Ever since the dawn of civilisation, the role of metals and materials in overall global socio-economic development cannot be ignored. The rapidly changing perspectives in engineering and technology, moreover, have coupled with the increasingly exacting demands for newer, high-quality materials with special properties and high degree of performance reliability. This in turn has changed the very concept of metallurgy in the past few years. 

What was once largely confined to the development of ferrous and nonferrous metals only has spread its wings to newer fields such as glass, ceramics, polymers, composites and the like. Metals have become a part of engineering materials. This has widened the scope and opportunities for new generations of materials scientists and engineers in the new Millennium. 

It, however, also needs to be borne' in mind that issues concerning man and the environment and the role of materials scientists in improving the quality of life on planet Earth without damaging its environment, have become some of the most discussed and debated issues. This is more so as the ever increasing world population is fast depleting its natural resources to an unsustainable level Moreover, unabated pollution from Industry and waste generation by" activities have been largely instrumental in damaging the earth's fragile biosphere. 

It is, therefore, imperative that metallurgists and materials scientists, by virtue of their training and experience should devise workable solutions to contain environmental damages and to mitigate its adverse effects, while ensuring economic progress. 

This article seeks to discuss the remarkable advances in the development and utilisation of metals and materials and the ways in which they have changed our lives today. It will also touch upon the impact of metallurgy and materials science on the global environment in the new Millennium and the responsibilities of the new generation of technologists in protecting it. 

This, therefore, has led to a situation where one needs to seriously think about the need for protecting the global environment without hindering the economic development of countries as also the welfare of the human population at large. And that is also to say that the earth's natural resources-its air, water, terrestrial, aquatic and marine flora and fauna, especially representative samples of natural eco-systems must be safe guarded for the benefit of present and future generations at any cost through careful environmental management in times to come. 

METALS, MATERIALS AND THEIR IMPACT ON SOCIAL EVOLUTION: A HISTORICAL REVIEW 

Ever since the dawn of civilisation, the role of metals and materials in overall global socio-economic development cannot be ignored. This is more so as steady interaction between man, materials and technology has been going on for thousands of years. It is already established that materials are one of our oldest assets and that historical eras have been named after the materials that dominated them namely, the Stone Age, the Copper Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, possibly the end of which we are living through at this time. Today, new materials such as glass, ceramics, polymers, composites. plastics, semi and super conductors, nanomaterials, advanced alloys and ceramics, etc. have been steadily appearing on the scene and providing an impetus for technological advancement, often with far reaching consequences as is the case for automobiles, aeroplanes, computers and other special applications for instance. 

The importance of metals and materials and their impact on society is best summed up in the words of the celebrated philosopher, Georgius Agricola, who nearly 500 years ago said "If mankind ceased to use metals, all the possibilities to guard and preserve health as well as to lead a life corresponding to our cultural values would be taken away. People would lead the most detestable and most miserable life among wild animals..." 

Even though Agricola addressed the social aspects of materials  problems of public health and culture as well as general questions of standards of living and made a connection between materials, technology and society in context of his time, in our days the increasing need of materials is obvious. In fact, according to published figures, the increase in consumption for all materials is about 15% in the last 10 years according to a very rough estimate. In terms of consumption, metals have been the forerunners although their usage is on the decrease in favour of polymers and other substitute materials. However, the growing demand for materials implies the looting of our planet of its non-renewable sources. This becomes directly evident from the fact that the lasting periods for many metals are alarmingly short, e.g. for lead only 23 years; 35 for copper and 40 for nickel, to mention just a few. 

As said earlier, the earth's resources are fast eroding due to the ever multiplying population, which stands at a whopping six billion people today. Moreover, it is already estimated that in about 200 years this figure could touch a gargantuan 200 billion. This alarming increase in population would, therefore, demand more food, more industrial production, more energy and raw materials and as a consequence lead to a great increase in pollution. This in turn could most likely lead to a severely unbalanced situation on planet Earth in the near future with catastrophic consequences being very likely. It is, therefore, for today's materials scientists to work out effective strategies to develop alternative materials that would help preserve the earth's natural resources while perpetually bearing in mind that it must in no way harm the environment. '

SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND 'GREEN GNP'

It is already established that the poorer developing countries are doubly threatened by the environmental degradation taking place. This is more so as their current subsistence economies and livelihood are often dependent on exploiting the environment. Their schemes for industrialisation become prohibitively expensive, if they were to incorporate all the new suggestions for environmental control out of their own resources, in effect to protect the whole earth's remaining ecosystem. While the need for environmental protection and improvement is thus even more crucial in the case of developing countries, their governments are faced with the dilemma of safeguarding the environment and at the same time ensuring economic growth and better living standards for the people. 

