In Good Faith: Ecological dharma

Article Summary

In the article at issue, the author sheds light on the need for a sense of ownership of nature, that being an efficient way to protect nature against slaughter by mankind. Environmental citizenship, wherein people claim the rights to unpolluted nature by claiming rights over it as inhabitant of an ecology, is what the world needs for natural protection. The article begins by alluding to the protests against mining from an iron ore mine in Chattisgarh, citing the protest model as the need of the hour. The incident isn’t isolated, and the author says we just have to look to ancient Indian manuscripts if we want inspiration or reasons behind launching other environmental protection crusades of the same nature. Across diverse religions’ teachings, the lesson is easy to grasp – the divine being exists around us through the bounties of nature, and it is our duty to protect such generosity from harm. In pushing for the cause of environmental awareness to reach greater breadth of reach, we must make use of culture. Often, the culture of an area develops indigenously in a way best suited to that place’s natural demands and idiosyncrasies, and can emerge a big tool in making people protect nature. It is high time we invested in environmental protection, argues the author – governments promise short-term development at costs of long-tern peril, and if we cannot claim citizenship of our nature, we might be heading for collapse as a race.