People are pollution as well as solution

At first glance, the phrase “People are pollution” sounds harsh, even hostile.

- Dr O Prasada Rao Retd Scientist CSIR

It appears to reduce humanity to a contaminant. Human beings, however, are not inherently polluting. We are capable of compassion, creativity, and stewardship. We plant trees, protect rivers, and design technologies meant to coexist with nature. Yet the cumulative impact of industrialised lifestyles has undeniably polluted the planet. Carbon emissions, plastic waste, deforestation, and biodiversity loss are stark evidence. Oceans are choked with microplastics, the climate is warming rapidly, and species are vanishing at an alarming rate. These are not accidents but outcomes of systems we have created.