None of the political party manifesto’s mention the most important factor on which we are dependent for our existence. Our environment!
The environment,unquestionably, is the most important factor of our lives. Our lives really do depend on our environment. Yet our political parties do not mention anything about how to sustain and preserve our bio-diversity, or, even how to create and maintain a circular economy. i.e. “an economic system aimed at minimising waste and making the most of resources. This regenerative approach is in contrast to the traditional linear economy, which has a ‘take, make, dispose’ model of production”
Wikipedia.
It just shows how out of touch with reality, politics and politicians are.Our political parties have no interest in conservation of our air, water and forests, or, sustainability.
Our politicians, obviously believe that – promises and pelf,politicking and pettiness, getting power and holding on to power, are more important than conservation of the Earth.
They have no knowledge of our co-dependence on our environment, or, the right to life of our biodiversity. They only know how to manufacture fiction, build illusions and trivialise life into two-or three-word banalities.
It is obvious that our politicians have not heard of the ‘Mother Earth’ law, even though the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth was adopted internationally in Cochabamba, Bolivia,in 2010, and, on which,environmental programmescould have been built and included in their manifesto’s.
The Bolivian,”Mother Earth” law, accords nature the legal rights to life.Its statutes require the people to “uphold and respect the rights of Mother Earth”.
The ‘Law of Mother Earth’ defines these rights as “the right to life, the diversity of life, water, clean air, equilibrium, restoration and pollution-free living. Among the guiding principles of this law are harmony, collective good, guarantee of the regeneration of Mother Earth and no commercialism.”
But Politicians do not give priority to our collapsing and exhausted ecosystems. In fact, docks, mines, SEZ’s, nuclear plants, arms and ammunition plants are authorised and are being built; land is being exploited in ecologically sensitive areas by corporations and government affiliated organisations, with political connivance.
Environmental collapse and climate crises are affecting us. Climate is changing. Patterns of seasonality are changing. Food, agriculture, and water systems are worsening, forests are declining, prices are rising. But politicians ignore the fact of our co-dependence on nature.
“An economic system based upon infinite growth in a finite world can only spectacularly collapse“. Glen Barry
Biodiversity simply means “the variety of life on earth”. It is the whole lot of organisms and ecosystems – over 10 million different species – animals, plants, fungi, micro-organisms, their genes and their habitats which represent the world’s biological diversity, or biodiversity. And all species and ecosystems are connected like interlocking pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. Everything is interdependent. There is no key piece. All the pieces have to be in their place to complete the puzzle. All animals, fish, plants and organismsare part of this jigsaw puzzle – and everything is mutually supporting. Biodiversity is essential to maintain our lives and our life-support systems.
Politicians do not seem to know or care about sustainability and equitable sustainable development. Therefore, commercialisation is given precedence over preservation. Exploitation of natural resources is given precedence over regeneration. Manipulation takes precedence over restoration. And wasteful consumerism takes precedence over conservation.
Corporations, religionists, overbearing politicians, governments and the media have side-tracked us,with the nonsense of economics, religion, and nationalism,to our present state of falling standards and social and economic decline. We are being divertedand distracted from the ecological basis of our beings.
All the Injustice, inequity,conflict, antagonism, divisivenessand diminishing basic rights and environmental decline can be related in some manner to this disregard for long-term ecological sustainability.
Unless we stop damaging our environment and leave natural ecosystems and our biodiversity intact and unharmed, life will come to an end.
Since our politicians do not think that our collapsing environment is a serious matter, we would have to take care of thesustainability of ourplanet and its drained ecologies by ourselves.
We could do this by consuming resources responsibly and by wasting less.
By encouraging people to live in a way that doesn’t hurt the environment.
By educatingwhoever we can about preserving habitats, preventing pollution, and being heedful of global warming.
By making it a point to remember that our road to recovery could be based on a few ‘R’ words – Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Recover. Reform. Regenerate.
Save our forests from government economic policy – where monetary valuation and economics becomes the criteria for decision making and policy, and seek alternatives to the perverse economic valuation of nature and its extractive policy.
Empathise, support and stand-with the forest dwelling people -our ancestral people,who depend on forests for theirlivelihoods and yet regenerate and protect forests and their biodiversity.
Lean towards economics that is humane, people-oriented, equitable and fair, especially to the less privileged.
Halt the destruction of our environment.Support afforestation and reforestation with varied plant species. Generally, encourage the growth of trees and discourage the chopping of trees.
Support ethical companies that operate in ways that minimise damage to the environment.
Despite political neglect, we must rise above our own indifference and passiveness towards authorityand do everything we can to preserve our environment.
Protest whenever and wherever we can, by joining like-minded pressure groups against corrupt, misguided state sanctioned development projects and their nexus with dishonest corporations.
Persuade corporationsand our politicians to save our forests from being destroyed for mining, dams, buildingprojects, SEZs and STZs, and other resource-exploiting and polluting industries.
Ecology is the ultimate truth. Without intact natural ecosystems there can be no life. Humanity is destroying natural life for fleeting comfort for some.Glen Barry
References: Dr. Glen Barry Ph.D. ‘Earth Meanders’ series.
Pratap Antony is a Passive activist. Active pacifist freelance thinker and writer on ecology and environment, social justice and pluralism, management ideas and issues and jazz and western classical music and Indian classical dance.