Economy. This was written by Dr. Rashid Aleem – Chairman at Sharjah Electricity & Water Authority (SEWA).

The title of the book was intriguing and when I read the book its aptness was evident. The various waves of economy were described by the author as follows:

1. The First Wave of Economy: Basically agriculture driven and very simple basic living. Living for food.

2. The Second Wave of Economy: Describes about industrialization and changes in the economy by invention of wheel, machines and industries.

3. The Third Wave of Economy: This is basically the rapid developments in past 2 decades where the service sector has taken a giant leap and the whole world has shrunk in a room.

The Fourth wave and the purpose of the book is about sustainable development. It is my personal belief also that further development of this planet is possible only with sustainability in mind. We have literally destroyed the environment, depleted the ozone layer, killed the plants, forests and animals & guzzled the fertile lands. 2016 has been the hottest year on this planet & past many years are similarly hottest like 2015, 2014, 2013 all were the hottest & this dismal record is broken each year.

We the generation of today are on the brink. If we can check this trend & possibly reverse in next 1-2 decades, the fourth wave will bring life else the destruction is obvious.

The sustainability model of the author is based upon 5 pillars.

First is Religion / Faith. Based upon tried & tested Principles, values & beliefs. Second is Social. Actions & Conditions that affect all in the society.

Third pillar of sustainability is Economic. Action that affect how people meet their economic needs.

Fourth is Environmental. Actions & Conditions that affect the ecology & climate of this planet.

The Fifth & final pillar of sustainability, as per the author is, Cultural. It depicts the Identity & traditions followed by the society.

We must ensure sustainability to guarantee a life for the future generations else the destruction is evident. It is Now or Never situation. We have to act NOW otherwise it will be too late. We must enjoy all the resources to the maximum but must make sure to follow the sustainability in our daily routine. Do consume but plant for the future as well. Plant 100 trees for each one cut.

My stance:

My stance is that we must keep our little efforts alive. The recycling of a single A4 sheet of paper matters. Each tiny effort brings in a motivation & a promise to The Mother Earth that I am there to care & protect. We are fortunate to be in this current technological era where the resources are plentiful, choices are unlimited and the life has become easy with a remote control available for everything. This brings us to the situation of responsibility. Just because I have wealth, does not mean that I order food for 10 persons & waste the rest. Just because I have car, does not mean that I should forget how to walk a mile. Just because I have unlimited electricity & water, does not mean that I run the air-conditioning 24 X 7. These are small thoughts but are enough to prick your soul. If we make sustainable living as a part and parcel of our lives the future generations will be secure.

I am following the formula of sustainable living for past 6 years and am pretty sure that you all avid readers and responsible ambassadors are also doing the same in your respective regions. Let us take a pledge to consume wisely, plant freely, recycle daily and live guilt free.

Thanks for reading.

The Linkedin Profile of the author including the PDF copy of the book is available through this link:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rashidalleem?authType=&authToken=&trk=mp-allpost-aut-name