Accepted Panels

Environmental degradation due to multifarious activities is the inevitable outcome of changing lifestyles and developmental activities due to industrialization, urbanization, and globalization, among other factors in the Anthropocene. The processes start with land use changes to releasing chemicals into the environment from industries, deforestation, and soil erosion. The net loading of such chemicals is a function of the treatment and /or abatement efficiency of the system generating them, treatment systems installed by the industries and/or urban agglomerations, and the degradation rate of the chemicals being released. However, such issues are becoming more challenging when the chemicals are released from non-point sources such as agricultural systems with devastating impacts on human health. The chemicals released into the environment vary widely in developing and developed nations. To name a few, they are heavy metals, chemical pesticides, pre-biotics, pharmaceutical drugs, dioxin, furan, etc. Most of these chemicals are known for their endocrine disruption functions and are thus known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Although some of these have been released into the environment since the dawn of industrialization, some are considered emerging chemicals in the 21st century. The human health implications of some of the chemicals are known, and for some, it is still the topic of research. However, the challenge is to bring in human perspectives on lifestyle changes/disorders to reduce the release of such chemicals into the environment. Studies show that indigenous societies have been spared degradation of land, water, and food resources and deforestation.  The challenge is to integrate the traditional knowledge systems to ameliorate some of the damages which have taken place during the Anthropocene to heal human beings and the natural resources to sustain their life and well-being. This panel discussion will address such issues in a global cross-cultural context.