ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION : A GRAVE CONCERN

On 5^th June every year we observe World Environment Day. In the present age we are better equipped with scientific advancements to tackle and sustain natural gifts than to destroy it. But it has always been seen that science without ethics is a mere hollow sphere. This type of scientific advancement will only lead to self destruction. We are rapidly depleting natural resources without realising its far reaching side effects. The more the countries are developing rapidly the more rapidly they are destroying natural gifts. Its all due to lack of moral will.

  Immanuel Kant who divided the world of things into two- as they appear to us to be (phenomenal) and as they are really in themselves (noumenal) . We gain knowledge about this in three ways-    (i)through the senses

(iI) through the intellect and

(iii) through the moral will.

The knowledge which we gain through the senses and the intellect is the knowledge of the world of the things as they appear to us to be. It can never be the knowledge of the world of things as they are for the reason that in seeking knowledge through senses and the intellect we necessarily impose upon the things themselves forms of intuition (space and time) categorises ‘such as quality, quantity, substance and casuality’ which exists not in the things themselves, but in our own minds.

Nature can only answer the questions which we put to it and its answers must conform to the way in which we frame the questions, There is one way and one way only that we can have contact with the world as it really is and this is through our moral will. In a way Kant brings science and ethics closer by telling us that while the former deals with the phenomenal world, noumenal world is the concern of the later.

 Thus its clear that Kant’s emphasis on bringing science and ethics closer is the one and only solution for  sustaining nature and natural resources. The Hindu culture always emphasises on friendly attitude and harmony with nature. Sustainable development, instead of being a mere slogan, should be part and parcel of our everyday lives. Our Common Future, known as the Brundtland Report, states that sustainable development is development that “meets the needs of the present without compromising with the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. It shouldn’t be viewed only as a report but should be practically implemented in all countries- developing or developed. This is only possible if we have the moral will to do so. E.F. Schumacher’s  ‘Small is Beautiful’ is a remarkable work on this topic. It gives us various lessons on the symbiotic association with nature and its advantages as opposed to indiscriminate exploitation of the gifts of nature for our materialistic leisure. Seeing the massive destruction of nature it now becomes mandatory for every global citizen to awaken his/her conscience and strive towards creating a sustainable global village where every living entity has a say and people are responsible enough not think only about the present but also have a vision for the future.

The rise of humans as the masters of this planet has made us believe that this earth is for our benefit only and we have the sole right to exploit it upto the highest limit. In the name of development we are causing a great disaster : GLOBAL WARMING wich is just like a time bomb waiting to explode.   The global warming has become a major environmental issue thanks our indiscriminate use of fossil fuels and some other chemicals. The carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other gases trap heat in atmosphere as they are transparent to incoming sunlight but opaque to the outgoing reflected infra red radiati. Fuel combustion in various forms is biggest man-made source of carbon-dioxide and nitrous oxide. Decomposition of organic waste is a major source of methane. The basic reason for such degradation is the industrial evolution. It has been estimated that if temperature were to rise by 2.5 degree Celsius in the next century, there will be- irreversible expansion of deserts leading to large scale desertification and large scale climate changes, badly affecting productivity and development.

 India ranks fifth in the list of world polluters with the United States of America at the top of the list. There is no doubt that the developed nations are more responsible than the developing nations  for the Greenhouse effect as they have initiated the spur of industrial development. But still there is no point in blaming each other for the environmental degradation as  all the countries have contributed to it in varying proportions not to exclude developing countries like China and other Asian countries which are fast catching up with their western counterparts.

In India land has been degraded by many factors including  deforestation, faulty irrigation and drainage practices, soil erosion by wind and water, inadequate soil conservation measures, steep mountain slopes and overgrazing by livestock. Intensive agriculture based on chemical fertilizers and pesticides has diminished the health of soils in parts of the country. As per the 1995 assessment of forest cover by the Forest survey of India, about 64 million hectares or 19.5 per cent of India’s land area is under forest. The main cause of deforestation in India have been:

(i)                  Conversion of forest land into agriculture land: Between 1951 and 1972, 2.433 million hectares of forest land was converted for cultivation

(ii)                 River valley projects,

(iii)                Industries like railways, paper, pulp and poly fibres

(iv)              Roads and communication

(v)                 Overgrazing by livestock

(vi)               The requirement of fuel, wood, charcoal and timber by the rural and urban people.

(vii)             The dams like Bhakra, Tehri and Sardar Sarovar submerge not only the forests but also displace thousands of inhabitants in addition to submerging the cultivated lands, thus increasing the pressure on the remaining forest areas.

 It has been estimated that within the short span of seven years between 1975 and 1982 the country lost 1.3 million hectares of natural forest per year. Commercial plantations has also contributed in deforestation. The commercial plantations are increasing at the expense of natural forests. The commercial exploitation of forests dates from the British period who established total control over the forests. This resulted in a series of tribal uprisings who traditionally were the users of th forests while at the same time protecting them from  degradation. The British policy was followed by the free Indian government but the destruction of the forests continued unabated. As a result, there were popular movements like Chipko movement in Garwhal and Silent Valley struggle in Kerala in 1970s and later on movement against Sardar Sarovar project in Narmada river and Tehri Dam in Uttaraanchal. The Chipko movement succeeded in changing the official strategy regarding forests.  Greenhouse gases are responsible for changing the earth’s climate. Reservoirs emit greenhouse gases due to the rotting of flooded vegetation and soils and of organic matter flowing into the reservoir from its catchment.

The World Commission on Dams (WCD) quotes an estimate: perhaps between 1 to 28 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions comes from reservoirs. In some cases emissions from a reservoir can be equal to or a greater than those from a coal or gas fired powered station. Emissions are highest in shallow, tropical reservoirs. Energy conservation should be also taken seriously. These all maladies could be cured only if we think and act morally and judiciously towards nature.

REFERENCE:

PRATIYOGITA DARPAN , extra issue POL science, series -22