Sometimes, some events come into our lives in such a way that they make us think about things apart from ourselves. I felt the same during the COVID-19 lockdown period in India. It was an evening when I sat on our terrace, looking far ahead.

Suddenly, the railway track and grove of trees in front of me caught my attention. They were looking clearer compared to other days. I looked around once more. The hills in the distance and the thick vines were still clearly visible. It was not as smoky as on other days.

It was because, during the lockdown, no vehicles were allowed moving in the city. The toxic emissions were also negligible in the environment. So, everything was looking clearer. Then I understood that humans are causing the most harm to our planet.

But I have always been an optimist. So, I thought that human civilization would rise against the exploitation of nature after this pandemic. But nothing happened like that. After the lockdown, everything went back to the way it was before.

There was noise, smoke, and dust everywhere. Animals and birds had also started living in fear again. So, the words of Friedrich Nietzsche reverberated in my mind: "The earth has a skin, and that skin has diseases; one of its diseases is called man."

If we think for a moment, we can realize that our home earth is suffering. From pollution to deforestation, all are harming the soul of our planet. This blog will highlight the exploitation of our environment in different ways. It will also focus on how we can heal our planet for all living beings.

Our ignorance harms our environment.

I think the worst ignorance of us humans are that we consider ourselves more intelligent than all other living beings. Due to this arrogance, we have no idea how many wounds we inflict on this planet. Every day, we build structures touching the sky but do not care about the soil from which life grows.

Even clean water and air are hard to get these days. We have created such a condition for ourselves on this planet. Every day, we slaughter millions of innocent animals just for our happiness. We also cut down trees and destroy mountains and dry rivers to satisfy our false egos. Does this make us an intelligent species anyway?

Another truth is that we give more importance to bringing luxuries into our lives than protecting our environment. I have seen people who install five to six air conditioners in their houses only to show off. If you try to make them aware of environmental pollution, they will not like you. Yes, we have made our society like this nowadays.

How We Exploit Environment?

If you observe the behavior of animals and birds, you will find that they always follow the rules of nature. They don't try to find luxury in basic needs like eating, sleeping, and mating. They eat when they are hungry. They sleep when they need sleep. They mate in a certain period to bring new offspring. So basically, there is no sensual joy in their routines of life. As a result, they only stick to the natural rules.

But we humans are not like that. We try to find sensual pleasure in our basic needs like eating, mating, and sleeping. So we try to create new things every time. As a result, we not only explore the nature but also exploit it. There are many ways we take undue advantage of the environment. Here are some of them.

• Deforestation

Deforestation is one of the major environmental concerns for us nowadays. Every year, we destroy 15 to 18 million hectares of forest, which is the size of Bangladesh. Can you believe it? But, unfortunately, it's the reality of today. Long ago, 91% of the earth's surface was green. But due to the expansion of agriculture, it's now only up to 31%.

Every minute, we cut down 2400 trees. I want to mention an incident that happened when I was in Bhubaneswar. There was a big neem tree in front of my house. It was a shelter for many birds and lizards. One day, the drainage pipe works by the government began in that area. The government officials marked the tree, and they just cut it down.

I was watching all this from our terrace. It was distressing. But it was the work of the government. So what could have, I have done there? However, the government should have replaced the tree somewhere. Moreover, the destruction of forests happens everywhere around the world. It is a sad reality.

• Depletion of Natural resources

Generally, two types of natural resources occur. They are called renewable and non-renewable resources. Water, air, and plants are renewable, while fossil fuels, minerals, and metals are non-renewable resources. When we use these resources excessively, it's called resource depletion.

The way we use these resources nowadays, the day is pretty close to when all this will end. From fossil fuels to minerals, we have been overusing everything. Fossil fuels like petroleum and coal have become the most crucial things nowadays. We can't imagine our lives without fossil fuels.

