Written by: Naveen Saju & Greeshma B Raj, Students, The Co-operative School of Law, Thodupuzha, Kerala
Since early 1970’s, environmentalist are in the mainstay highlighting various environmental issues. Initially, they are a miniscule population but gradually become a movement. Such movements in various countries even form political parties such as Green Party having many parliamentary members in Germany, Australia and Hungary etc.
The earth is millions of years old and the various living beings in this world are evolved in course of time. The nature we are seeing today is different from what it was yesterday. Many species of plants and animals become extinct and new forms of species appear in the nature. It is so vast and vivid so that we could neither see the nature in the whole nor control the various forms of nature.
All living beings in this world have to exploit the nature for their survival and well being. In the fight for the survival of the fittest, only the better equipped and adaptable species survive that was the principle proposed by eminent scientist Charles Darwin. For human beings, they have to make their life better and stay in this world comfortably by utilising natural resources for their means. Under such circumstances, he has to harness various methods to control and defeat other living beings and to exploit the natural resources for his well being. Thus the various activities come into his life such as agriculture, shelter, clothing, taming of animals, making weapons, manufacturing tools, developing transportation and communication facilities.
Environment is everything that is around us, where interactions between animals, plants, soil, water, atmosphere etc are happening. Living things constantly interact with the environment and adapt themselves to conditions in it. The earth is millions of years old and passed through various ice ages which results in a prolonged increase in the temperature of earth’s atmosphere with expansion of continents. The nature we are seeing today is different from what it was yesterday and it will definitely subject to various changes tomorrow.
Changes in the environment forces the organisms and living beings to adapt to fit to the new environment causing it sometimes to evolve into a new species. Many species of plants and animals became extinct and new species appear. Environmental changes are caused by various ecological processes and actions that include natural disasters, human interferences or animal interaction.
Now everybody’s attention is sought on climate change. It is true that climatic conditions are changing from time immemorial antiquity and that is why this world has to evolve through various ages such as ice ages. All living beings need to adopt to the changes in the climate. All living beings in this world have to exploit the nature for their survival and well being. According to the eminent scientist Charles Darwin, survival of the fittest will be the rule among the living things in nature. These species who are better equipped to adapt to the environmental changes will survive and flourish.
For human beings, to make their life better and to stay and live in this world, natural resources are to be utilised effectively. As time progresses, the nomadic predecessors began to settle and various activities such as agriculture, shelter, clothing, taming the animals, making weapons, manufacturing tools and equipments, development of transportation, communication facilities etc came into his life. Under such circumstances, he had to harness various methods to exploit natural resources for his existence and well being. For achieving the present way of life, and sincere efforts, wonderful inventions, courageous voyages, discovery of unknown places and high thinking of so many people generations after generations was put to use for a long period of time.
Having substantial development and well being of the people, agriculture with proper irrigational facilities is required. Life without electricity, petroleum, products, various means of transportation, communication facilities, healthcare etc is unthinkable. Mining required getting ores and raw materials are required to make finished goods.[1] To lead this wonderful life in this world, all kinds of natural resources are to be used. Sun is the sole energy producer in our life. How effectively we can use it results in, how better we can live. All living beings need to come in the biological cycle to survive and mutual co-existence means fierce competition among various living things in this world. It is the law of the nature and no one can get rid of it.
In order to make life better and prosperous, we need to build storage dams for producing electricity, irrigating cultivable lands and to provide drinking water. Besides such dams across rivers helps in harnessing flood and overcome drought. Similarly, better transportation and mobility increases good roads, rails, airports, shipping channels etc are needed. All these developmental activities also include in today’s environment. The changes in due course have to be accepted and adapt ourselves to such changes. The nature or environment will not remain the same, if all the human activities are stalled. As the says go, “Nothing changes Except Change”. The actions of human beings are miniscule when the whole world and its environment is considered. Nature’s fury could not be stopped by any of us. After every natural calamity or even routing natural happenings like rain, wind, lightning etc, the environment gets changed. The nature is so vast and vivid and it is capable of adjusting itself. The changes brought to the nature by men are so small that it cannot in any way hamper the activities of the mighty world.
