Yesterday as I woke up and drew my curtains apart, I noticed
the scenery outside had somehow changed. It took me a minute to realize that two
healthy, green and big Almond (Badam) trees were missing. I ran out to see what
happened. Just the usual, somebody wanted to construct a house on the empty
plot and had uprooted the trees to make way.
I have failed to understand why trees, which would anyway be
near the compound, or the front or rear part of the house are cut down, as a plan can be easily made to
circumvent them. And then these trees were not useless also, they regularly
gave fruits. Any tree for that matter, even if not fruits, would definitely
provide oxygen and shade. There are two small trees at the bus stop from where
our office bus picks us up every morning; around 20-30 of us crowd under those
for shade every day. As famously said,
“Everyone wants to park in the shade, but no one wants to plant
a tree.”
In my PG, sometimes, unnecessary lights are kept burning.
Girls forget to switch off the geyser or fan. Even with constant reminders,
some refuse to turn off appliances and their explanation-“I pay for it, I can
use as much as I like.” “Oh yes! You could, only if our power reserves were
unlimited.” But that isn’t the case. Power is currently obtained using coal and
water, both of which are available in very limited quantities.
The same applies to water usage. A tanker fills up our sump
and in two days, around 20000 liter of water is used up. Try telling people
that we can’t afford such usage. I bet the answer you would get is “I can pay
more”. Have you ever thought how would you buy water if it did not exist? “Not
exist!!! That’s just ridiculous. We know that can’t happen”. Oh yes, not that
it would cease to exist, but it would exist in unusable forms- like polluted
lakes & river bodies, salt water in oceans, groundwater way below 100 feet
depth. What would we do then?
Somehow, there is a notion in our head that once we have
money, we can buy everything else. If there is scarcity of something, all that
it would take is more money to get it. But this is true only till the tipping
point, beyond which what we actually want will not be around anymore. Will we
eat and drink money then?
There is one other argument that even if all this were to
happen, it wouldn’t happen anytime soon. “I won’t suffer, so why should I care”.
Is it really so? The droughts, floods, weather changes, extreme heat and
extreme cold that have already been occurring- they are clearly the signs of
climate change. If this summer you had a tough time getting water tankers or if
you witnessed the floods in Chennai last year, you know you are already a
victim of climate change. It is not a ‘future thing’ anymore, it is here and it
is real.
Nature has been around for millions of years and will
continue to be so. It has always evolved and adapted to the changes. But we
humans are frail and cannot evolve to keep pace with nature. Ideally all these
campaigns should be called ‘Human Conservation Clubs’, not nature clubs.
Because if we keep violating nature, it is us who will be destroyed, not
nature! So, what do you we about it? If you were thinking of joining the next poster
campaign, wait a moment. Before you start preaching, check if you are practicing
the essentials. Get one or two plants and take good care of them, switch off
your appliances/gadgets when not in use, use minimal water for all purposes,
feed a few stray animals, ensure your vehicles are conditioned and within
pollution limits. If you think all this is in place move on and tell a few more
people to do the same because, it is always the small things that matter.
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