We use it in cars, trains, planes and kitchen rooms. Recently, there was panic in Europe during the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. It was because the whole of Europe exports natural gas from Russia at cheaper prices. Due to this, the people of Europe keep their homes warm during cold weather. If Russia does not give gas, it will be difficult for Europe. So you can see how dependent we are on fossil fuels.

But, according to research by Stanford University, all-natural oil will end by 2052. Natural gases will end by 2060, and coal may end by 2090. It's an alarming situation. Now, as an alternative, we are looking at Lithium. We will use it for making batteries to electrify our energy sector. It could reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. But Lithium is also a mineral, which can also get depleted.

• Oppression of other organisms

Most ecologists consider animals and birds as natural resources. But I think it is never right to think of animals as resources. They have life, and they display emotions like humans. If we consider them as resources, we can never understand their feelings. And if we can't understand someone's feelings, how can we be justified in being born as humans?

Don't think that I want everyone to become vegetarian. But we should not depend on other living beings for anything other than our basic needs. Why would we kill any living thing if we have good food options? Every living being is not different from this nature. So, exploiting them means exploiting nature. Whether you eat milk, fish, or meat, using these things more than you need is exploitation.

It's not just that. We keep destroying the environment of other living beings to fulfill our selfish interests. We are spreading pollution everywhere – oceans, forests and mountains. Due to this, many animals like the Tasmanian tiger, Caspian tiger, and western black rhinos are extinct. Talking about India, the Cheetah tiger has also become extinct due to excessive hunting.

There are some countries which allow hunting of animals in their country without any shame and for money. A few years ago, the story of an American couple came to light. Both of them went to South Africa and hunted an innocent Giraffe there. And then, they took out the heart of that innocent animal and shamelessly displayed it on social media. What can be worse than that?

How can we forget China when it comes to animal oppression? It is a country where people eat snakes, dogs, cats, and almost everything. Nowadays, China is doing sea fishing on a large scale. And this is going on such a large scale that it can destroy the marine ecosystem. Due to overfishing, there will be a shortage of fish, due to which other sea creatures will also become extinct. If this is not exploitation, then what will we call it?

Recently, I read the news that China is buying donkeys from Pakistan. There is also news that China is buying millions of monkeys from Sri Lanka. It may torture these innocent creatures and conduct so-called research on them. Who knows what new disease China wants to create after Covid-19?

• Growing Pollution

When it comes to environmental pollution, humans are the biggest responsible for it. Today, you can find no place on earth without pollution. First, let's talk about air pollution. Most of the air pollution is due to the burning of fossil fuels. It's because when the fossil fuels burn, they produce the toxic carbon monoxide gas.

Chemical factories also release harmful gases into the air that cause air pollution. Dusts blown by construction work every day also cause air pollution. The soaps, scents, and other cosmetic products also harm the atmosphere. The fluorocarbons emitted from our refrigerators and air conditioners deplete the ozone layer.

About 99.82% of the global land area has highly toxic tiny particles in the air that scientists have linked to lung cancer and heart disease. Isn't it alarming? Now, let's talk about water and soil pollution. See, we have destroyed the fertility of the soil. It's by frequently applying chemical fertilizers.

Plastic is also another cause of soil and water pollution. You can now find it everywhere, even in the ocean. They don't decompose in the soil. So, the toxic chemical particles then flow into the groundwater and cause pollution. The nanoparticles of plastic can also cause soil pollution by destroying its fertility.

The urgency to Reverse Environmental Exploitation

Indeed, human civilization has substantially increased the exploitation of nature's resources during the last century. That's why we have to reverse it now. Otherwise, the consequences can be dreadful. I still remember the natural disaster at Kedarnath. I think you must have heard a little about that as well. That disaster was also due to the over-exploitation of the Himalayas.

The exploitation of the environment is causing problems like climate change today. Due to the increasing oppression of animals and birds, various diseases like COVID-19, Ebola, and Swine Flu are becoming more common. Due to the lack of clean soil, water, and air, our mental and physical health is becoming weak.

