A lot has been talked about Earth’s energy imbalance in the last few years. However with the climate change phenomena in the form of rising temperatures, declining arctic sea ice, extreme weather events, heat waves, floods, droughts, stronger storms and hurricanes and so on.. it can be clearly said that the earth is out of balance. In layman’s language it can be said that earth is having a fever, but it’s not clear as to how bad the fever is. Like a patient in a hospital, earth’s vital parameters are being closely monitored by climate scientists. Satellites track the shrinking of glaciers, weather stations maintain rainfall readings, buoys measure deep ocean temperatures, aircraft monitor levels of atmospheric gases.
Climate change and global warming are sometimes thought of as things that will happen in the future. But scientists are finding increasing evidence that the planet is changing now , and that people must take a large share of the blame for this phenomenon. They further explain that excessive carbon emissions through industrial, vehicular pollution, use of CFCs and plundering of forests and natural resources have depleted the ozone layer. This has trapped more and more of solar radiation inside the earth’s atmosphere. As a result, the earth is heating up which has begun to trigger a chain of natural upheavals like floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides in recent times.
We all are very well aware about the fact that nature in her mother form has served man from the beginning of human life on this planet, hence one cannot imagine human existence without support of nature. Like a caring mother, nature gives us the food that nourishes and sustains our bodies as also water that cleanses and gives us life. It also provides fresh air to supply us with oxygen, which is vital to keep bodily functions going. It also provides materials,from hay, firewood and timber to rubber, gum, minerals and countless other things,that have made our lives easier. When one thinks about how much humanity is still served by nature in spite of man’s depredations that have brought about the phenomenon of climate change, one begins to wonder how marvellous nature must have been in its original, unpolluted state. Descriptions made in scriptures about the Golden Age speak of a time when the land yielded food without the peasants having to toil as today. Trees yielded abundant fruits, and crop disease and famine were unheard of. Agriculture at that time did not require heavy investment in terms of labour or inputs such as fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides etc. Nor was it dependent on irrigation systems, since the soil was fertile and produced bountiful harvests, and all the water required was provided by rains, which never failed. Even human bodies, which are made of the five elements, were perfect in that age & hence disease, deformity and debility were unknown to humans of that time. So, then what caused man to descend from such a period of bliss to the present times of natural chaos? When man fell from divine virtues and came under the influence of lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego, his relationship with himself, with others and with nature changed. Instead of revering her as an ever bestowing mother, he started to exploit her to meet his insatiable desires. Now, when she can take no more, nature is revolting through such calamities, causing massive loss to life and property, which is resulting in great human suffering.
Years of research made by environmental scientists have proven that human consciousness plays a very vital role in shaping the environment. The point to be noted here is that human nature influences and creates external nature or the environment. The environmental pollution that we see today is actually seeded in mental pollution. This also means that if humans return to their original nature of peace, purity and love and connect to themselves, each other and nature through it, the environment would automatically get restored to its original harmony. But for this transition to take place, a great cleansing process needs to be set in motion. Taking cue from the world scenario, it is high time that humans endeavour to connect themselves to their original nature of purity and peace. This would help them in treating others and the environment with love and dignity and make them obedient to natural laws. However, if humans continue with their present ways, nature will take it upon itself to set things right and restore the planet’s ecological balance and bring earth back to its original, pure and bountiful state, once again ushering in the Golden Age where man and nature will exist in complete harmony. But, do we really need mother nature to turn so furious? Can’t we show some affection towards our mother who has given us so much?
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