The Ailing Planet: the Green Movement's Role
by Nani Palkhivala
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In this essay Nani Palkhivala warns that our planet, the Earth, is ailing and in urgent need of care. The Green Movement, begun around 1972, has brought a revolutionary new awareness that the Earth is a living organism whose resources are limited and must be sustained for future generations. He notes the shift from a mechanistic view of the world to a holistic, ecological one. The four principal biological systems of the Earth, fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands, are being overused and degraded, threatening food and economic security. Palkhivala highlights the alarming depletion of forests, the population explosion (especially in poor countries), and the need for 'sustainable development' as defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development. He stresses that development and environment must go together, that human beings are trustees of the world's resources rather than their owners, and that with will and effort, as India's Article 48A and the growing environmental consciousness show, the planet can still be healed. He ends on a note of hope that humanity will act as a responsible custodian of the Earth.
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The essay presents the Earth as a living but ailing organism and argues passionately for environmental responsibility. It urges 'sustainable development', warns against reckless exploitation of natural resources and population growth, and calls on humanity to act as trustee, not owner, of the planet.
A new, holistic awareness
Palkhivala says the most revolutionary change in recent times is the shift from a mechanistic view of the world to a holistic and ecological one, the awareness that the Earth is a living organism, like Lovelock's Gaia. The Green Movement, born around 1972 with the first stirrings of a new worldview, has spread the understanding that the planet's resources are finite and must be protected.
The failing biological systems
The four principal biological systems that support the world economy, fisheries, forests, grasslands and croplands, are being consumed faster than they can renew. Overfishing, deforestation, overgrazing and the overworking of croplands are degrading these systems, threatening food supplies and human welfare, especially as the poor depend on them most directly.
Forests, population and sustainable development
Forests are disappearing at an alarming rate, worsening ecological damage. The population explosion, especially in the poorest countries, multiplies the pressure on resources. Palkhivala cites the concept of 'sustainable development', meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, and stresses that development and the environment are not opposed but must go hand in hand.
Trusteeship and hope
Human beings, Palkhivala argues, are the trustees, not the owners, of the world's resources, and hold them in trust for future generations. He points to growing environmental consciousness, to India's constitutional directive (Article 48A) on protecting the environment, and to the world's slow awakening. He ends hopefully, believing that humanity has the will and capacity to become a caring custodian and to heal the ailing planet.