Deforestation and pollution are some of the biggest problems before us today. They can cause food shortages and create social inequalities in the future. The exploitation of mountains and rivers has also increased the possibility of disasters such as earthquakes and floods. Therefore, we must immediately reverse this environmental exploitation.

The Path to Healing Our Planet

• Seeking The Truth of Life

I think the first thing we should do to heal this planet is to give up our ignorance. Our ignorance separates us from Mother Nature and her divine creation. We need to instill the light of knowledge in our hearts to feel the pain and suffering of every living being.

We also need to realize that trying to find luxury in basic needs can make us greedy. We can fulfill our needs just by being friendly to our environment. We don't need to exploit it at all. I think spiritual knowledge is the best way to guide us to the truth of life. As a result, we can heal our planet.

• Transition to Renewable Energy

The excessive use of fossil fuels is the reason for climate change and pollution. That is why we should move from fossil fuels to hydro, solar, and wind energy. We should try to ensure that our governments promote Renewable energies as much as possible.

If the government can give subsidies to produce and use clean energy, what could be better than this? Apart from solar, wind, and hydropower, we need to discover other alternatives like green hydrogen. The best example of this is the recent pledge by Reliance Industries to produce green hydrogen energy in India by 2025. I think it's a good thing for other countries to learn.

• Reforestation and Forest Conservation

Forests and paddy plants are a boon for this planet. We should not destroy them just for our interest. However, we are not creating new forests at the same rate of their destruction. Planting trees and making this earth green is the need of the time to heal our planet. When we plant trees, we ensure clean air, biodiversity conservation, and carbon sequestration.

To tackle climate change, we also need to conserve the present vegetation on our planet. If all the G21 nations determine, they can easily pass a declaration on creating new forests. Individually, we can inspire people to plant more trees and make greeneries like India's forest man, Jadav Payeng.

• Waste Reduction and Recycling

Waste reduction is reducing the use of material and energy to minimize waste generation and preserve natural resources. In today's era, waste reduction is crucial to save our planet from pollution. Plastic waste is the biggest concern for the world today due to its toxicity. So, a total reduction of plastic waste will boost the healing of our planet many times faster.

Governments also need to encourage people to recycle waste management. From July 1, 2022, India has banned some types of single-use plastic items. I think it has made a lot of impact on our lives. But still, we have many more things to do to heal this planet from plastic waste.

• Conservation of Biodiversity

Many kinds of animals, birds, and insects live on our planet. It is the combination of all of them that keeps the environment balanced. So, we need to conserve biodiversity to heal the environment. I want to give the example of the Cheetahs here. They are extinct in India today due to overhunting. In the future, many creatures will disappear like this.

Many species, such as civets, otters, and vultures, may go extinct. Not only in India but also biodiversity conservation is a need of the world. Nations must enforce wildlife conservation laws to combat illegal wildlife trafficking. It will help many species prosper and maintain the balance in our environment.

• Sustainable Agriculture

We all know that agriculture is the biggest reason behind the destruction of forests. That's why we have to do our farming similarly so that we don't have to destroy the forests. For this, we must ensure that the soil's fertility remains intact. As a result, we can reuse the same land for a long time. Organic farming and crop rotation can also reduce the impact of agriculture on our environment.

Let me give you an example of how agriculture causes air pollution. In some parts of Punjab, the farmers burn down the leftover paddies after cultivation. After this, they plant new crops there. But this increases the air pollution. As a result, the air pollution in Delhi and Haryana has become toxic. So, at the government level, we should prohibit such agricultural practices that harm our environment.

Conclusion

I want to quote the former PM of India, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee." We may have gone to the moon but not learned how to live here." The speed with which we are moving towards destruction is quite visible. But still, nothing has gone far. If we do, everything can change. Our mother earth can become green again. And all the living organisms can live happily here. What else can I say? Maybe now we all should do something to save this planet. Just as drops of water make an ocean, our small efforts can also change this world.

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