However, with the new awareness' of environmental protection, not only is greater attention being paid to the design and engineering of modern industrial plants, but also its impact on the national economy. In fact, the very concept of national statistics is changing. Countries like Germany, Norway and France have started incorporating environmental costs and benefits in the gross national product (GNP) and to alternatively produce a 'green GNP' which also seeks to incorporate the monetary value of existing natural resources and the cost of using or misusing the environment to adequately reflect the economic reality in an era of acid rain, dying forests and the much dreaded greenhouse effect. This is indeed a positive step towards a proper assessment and the developing countries would do well to explore this frontier for their benefit in future. 

THE MATERIALS WORLD TODAY: A BRIEF DISCUSSION

It is already known that the recent developments in the materials industry has contributed greatly to the explosive growth of such vital industries such as electronic data processing, computers, communications, air travel, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, bio-technology, packaging and construction. Broadly speaking, however, the materials industry can be categorized into two types. The first includes those developing and selling new materials where the knowledge of how chemistry and microstructure influence properties is still incomplete. These include high temperature superconductors, engineering ceramics or thin film semiconductors that may lead to the birth of new industries and where there is potential for significant growth. 

The second involves those selling well developed materials like steel, aluminium, glass and some plastics where alterations in the chemistry have largely run their course. Continued growth is expected in this sector with the emphasis on making them more cheaply at a higher quality and/or providing a complete solution to the customers' problem. This often requires considerable engineering inputs in terms of both design and manufacturing of the customer's product. It may also involve the materials company beginning to provide services including component manufacture or even . taking responsibility for some of the customer's manufacturing steps. If this is done well, customers and their materials suppliers will become indispensable to each other. In this world materials people are key members of product and process teams with engineers, marketing and manufacturing specialists from materials companies and their suppliers. However, the emphasis is moving away from materials science toward engineering and commercial capability which represents career opportunities for materials scientists and engineers to broaden their skills base. 

It is also important to understand that the materials industry is becoming embedded in its customer base as is already evident in the packaging industry and some companies in the automobiles industry. Materials systems development is now regarded as a key strategic activity that underpins the success of existing industries and will form the basis of new ones in future. It is now therefore, absolutely imperative for today's scientists to work out effective solutions in the following fields: 

• Potable water shortage 
• Discovering substitutes for fossil fuels to generate power 
• Shrinking factories to produce cheap, high-quality goods locally and in an environmentally benign way
• Producing synergies between industries to reduce the collective environmental burden
• Devising ways to reduce waste by moving away from product selling to leasing services which could result in greater recovery of resources.
• Adopting a life cycle approach to products that significantly reduces or even removes waste.
• Developing new approaches to farming that retain the current high output rates with less use of agrochemicals.
• Discovering new ways to prevent illness rather than treat the symptoms perhaps by using implanted bio sensors that can be remotely charged or run on implanted fuel cells or body fluids and can detect the very early stages of illness.
• Conversion of virgin resources into basic engineering materials like silicon, steel, plastic which can be engineered into saleable goods such as cars or washing machines.

INFLUENCE OF METALS ON ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AND PREVALENT TRENDS IN THE MATERIALS WORLD 

While speaking of the symbiotic relationship between metals, material's and the environment, one needs to first mention that most end-users of metals are usually unaware of the fact that to produce a metal product, considerable damage is usually done to the environment and environmental degradation of varying degrees occurs throughout the life cycle of the metal product from mining of the metal ore to its disposal after use. These are discussed In details below:

Mining: The maximum amount of environmental degradation occurs due to mining of the earth's natural resources. While the earth's crust is constantly being damaged for extraction of a plethora of minerals, it is simultaneously giving rise to change in land form; loss of top soil cover and deforestation thus leading to massive soil erosion; dumping of overburdens and rejects; pollution of surface and ground water and air due to mine runoffs and/or mine effluents as also emission of dusts and other gases like sulphuric dioxide, Nox and CO. In India particularly, most mines are abandoned after they are divested of their resources and there is little scope for practicing mine rehabilitation in the country. Similarly, eco-restoration at the mine site continues to be a much neglected concept even though there has been a slight awareness in recent times. 

