Ecology over Economics – for a sustainable tomorrow

Ecology over Economics – for a sustainable tomorrow

Ankuran Pathak

Economic development is often defined as Improvement in quality of life.

The overwhelming quest for Economic growth, however has immensely affected the World we live in, changing almost everything around us.

The color of the Sky viewed from the cities we live in, has changed from deep blue to dull grey. At times it gets barely visible, shrouded in a thick smog caused by various anthropogenic emissions. The Rivers flowing from the glaciers through deep gorges have changed into mere reservoirs.

 Encaged in huge concrete structures, they are made to rotate turbines in order to light our homes and streets. Even the Horizon has changed; it is no longer the azure sky with the flock of birds returning home, it has changed into a concrete wall adorned with fancy lights of material pursuits. Pristine forests changing into Coalfields, Petroleum drilling sites.

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And in all these so called development, the improvement in quality of life is nowhere evident. It is the sad reality of today, the machines devised for our comfort has become the very cause of our peril.

         In our quest for achieving economic wellbeing, it seems we have forgotten that without a healthy environment, survival of all biotic species dwelling in it shall be threatened, and this is profoundly evident in the recent times.

“We continue to cover the surface of the earth with piles of harmful waste materials. We continue to choke our oceans with plastics. We continue to build dams on our Rivers. We continue to destroy forests and degrade ecosystems. We continue to lace the food we eat with poisonous chemicals. We are simply continuing to harm our only living home –this planet Earth without knowing, when and how to stop?”

Many species of flora and fauna has already been declared extinct and many as critically endangered and this trend may not be considered well for us homo-sapiens either, until and unless we place Ecology over Economics while formulating developmental policies and executing the same. When policies and their execution synchronize with the hopes and aspirations of the common people then only desirable results can be expected. 

Although certain policies formulated and the resultant anthropogenic activities do not reflect the same. We continue to dig into the heart of the Earth in search of minerals to fuel our journey towards economic development.

We continue to cover the surface of the earth with piles of harmful waste materials. We continue to choke our oceans with plastics. We continue to build dams on our Rivers. We continue to destroy forests and degrade ecosystems. We continue to lace the food we eat with poisonous chemicals. We are simply continuing to harm our only living home –this planet Earth without knowing, when and how to stop?

   Once, I came across a billboard at the entry gate of a protected Forest near my home, where it was written, “The wilderness holds answers to questions Man has not yet learnt to ask” and how true it is. As the entire humanity continues to struggle with the pandemic and its consequences, we are left with certain very poignant questions related to Human existence.

Questions related to our actions and their consequences on the future of our species.  Questions pertaining to the choices we need to make today for a sustainable tomorrow. It is my firm belief that answers to these questions can only be found in Nature.

                 A lifestyle of excessive materialism and wasteful consumerism, dependence on fossil fuels, and lust for extravagant concrete structures are some of the major hindrances on our path to reconnect with the natural world.

Thus, the adverse impacts of unmindful economic activities can be mitigated only if we change our consumption pattern. All we need is a paradigm shift from excessive consumerism to minimalism.

    Many communities throughout the Globe have already geared up to bring about a change. Countries like Netherlands and Germany have created well-planned bicycling infrastructure to facilitate their citizens to take up bicycling with ease. It has consequently reduced petroleum consumption and resultant vehicular emission.

Britain has shut down all coal-fired power plants in order to establish coal free energy sector and fossil fuels have been replaced by renewables. Even the recent ban on single use plastics (SUPs) throughout our country India is an important step towards this paradigm shift.

   But the question is are we humans doing truly enough to prevent further damage to our natural environment and restore our ecosystem? Can we just rely on commitments made by politicians and so called world leaders at showy international forums? We as individuals have a far more significant role to play in preservation of our ecology and environment.

We need to identify the activities which are posing threat to the natural environment and subsequently reduce our environmental footprint. We need to choose sustainable alternatives; Renewables and greener fuels as alternatives to fossil fuels, Natural and biodegradable packaging materials as alternatives to plastics, bicycles as alternatives to fuel guzzling cars, and may be small cozy homes as alternatives to big extravagant houses.

In a nutshell, we should replace wasteful consumption with thoughtful living for a sustainable tomorrow.

       During the pandemic it was observed that an augmented sense of environmental awareness started developing in the minds and hearts of the common man.  Hope, this is how Nature is planning to restore its equilibrium. But unless and until we practice what we preach, it is certain that we have a difficult journey ahead of us.

Therefore, it is time for us to act for a sustainable future and in our actions we have to consider placing Ecology over Economics.  We need flowing rivers with clean and clear water, growing forests with abundant biodiversity, fertile lands, clean air and blue skies more than a flourishing economy developed at the cost of Nature.

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