This mother earth maintained by itself for millions of years before the arrival of human being and any other species we see today and it will continue to maintain itself long after most of the present species including human beings will perish and become extinct. The blind acceptance of the environmentalist’s argument, will lead to large scale under development and unemployment. Most of their arguments seem to be betrayal of science and reason.
The environmental regulations are to be implemented after careful thinking. One of the classic examples is the creation of Costal Regulatory Zone (CRZ). The distance from the sea or other water bodies are arbitrarily fixed for human activities. But it is very clear that from very old times, human beings are utilising water transport, people are living on the sea shore and river banks and carrying out various activities. On one fine morning, the environmentalists are telling that all such activities are doing harm to the water bodies. Then how these water bodies remain in existence till date may be a big question.
How can we construct harbours and quays, how to develop the trade and commerce etc remains unanswered. Even civilizations are developed and flourished on the banks of great rivers. When we are regulating sand mining from river beds, frequent flooding occurs and the excess sand will be flowed to the sea.[2] There should be facilities provided to use the material available on earth judiciously for the well being of the people. Similarly, petroleum, coal, natural gas etc are natural resources that are used for the benefit of the mankind.
The so called environmentalists are creating unnecessary fear in the minds of the common man without any reason or circumstantial evidences. What is today is the environment now and a travelling to the past is impossible. Unnecessary fears such as ozone layer, inundation of large part of the earth, extinction of life etc are postulated and later discarded after the initial hiccup. There are many vested interests among the environmentalists. They are enjoying all the comforts of the life by utilising the natural resources. After that, preaching on protecting the environment will be delivered through all types of media and making loud noises for their own gains. A close scrutiny on the life of the environmentalists will reveal their vested interests and selfish motives. Creating havoc in the minds of the people seems to be their motto. It can be noted that a destructive mentality laced with sadism among many of the environmentalists.
Another grave concern of the environmental laws and regulations is the under development it brings to the world and the heavy taxes, such policies will imposes. Besides the environmental regulations inhibits the financial progress and the economy. Undue importance to the environmental protection interferes with the economic growth. Generally, the fanatic environmentalists will hamper the interest of various sectors such as electricity generation, mining, chemical manufactures, power industries, petroleum refineries etc. Unnecessary regulations by giving over exposure to environmental issues will badly inhibit the development, economy, employment creation and above all, the welfare of the people.
Truly speaking, today’s surrounding is the present environment and to protect it as such is humanly impossible and is against the natural law of change.[3] Thus, it is clear that the environmentalists are certainly an exaggerated and unwanted fear among the people jeopardising the advance march of the mankind. Let us stride with the flow of the time by making effective utilisation of the abundant resources showered on us by the almighty through this beloved nature.
CONCLUSION
Everyone should be a law-abiding person with good civic sense, self discipline and cleanliness. This will certainly make the nature more beautiful. We cannot expect that the climate and weather conditions that got evolved in thousands and thousands of years can change in a very short period. All the forms of natural calamities are prevalent from time immemorial. Thinking a little deeper will convince us that with all our might, we are nothing before the nature’s fury and its inherent strength. We cannot control the natural forces and can only try to protect ourselves from such calamities.
The fear generated by the environmentalists on public mind is mostly false and with some peculiar motives.[4] Some years ago, everybody was running behind ozone hole in the earth’s atmosphere, but now nothing is heard about it. Then come the conspiracy theories related to big bang theory and postulates related with black hole and God particle. But now, there are no new updated details on it. Many a scientists predict the total inundation of several cities around the world during the last fifty years, but nothing happens.
So, the unwanted fear generated by the so called environmentalists who are actually stalling the progress of the mankind is to be opposed. At the same time, judicious usage of resources available in the nature without pollution and damaging actions to the civil society as well as the fellow creatures will be helpful to make this world a better place for living.
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