Transport: It is during transportation of minerals from the mine site to the plant that the surrounding air is polluted through emission of mineral dusts as also a host of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

Manufacturing: It is during the manufacturing process in the metallurgical plant that significant environmental degradation occurs while the metal is extracted from its ore. The metal recovery process may be pyro-metallurgical, hydro-metallurgical or electro-metallurgical or a combination of all three. The basic aim is to derive the desired metallics from the mineral while the rest is dumped on the environment. Environmental degradation also occurs due to the emission of untreated toxic effluents, fumes and gases and hazardous solid wastes which leads to acute contamination of surface or ground water used by those living near metallurgical plants accompanied by severe dust pollution. 

Packaging: While the metal product gets packaged for despatch to the user market, the packaging material itself may cause disposal problems to the environment, if the packaging material is not environment friendly. We all know how Low Density 0 Polyethylene (LOPE) packages used commonly for packing consumer goods has created problems in municipal waste disposal.

Use and Disposal: This final stage of environmental degradation is caused by the users of the metal & metal products. To make a value added metal product, a manufacturer may apply a special type of organic or metallic surface coating to make the product last longer or add to its decorative value. These coated metal products are usually scrapped after prolonged use and when this scrap is remelted  or reprocessed may produce highly toxic pollutants from the coating materials used initially.

PREVALENT TRENDS

Having elaborated on the negative effects of metals on the environment, I would now like to speak about the ongoing trends in the materials world today. Given the increasing awareness for environmental protection, materials companies have now begun positioning themselves on the product lifetime diagram more as suppliers and preservers of scarce resources while efforts are being made through various government regulations to compel them to guarantee the environmental credentials of their materials. In the developed countries it is already imperative for materials manufacturers to supply complete solutions to customer problems including the knowledge to help them make the best use of materials in their product taking into account their position in the product lifetime diagram; are they for example, designing for re-use, tech upgrading or recycling?

Materials companies are, therefore, building capability in product design for manufacturability, for light weighting and efficient use of materials for compatibility between materials in both product performance and the alternative loops in the product lifetime diagram particularly in the packaging, automobile and construction industries. 

Packaging: The competition among  materials for packaging applications is equally interesting and more volatile. Glass is the dominant soft drink container material with a 48% market share. Within the metal sector, the steel producers in western Europe and Japan have succeeded in retaining a substantial portion of the market. The demand for steel containers is forecast to expand at a rate of 3-4% per year to 324.3 billion units by 2001. However, plastic containers will gain the most in market share and this will be mostly at the expense of glass. The competition among materials for packaging applications has resulted in dramatic changes in usage. 2-piece aluminium cans have displaced the traditional 3-piece steel beverage cans in the US market. The 2-piece can is produced by a process known as drawn and wall ironing (DWI). Aluminium succeeded in replacing steel in the US market by producing very thin walled, relatively inexpensive two-piece Owl cans. 

Automobiles: The three-door version of extended cab pick up trucks of GM required a more effective door intrusion beam to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Modification of the design to use a 1-piece ultra high strength steel roll formed beam saved almost 1 kg in weight and actually had lower material cost than the original while also ensuring safety. 

While speaking of automobiles, it also needs to be mentioned that many fuel tanks on today's vehicles are made out of plastic and more are on the way. This is more so as plastic has the advantage of assuming very complicated shapes. The use of plastics in interiors or unexposed structural applications has become common. The manufacturers of structural plastics have successfully reduced the number of parts required to produce the instruments panel and simplify the assembly process. Though the plastic product is not lighter than steel but its ease of production has made it popular. 

