Mankind’s irresponsibility, over exploitation and rampant deforestation
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: July 25, 2014 -

Majority of the Governments of both developed and developing countries view that protection of environment entails a net expense to economy.

Corresponding to the global climate change and rising temperature, mankind’s concerns for environmental protection have grown multiple times in the past decades.

However, despite the much enhanced knowledge and concerns for environment and its preservation, all the human efforts are still not fruitful enough to preserve a sustainable environment.

Polls conducted across the planet showed that the public attached great value to protecting the environment. Ironically, environment is only degrading year after year.

One primary reason is mankind’s economic concerns and prioritisation of economic agenda over environmental concerns by almost all the countries.

In spite of the ever rising temperature, the imminent threats of melting Arctic glaciers and subsequent rise of sea levels, all the international environmental summits including the latest one could not come up with any effective mechanism to counter environmental degradation.

Very often, environmental concerns faded into oblivion during economic hard times, and it is a reflection of the fact that majority of the public and most of the leadership still believe that protecting the environment represents spending money rather than saving it.

In other words, it represents consumption rather than investment. Economic activity, both production and consumption, relates to the environment in two fundamental ways — we draw resources (both renewable and non-renewable) from the environment to produce goods and services, and we emit wastes into the environment in the process of both production and consumption.

Too often we think and act as if we were not part of nature. This is one common folly of mankind, committed ever since fossil fuels were discovered.

Rather than thinking of ourselves as nested in nature and dependent upon it, we think of ourselves as sitting on top of it, managing it.

We think there are the human world and the natural world, and we forget that we are ourselves, with all our technology, part of nature.

Perhaps, forest resources are the single largest source of livelihood after agriculture for majority of the mass in Manipur.

But the sad part is, we continue to see forest resources only as firewood and tree trunks for obtaining timber.

The tendency to disregard or undervalue the public benefits and externalities derived from forest ecosystems, whilst assigning value to the private goods that can be derived by harvesting and over-exploiting them lies at the heart of the ‘biodiversity crisis’ which is fast unfolding in Manipur as elsewhere in different parts of the world.

Yes, as stated by Revenue, Forest and Environment Minister Th Debendra in the Manipur Legislative Assembly, the condition of forests in the State of Manipur is precarious as well as alarming.

Many hill ranges, once covered with thick, lush green forests, are now bare and barren due to over-exploitation.

The situation demands both immediate measures as well as long-term policies to stall further degradation of environment and if possible, reverse the alarming trend for healthy, sustainable biomes.

Ignorance, economic compulsion and in some part greed are behind unrestrained exploitation of forest resources.

Our people must have certain idea about the roles of forest in environmental protection viz retention of underground water, absorption of harmful carbon emission, balancing seasonal rainfall, prevention of landslides et al.

Th Debendra was overshooting himself when he stated that even though people were aware about the benefits of forest produces, very little was done for protection of forests in hill areas.

Whether it was self-critiquing or putting blame on someone else, the Government, not the ignorant or impoverished mass, should lead the way of the well overdue crusade for protection of environment, more precisely forest conservation.

Having said this, we are not undermining people’s role. In fact, people’s participation is crucial and paramount.