Environmentalism is a universal value. The earth provides for everyone’s needs, not greed
The so-called environmentalists have had their say for 2014. Naturally, talking about anything related to environment appears to be out of sync after we have observed the World Environment Day on June 5 with the usual fanfare and gaiety. But that notwithstanding, this piece is to remind enthusiasts of the environment brigade that it is high time the fashion of environmentalism should be replaced by passion for environmentalism.
We need to ponder why mean temperatures are rising and glaciers meltingIJ Why are riverbeds getting shallowerIJ Why is the weather becoming errant and the frequency of phenomena like the El Nino increasing despite all those rhetorical flourishes about sustainability and environment friendlinessIJ Even as the climate is changing, we are continuing with business as usual. The simple reason is that the human being is not changing. Despite all those chapters being included in school and college books, despite those symposia and seminary attracting a galaxy of experts, results are not discernible.
Educating, legislating and propagating are taking place in a big way, but what lacks is initiating. What is wrong with the whole paradigm needs to be understood first. And the age-old village parable given below may prove handy.
The story is that once a small village had no rain for quite some time. All wells and reservoirs began drying up and the worried villagers were advised by their chief to propitiate the rain god. The villagers assembled at the central well of the village for prayer. A loud voice from the well commanded that each village household pour a jug of milk in the well at midnight. The villagers had to agree. The village chief, however, thought that when every household will pour a jug of milk in the well, he could manage with a jug of water as it won’t be noticed in the dark. So he did. In the morning when the villagers peeped into the well, they found not a drop of milk there. Everyone had acted as smart as the village chief.
The moral of the story is clear — environment is others’ business. And we have seen the results. Even five decades after the world expressed concerns over environment at Stockholm, little has changed. Naturally, something is wrong somewhere. People at the grassroots are not involved. More than the seminary, educating and training the masses is the need of the hour.
The attitude of the hoi polloi must change. We require a global mass movement. Or else, D-day is inching towards us. Involve and make aware every section of society. Children in schools, housewives in kitchens, labourers in fields, and workers in mines and factories. They all should understand the importance of ecology. Only then can we keep our environment in proper shape.
Afforestation and sanitation are the simplest means of preserving the environment and the common people are critical in this endeavour. But to make them sincere and concerned, environmental values must be inculcated. They must identify with Gandhi’s concern that earth provides enough to satisfy every person’s needs, but not every person’s greed.
The writer is a professor, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad (Jharkhand). He can be reached at ppathak.ism@gmail.com