In the sphere. of exposed auto skin panels, while steel continues to dominate the market for exposed panels, aluminium and plastics have made headway in low volume niche vehicles and in applications where weight savings are more important than cost. However, as the popularity of models built on this platform grew, it became clear that the steel approach would be more cost effective savings were estimated to be as high as $ 15 per vehicle. The switch to steel took place in T997. Aluminium. however, is routinely utilised in the production of exposed panels with Land Rover's exposed panels being of aluminium since 1948. The Ford Motor Company has the maximum experience with the use of aluminium for major exposed panels on large production volume vehicles.

In this context, it may also be mentioned that the Ford Motor Co ventured into an aluminium intensive vehicle (AIV) and one of the objectives of the project was to assess and develop the manufacturing process required for a high production volume vehicles. For instance, the requirements for joining the aluminium components on the body-in-white are substantially different than those for bolting on an aluminium closure panels.  In this case, the vehicle was carried away through production and is being studied in routine driving by Ford engineers and executives.  According to the aluminium association assessment, await saving of 145 Kgs. was achieved with the AVI compared to steel body structure weighing almost 272 Kgs.  Aluminium continues to make inroads in the use of castings for structural applications as well.  An aluminium rear sub frame for a new Volvo $80 model  weighs half of a comparable steel system.  The proprietary casting process claims to achieve good mechanical properties at the relatively low cost. 

Perhaps the best illustration of the automotive industry is concerned about weight savings is also increasing use of magnesium castings to replace stamped steel parts in certain applications. 

Footbridge: One of the most dramatic non-automotive applications of alternative materials has been a footbridge built in Scotland from glass fibre reinforced composites. The 200 foot long bridge deck sits on two upright a-frame towers.  The English company that design the bridge claim that it is it is cost competitive with traditional steel and concrete approaches because the construction labour cost is very low.

Steel vs. Aluminium for rail freight cars: The new the AISI database provides insights into aluminium offence in freight rail cars in the United States.  It appears that aluminium has succeeded in displacing about 95,000 tonnes of steel in the superstructure is of new coal cars.  It is concluded that only a radical redesigned analogue is to the ULSAB project can save the rail car market for steel.  Aluminium is also targeting other hopper rail cars.  While speaking of new steel applications it may also be mentioned that the European economic community will use copper plated steel for its 1, 2 and 5 cent coins.  In the US, domestic home construction provides glaring example of this type of application, replacing wood.  Since each home will use about four tonnes of steel, it is clear that this application is becoming an important market for steel in the United States.  It is furthermore heartening to note that selective reconditioning or the “price before beauty” concept has already been put to practice and some of the world’s developed countries.  For example, Rent a Wreck is a successful US company that hires cars that are around 10 years while being mechanically sound and clean. They also rent for one-third of the rate of newer car. Canon, Xerox and Kodak all operate a system of reconditioning their copiers by using many of the mechanical parts and in inserting new electronics.  The Motor Insurance Repair Centre in Thatcham, UK has come up with a highly innovative techniques such as skin replacement panels.  These greatly reduce waste in components exchange and repair costs compared to traditional techniques where production components had previously been used.  These few examples serve to show the increasing application and use of alternative materials and steps taken by some of the world’s leading business houses recycle and effectively re-use their equipments.  I am sure that many more such examples of new materials that are being developed and will stand to benefit mankind enormously will be cited and discussed during the course of the seminar. 

STEELMAKING AND THE ENVIRONMENT 

It would be imprudent if a mention of the impact of steel making is not made - at least in passing - while discussing the metals industry's effects on the environment. The steel industry, particularly the integrated units have over the years earned a degree of notoriety for disturbing the environment, thus facing considerable flak from environmentalists the world over. The first rudimentary blast furnace was built some 400-500 years ago and sustainable development in energy conservation, environmental control and waste minimisation were not major issues even 30 years ago.

Therefore, for the industry to be really successful, we must shake off the 18th and 19th century heritage and completely rethink how the industry should operate in the 21st century. It is heartening to note, however, that one segment of the industry, particularly the mini mills in the SA have responded to this challenge by establishing an operation which is fundamentally recycling used, is lean and mean, highly profitable and at the same time has a much less adverse environmental impact than integrated steel production. Steps are being taken globally ensure that the steel plant of the  future will be clean, environmentally benign, located close to the customer and will produce no waste. Indeed, may derive significant revenue streams from the treatment of wastes produced by other industrial activities. By its very nature, the future mixture of scrap and virgin iron units. It will be frugal on energy, highly flexible in operation, and will exploit synergies with other industrial systems.

