Mehak Gupta Grover
Climate change and environmental damage are two of the most dramatic challenges facing the world today. Environmental degradation is the deterioration of environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil, destruction of eco system, habitat destruction, the extinction of wildlife and pollution. It is defined as any change or disturbance to the environment perceived to be undesirable.
Extreme weather events are more common than before, sea levels are rising, and floods are more frequent. Air pollution alone claims more than 5.5 million lives a year; 1.2 million deaths take place in India alone. It is exacerbating humanitarian disaster, fuelling conflict and making certain areas uninhabitable.
Hinduism has always been environmental sensitive. No other religion lays as much emphasis on environmental ethics as Hinduism. Even Vedas, upnishads, Bhagwat Gita contain messages for preservation of environmental balances. The rishis of the past have always had a great respect for nature. We can’t relate this respect to superstition as these rishis were truly learned and had vast knowledge regarding how our nature plays a vital role in our sustenance; which in our present society is misunderstood.
Human beings are never alone as a species in the universe. They are also inter- connected with the Sun, the Moon, the Earth and other planets. The Vedas attach great importance to environmental protection and purity. They insist on safeguarding the habitation, proper deforestation and non- pollution.
‘This air is honey to all beings and all beings are honey to this air. May wind blow pleasantly for us. Wind blows healing balm, blows all diseases away.’ — Vedic Quote
Living more sustainably, isn’t a bohemian thing; it’s a survival thing. Killing our Earth means killing ourselves. The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it. Times are changing fast. Values are eroding. Goodness is getting replaced and it is now measured by smartness to get on with life. Peace prevailed earlier, despite wars. There was trust, there was hope. There was no clamour for things that one did not possess. There was contentment. There was concern, affection and true bonding. There was togetherness. More important, people were patient. Though today’s material comforts, which could not even be dreamt of a decade ago- are plenty, still something is amiss about life. What is it? Peace? Happiness? Because of this missing happiness, cut-throat competitions- people are running like nomads. They are forgetting that the environment that gave us everything- needs nourishment. Instead of nourishment, we are spoiling it! We use to treat Earth as Godess and in today’s life- we are not even able to protect it?
The smog of our country is the most current example. It shows how badly our nature is getting affected by climate change impacts, largely caused by carbon emissions. Visibility got plummeted, health emergency had been declared, schools were shut down. Today’s policy of ‘ use and throw’ , be it a gadget, a battery, parents and now even environment, is becoming dolorous.
Lines from Bhagwat Gita- ‘ All actions take place in time by the interweaving of the forces of nature; but the man lost in selfish delusion thinks that he himself is the actor. The man who knows the relation between the forces of nature and actions, sees how some forces of nature work on other forces of nature and become not their slaves.
Those who are under the delusion of the forces of nature bind themselves to the work of their forces. Let not the wise man who sees the All disturb the unwise who sees not the All.’
What we are doing to the forests of the world is a reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another. Sooner or later, we will have to recognise that the Earth has rights too- to live without pollution. We have to realise that human beings can’t live without Mother Earth, but planet can live without human beings. Earth is our Godess- our Mother and deserves our devotion and protection. Like chipko movement, that was started for protecting trees from clear- cutting by outside interest; similar devotion is required for protecting our Earth.
Gandhiji rightly said- ” Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”
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