TIME it is for all of us to blame ourselves for the dangerous effects of global warming. For, it is human greed that has led to this point of no-return on the ecological front -- in the past one hundred or so years. So bad is the situation that the United Nations has issued a red-alert sort of warning that Planet Earth has gone well past the limit to avoid climate catastrophe. And this is not happening because of a natural phenomenon, but out of the cruel molestation we have unleashed upon Mother Earth. Yet, the human community is in no mood to slow down in its aggressive outrage of Mother Earth’s modesty. We -- the human community -- are the sole owners of the entire blame. We are the real villains ! And we also are the victims -- of our own black, dark, stark deeds. We are suffering from over-heating of Earth and its systems. We are suffering from flash floods and wild-fires.

 

We are suffering from glacial melts. We are suffering from various diseases that never existed before. So, we hold climate summits, pass resolutions (that we rarely follow) -- and by way of that we indulge in games of international realpolitik where everybody is blaming everybody else. The United Nation’s warning that Earth has passed the limit to avoid a terrible climate catastrophe, thus, is nothing more that death warrant for Planet Earth. Are we going to apply brakes to our recklessness in mining the Earth’s vitals like minerals and oils, and the oceans’ wealth and the mountains’ power to hold the planet together ? Are we going to change the mindless direction of our industrial activity in every possible part of the world ? And, finally, are we going to stop telling lies to ourselves in the name of ecology-conservation ? There is only one answer to all these questions -- ‘NO’. In other words, there are no signs whatsoever of our slowing down at any point.

 

The leaders of the world’s governments and industry and resource-mobilisers are showing no sign of even agreeing to slow down. Much to the contrary, they appear all the more eager to plunder the planet deeper. The UN Report, thus, comes only as a poetic caution that has got no meaning in actuality. For, we the humans are in no mood to listen to our own collective conscience. A complete reversal is, of course, not possible -- as it would only lead to a massive collapse of (apolitical) global order. There may happen some stray efforts to change things for the better, but those will have only perfunctory effects. For, when the GDP statistics are all important for nations to brandish their economic prowess, it is only foolish to expect the world’s governments to expect to slow down on the fleecing of Mother Earth in the name of economic progress.

 

This -- the plunder of Mother Earth -- is happening in every country, WITHOUT EXCEPTION (India included). Political leaders -- of any colour -- only offer lip service to the cause of ecology, but promote fleecing of the planet in the dirtiest possible manner. They and their cronies may have their own slogans and prayers woven around the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (One Earth One Family) for the sake of propaganda, but in actuality they have no sense of responsibility. They talk of ethanol as an alternative fuel not because they want to save fossil fuel, but because they want to save foreign exchange. With such a condition of the world’s political ideologies, it is only foolish to expect a major reversal of economic policy of plunder of the Planet Earth. The United Nations has done its job, all right, as an apex body of majority of nations. But beyond that, the report that describes a terrible ecological “Overshoot” taking place has little value on the ground. Yet, the larger human community has every right to expect the policy-planners to start making rapid changes in the global approach to what is described as growth and development. If such a massive change, such a reversal of policies, is going to take place at all, the world would thank its fate.