Until recent times, steelmakers strongly resisted the suggestion that steel plants may be effectively utilised for treatment of wastes produced by other industries. Some of these objections were based on potential legal impediments, others on the difficulties with logistics; however the main difficulty is associated with the perception that steel makers see their mission to make high quality steel efficiently, thus waste treatment would be an unwelcome diversion. In contrast, the cement manufacturers have been using waste fuels and in fact, steel plant wastes for many years to good advantage. The reduced cost of waste fuels or the revenues that may be derived from waste treatment could provide a major positive impact on the bottom line. Steel technologists have a unique knowledge of materials processing at elevated temperatures and have access to a broad range of processing equipment. This knowledge base could and should be the source of profitable enterprises in future and need serious consideration at the moment.

ROLE OF MATERIALS SCIENTISTS IN PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

In keeping with the increasing awareness for environmental protection the world over, it is the sole responsibility of materials scientists of the future to ensure that as far as materials are concerned, three dimensions need to be addressed first in order to approach the steady state on earth. Firstly, the waste products can and should be recycled as far as possible. Secondly, in less favourable cases, they need to be stored in refuse dumps. after proper treatment that eliminates toxicity. Thirdly, it is also for the eco-conscious materials scientist to bear in mind that every waste must be considered as a product that cannot simply be thrown away but must be utilised effectively as an auxiliary to available resources as and when possible.

Many successful examples support this point. The recycling rates of iron and steel are encouraging, but with plastics, problems still exist. But nevertheless the values achieved are only a beginning and will certainly be improved in the near future. Non-renewable resources must be recycled if the industrial society wants to retain its standard of living at roughly the same level. However, a complete recovery cannot be achieved as the second law of thermodynamics demands a tribute in the form of entropy. 

In fact, potential materials are in abundance and the possibilities of  combining and varying elements are almost unlimited even though there are just over 100 elements. Elements can be mixed or alloyed respectively and combined to systems, the so-called phase diagrams, for instance the well-known iron-carbon phase diagram, which includes many carbon steels and cast irons. And it is here that the materials scientist of the future must apply his skills, knowledge and creativity to work out effective solutions for the future given the fact that many element combinations are likely to result in new engineering materials. One may take the liberty of adding here that in particular, combinations of light elements such as silicon, aluminium, carbon, oxygen and nitrogen, that are abundant in the earth’s crust are of special economic and ecological significance and need to be explored thoroughly. 

To my mind, technologists, who are concerned solely with materials must design and develop their activities to focus on the central core of materials science and engineering to emphasise its unique features and be true to the basic essence of the subject. And in order to achieve this, it would be advisable to adopt the following measures: 

• Maintenance of the twin inputs of solid state science and chemical processing of feed stocks
• Extension of the central concept of microstructure to all materials 
• Better recognition of materials design
• Development of the technical input into the economics of materials selection
• Recognition of the undeveloped state of in service monitoring of materials performance and better service cycle economics of materials usage including recycling of obsolete components and 
• Recognition of the inseparability of materials design and materials processing.

My discourse would remain incomplete if I do not briefly dwell upon environmental management in India and the steps that have been taken by the Government in creating an awareness for an eco-friendly system. Historically speaking, in 1972, the first Earth Summit organised by the United Nations held in Stockholm charted out the Magna Carta of our environment. The Stockholm declaration stipulated that man has the fundamental right to freedom, equality and adequate conditions of life, in a pollution-free environment that permits a life of dignity and well being while he alone bears the solemn responsibility of protecting and improving the environment for present and future generations. 

The Stockholm Convention motivated every nation to give due importance on the protection of its environment and India too, was no exception to the rule. The Indian government made a special provision in its Constitution (42nd Amendment) Act 1976, wherein a new Clause was inserted under the 'Directive Principles of the State Policy' stating that "It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life and to have compassion for living creatures".

Subsequently, several laws on environment protection were enacted and enforced in our country in the last three decades. Notable among them are the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act-1974/88; Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act-1981; Environment (Protection) Act-1986; Forest Laws, Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972; Hazardous Waste Management Handling Rules-1989 and the Public Liability Insurance Act-1992 etc.

