Substitute Human Arrogance With Submission To Nature

We are discussing sustainability at all levels today because the future of Earth, the only home we have, is in peril. It is a reminder that if our consumption patterns and lifestyles do not adopt change with urgency, our planet will not be able to support life.

For a meaningful change to take place, it is important to look back and wonder how we reached where we stand today. The world has been able to recognise the symptoms of the problem; it is yet to get to the root of the problem.

Humans Behind the Mess
To elaborate further, there are two kinds of people these days. There are those who believe in catastrophism – that the world is about to end soon. And then there are the techno-optimists who believe that the power of invention and human ingenuity can tide over any crisis. Positivity is good, but this sense of ultimate human superiority is at the root of what we are faced with today.

In fact, the human race has been too intelligent for its own good. The intelligence has allowed us to believe that we can beat nature into total submission. It is time for all of us to understand that our chances of survival will be better if we adopt an accommodative approach towards the planet, rather than have a dictatorial sense. American scientist and ecologist Aldo Leopold called it “land ethic”.

Land Ethic, Empathy & Mission LiFE
Land ethic implies the relationships between people and land are intertwined. Care for people cannot be separated from care for the land. This philosophy has for forever been part of Indian ethos and it is reflected in the saying Prakriti Rakshith Rakshit, which means nature protects when it is protected.

Therefore, the prerequisite for sustainability is to substitute human arrogance with human submission to nature. We cannot have technology overpower the ecosystem. We must develop the empathy to co-exist with it.

As G20 President, India is pushing for this approach to be part of a global understanding. Also,

the Indian government under PM Modi has launched Mission LiFE, or Lifestyle for Environment. Mission LiFE aims to nudge individuals to adopt ways that do not harm but enrich nature.

Besides, a lot is happening at the policy formulation and implementation level to ensure a sustainable India.

Union Budget 2023-2024 laid down the vision for “green growth” ’across multiple sectors, with the underlying thought being that all future growth in the country has to be essentially green. This validated how sustainable development has been mainstreamed in the Indian policymaking process.

Long Road Ahead
While India prides in its numerous achievements, it remains mindful of the long road ahead that needs to be covered. However, it is also mindful of the fact that this is not a journey any country can undertake alone. It requires the coming together of the entire world.

To conclude, I would like to go back to where I began. The climate crisis has taught the human race a huge lesson. We are part of a whole. Despite our intelligence, we are not the whole. The birds, the sun, the trees, the lions and tigers all belong to this whole we call Nature. Let us protect them all and be protected by them.

Excerpts from Yadav’s address at the BW Sustainable World Conclave 2023