
In 1992 an appeal by the Union of Concerned Scientists and about 1575 other scientists (including 99 of the 196 living Nobel laureates) issued as World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity, which called for saving the essential life-nurturing conditions of our planet, had attracted a lot of attention. After 25 years a follow up appeal was issued, and this time it was signed by as many as about 14,000 scientists. This appeal to humanity stated that since the first appeal was issued, most of the essential life-nurturing conditions had deteriorated further and hence the urgency of giving the highest priority to protecting the essential life-nurturing conditions of the planet had increased further. While obviously these appeals were very important, their one important limitation was that these scientists did not adequately place this great responsibility within a framework of justice and peace.
This is extremely important. We have to evolve a path of protecting life-nurturing conditions in such a way that basic needs of all people are met in a satisfactory way on the basis of sustainable needs. Otherwise we can get an environmental agenda that is unjust to the poorest and weakest people and victimizes them further.
Secondly, it should be emphasized that conditions of peace, disarmament and minimizing the possibilities of war are of the greatest importance for the kind of continuous international cooperation and stability that are needed for protecting life-nurturing conditions of our planet.
Hence what we need is a plan to resolve the survival or existential crisis within a framework of justice and peace, which means that the future agenda has to be created by combining the objectives of justice, peace and environment protection in such a way that these are well-integrated with each other.
The most defining feature of our times, unprecedented in human history, is that due to man-made factors the life-sustaining conditions for all life-forms of our planet are badly threatened and hence they face a survival crisis.
Segments of this man-made crisis appeared and grew steadily during the last 80 years. Today the survival crisis has assumed an extremely serious form.
Many factors together constitute the survival crisis. At the risk of some simplification, these may be classified into two sections. Firstly, there are very serious environmental problems. These include climate change, fresh water crisis, ocean acidification, air pollution, accumulation of toxic substances and products, disruption of food safety (among other factors by GM crops), destruction of natural forests and huge bio-diversity loss with escalating species extinction.
Secondly there are factors linked to accumulation and proliferation of nuclear weapons, increasing chances of their actual use and accidents relating to them. Robot weapons also bring very serious existential risks, as does the drift towards space warfare. Banned weapons like biological weapons may still see destructive use. Highly destructive new weapons equal to or worse than existing WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction) can emerge in new conditions. Risks of terrorist groups gaining access to or control over WMDs are increasing. The impacts of any large-scale use of WMDs are too well-known to be repeated here.
Several senior scientists or groups of scientists have issued statements in recent years saying that these two issues, taken separately or together, constitute an existential crisis.
As a journalist and author, when I researched this issue, I had an overwhelming feeling of the importance of this issue. Following years of sporadic efforts (with age catching up), I decided to concentrate my efforts on this subject and wrote six books on this subject. These are (1) Protecting Earth for Children – Crucial Role of Next Decade (2) Earth Without Borders – One World for Protecting All (3) Planet in Peril; Survival Crisis – People’s Response Only Way Forward (4) A Hindi book which to some extent brings together all the three above-mentioned books – Dharti Ki Raksha Ke Liye Nirnayak Hoga Agla Dashak (5) A book Man or Machine which looks at these issues from the perspective of Mahatma Gandhi and (6) A fictional book ‘A Day in 2071’ at how the world will be 50 years later if basic reforms are not taken up, and how peaceful resistance will continue.
What follows is a summary of what I’ve stated in these four books mentioned above.
Firstly, given the overwhelming importance of the survival crisis for all humanity and for all forms of life, this survival crisis should be at the center of future planning all over the world.
Secondly, the survival crisis should be resolved within the framework of justice, peace and democracy. In fact, with the emergence of this crisis, the case for justice and equality, avoidance of all war/conflict, life based on non-violence and real grassroots democracy has become much stronger as all this in needed much more than before for resolving the survival crisis.
Thirdly, the next decade may well be the last window of opportunity for resolving the survival crisis before it is too late. This assessment is based on the extent to which various serious problems have advanced. In any case what is true beyond doubt is that in this context the next decade will be very important.
Fourthly, my research reveals that the most basic solutions and changes that are needed are not possible within the existing governance patterns of world and apart from electing national representatives, all people of world should also elect representatives for a world government who will have responsibility only for some key issues of the survival crisis such as elimination of WMDs and protecting ocean ecology.
Fifthly, all future wars need to be avoided. The most serious environmental issues cannot be resolved under the shadow of war and conflict. Wars with WMDs are themselves the biggest essential danger and in addition war, war preparations and weapons are also the biggest polluters.
Sixthly, all nuclear weapons , all weapons of mass destruction and robot (or AI or autonomous) weapons and moves towards space warfare should be completely banned and eliminated, except that for some very special and unlikely situations less than one percent of the stocks may be kept with a world authority in highly secure conditions.
Seventhly, very high priority should be assigned to restricting all those environmental problems which pose an existential threat, while at the same time taking effective steps to ensure that basic needs of the poor are met on a priority basis.
Changes in the economy should be for increasing justice and equality, while reducing waste and excessive consumerism. Sustainable livelihood protection and social security should be emphasized, while linking these to sustainable life-styles and all-round protection of environment.
Social change should emphasize sincerity, cooperation, stability, justice and equality in human relationships, so that people seek happiness and satisfaction in such relationships and not in consumerism. Gender justice at all levels should be honored.
Relationship of human beings with all other forms of life should be based on protective thinking and attitudes. Special encouragement should be extended to small family farms, natural farming, protection of natural forests, soil and water conservation.
Last but not the least, all this will not be possible without a drastic and sustainable change in existing value systems, as prevailing value systems are not at all in tune with the changes outlined above. Hence a large-scale and creative effort has to initiated, identifying values which are most needed in society and striving to spread them in participatory, interesting ways with special emphasis on youth and children.
A key concern should be to emphasize that present-day children and youth as well as the generations to come have the right to grow up and live in a safe and secure world.
Some of the basic changes which are badly needed will be resisted strongly by the existing establishment, we should have patience enough to engage in a well-reasoned debate with them to win over many potential supporters who will play a helpful role. However a more important role will be played by people’s movements with special emphasis on youth movements. Existing social movements of peace, environment protection, justice, gender justice, democracy and animal rights need to come closer to each other and work together with the added perspective of resolving the survival crisis in time. Peace movements with many-sided dimensions should converge to emphasize non-violence in all aspects of life.
As the survival crisis accentuates ordinary people will be inclined to listen to what these movements have to say and by this time these movements should be able to speak unitedly about a broad agenda of change that is needed to resolve the survival crisis in time.
I’ve also tried to take this agenda forward in the form of a campaign called Save the Earth Now Campaign and its SED Demand—the demand for declaring the next decade as Save the Earth Decade. Several prominent citizens and social movements have endorsed this campaign. This campaign statement can also be seen at my web-site – www.bharatdogra.in
Bharat Dogra has contributed about 10,000 articles and 400 booklets/books over the last five decades, writing with a perspective of justice, peace and environment protection.