Like elsewhere in the world, other day World Environment Day was celebrated here in the Valley as well. And as happens on such occasions, dozens of functions were held here and there, and in these functions people and the government functionaries renewed their pledge to work for the saving the environment and ecology from further pollution and degradation. This is what these functions are all about – such pledges start and end during the functions only. Beyond that not many people and certainly not the government’s agencies vested with the responsibility of preserving the environment and taking care of its health needs have any worthwhile record of doing anything for its betterment.
Ludwig Boltzman once wrote, nineteenth century will be remembered as the century of Darwin, in much the same way as the twentieth century is remembered as the one belonging to Einstein. The humankind’s burgeoning understanding about the biological sciences along with their co-relation with other spheres of physics and allied sciences have altered the landscape of human perceptions so drastically that one is forced to think in terms of issues and challenges which were no concern for us, may be only a few decades back. Global warming, increasing continental drift, rising sea-level, ozone depletion, desertification of arable lands and forests, increasing salination of portable water et al. are only a few instances about-which there is developing an increasing popular consensus across cultures to have some kind of joint obligations so that mankind is not forced to a point of self-annihilation. One can only wonder how will be the current century be remembered!
If the world’s major powers have dragged feet in signing international protocols (like Kyoto Protocol by the USA) to guarantee strict adherence to measures ensuring environmental safety, it is not being praised for this defiance. Indeed there is an overwhelming majority of people in the USA itself, more than what is anywhere else in the world, who hate their leadership’s and country’s insensitivity towards the issues of environment and ecology which concern not only any single or isolated political or geographical entity, but threaten the entire humankind if not heeded to in time. Same is more or less the case everywhere else in the world. With public opinion increasingly turning in favour of more environment-friendly development, it is the governments which will have sooner or later to follow the suit.
Nature has created this earth or even for that matter the extra-terrestrial elements like sun and moon and other stars and planets and also their affects and influences on earth – be it in the form of heat and light or magnetic pull for instance – in such a manner that there exists a delicate balance between them. And there is not only the scientific evidence but human beings too have witnessed that once this balance is disturbed, there is chaos; and God forbids, there is death and destruction.
Imagine what will happen if the delicate balance between the earth and the sun – let’s presume in terms of their movement and hence location vis-a-vis eachother – is disturbed? It shouldn’t be difficult to anticipate the kind of disturbances the same would trigger everywhere. Obviously the ramifications can only be imagined – most of the mankind would not be alive to observe and document the CHANGE that will be set in motion if such a disaster ever happens. To sum up one can say that there is a marked balance, some kind of equilibrium, some steadiness, some poise in and between everything that forms our immediate as well as distant ambience and environment. As long as this balance is appreciated and respected, there is harmony around for the humanity to enjoy the bounties of nature’s wondrous generosity. However, once owing to our material greed or for some other reason, we start poking in our nose to disturb this harmony, there is every possibility of the same ‘kind nature’ training its proverbial guns at us. If we don’t appreciate this importance of ecological balance and continue fiddling with nature, our forests and water-bodies in particular, the day is not far off when Kashmir will no longer be same. Indeed the devastating floods of September 2014, and recurrent flood fears since then, must be taken as warning signals from the nature – that we must stop fiddling with it or else be ready to face its wrath, and certainly could be far worse than what the floods have done since past year.