EMERGING TRENDS IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT IN INDIA

The Indian medium and small scale metallurgical sector in particular, which makes a sizeable contribution to the overall Indian metallurgical output was once upon a time a major factor in polluting the country's  environment through perpetual emission of carcinogenic wastes, heat, dust and noise. However, despite the statutory provision made under various laws in force from time to time, a majority of these units were not fully aware of the adverse effects of pollution on the environment. This was more due to their ignorance about pollution control equipment and their stringent capital bases. In fact, till the end of 1980s, the Indian Metals and Minerals Industries (IMMI) was in a fix 1 how to comply with the environmental protection regulations. A majority of the industrial entrepreneurs engaged for decades together in the production of metals and minerals were somehow reluctant to accept these regulations with the firm belief that it would affect their profitability and no tangible benefits on the investment towards environment protection measures would be derived.

It is however, heartening to note that India is perhaps the only country in the world where the submission of an environment statement has been made mandatory under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to identify and focus on areas of concern, practices that need to be altered and plans to deal with adverse effects.

This has been applicable mostly to the primary ferrous sector where a number of areas namely, solid waste and raw materials consumption, pollutant discharges per unit of output, hazardous wastes and solid waste generation, disposal practices and their abatement measures have been identification.

Similarly, the Union ministry of Steel and Mines is all working out the modus operandi to minimise carbon emission in the Indian re-rolling sector which in turn would reduce energy consumption and enhance overall quality of output. It is also learnt that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has decided to extend its support to the project by way of financial assistance worth US $ 1.3 million thus clearing the way for a cleaner future for the re-rolling industry in India. The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and many other financial institutions too, have been funding a number of projects after they have submitted concrete schemes for environmental and energy improvements. 

EIA BASED APPROACH

It has also now become mandatory in India to carry out Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of any industrial project pertaining to the production of minerals or metals or any other product, which are known to damage the environment and public acceptance of the project is a must before- it is given environmental clearance by the regulating authority. 

This therefore, calls for the implementation of efficient environmental management systems (EMS) to ensure an accepted protocol of environmental audit. An EMS, in other words is a consolidated, working system drawn up to define the areas to be tackled; goals to be achieved; compliance requirements; resource required; implementation plan; timeframe; fund provision; follow up and updating for the sake of protecting and improving the quality of environment in a holistic manner. 

In India too, quite a few minerals and metals producing industries have adopted this EMS as well as product quality system in accordance with International Standards ISO- 14001 and IS0-9002. Tata Steel, which is the first Indian steel major to be recently awarded the ISO 1400 I certificate for a virtual zero emission' plant is one such notable example that immediately comes to mind. Additionally, some industries even have improved their performance by conducting life cycle analysis (LCA) of their products. These two modern environmental management techniques, namely, EMS and LCA provide several benefits to the industrial organisation and are bound to go a long way in improving plant productivity by way of optimum utilisation of raw materials, water and fuels; earning customer trust and more importantly, a competitive edge over others as producers of eco-friendly, "green products" which is the order of the day.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Before I conclude, I would like to emphasise that metals and materials will continue to be an indispensable part of our lives and so will the environment. But the question that inevitably springs to mind is: How do we get the perfect balance between the three while ensuring a safer, healthier and more productive planet earth? The time, to my mind, is now ripe for making an impartial assessment of our natural resources and to work out effective strategies to preserve them for the future. Even though the end goal is ambitious, it is certainly not unattainable and would call for an examination of the environmental record of our industries and their major accomplishments both in the fields of established technologies and technological and organisational innovation. 

The global metals and materials industries have technical personnel with outstanding qualifications, a good research record, and excellent technical capabilities. It must only be given the opportunity to rise to the challenge of the 21st century to make the concept of manufacturing a really green enterprise, but at the same time, a really profitable one to the benefit of our whole community keeping in mind that the customer's needs represent the main driving force. This in turn would call for more flexible manufacturing, more research and development, lean production, worker empowerment, energy conservation, waste minimisation and sustainable development for the environment in an economically defensive manner. Efforts should also be made to develop adequate data bases on our national ecological system for assessing environmental assimilative capacity as also the development of necessary human resource for monitoring and managing the environment. This alone would be the saviour of planet Earth.