Environmental Ethics

Author(s): S M Jain
Publisher: Prakrit Bharti Academy

Page 19

so important for climatic balance on earth is being damaged dangerously.
The health of the soil is getting more and more precarious being over exploited for feeding increasing number of mouths. Its natural productivity because of its multiple organic constituents, the numerous microorganisms have almost been decimated. The living soil has been turned into an inorganic machine requiring more and more doses of chemical fertilisers to produce same quantity and pesticides to protect monoculture crops from pests and these are poisoning the air, soil and water bodies more and more. The poisonous pesticides are getting into human system through food chain with biological magnification almost ten times more in quantity then in soil and it is increasing the incidence of various asthmatic, psychiatric, cardiac, other serious diseases and even cancer.
Forests, the important renewable natural resource are greatest casualty of galloping increase in population and consumerism. This has resulted in increasing erosion and consequent silting of important dams and rivers. In absence of forests, infiltration of rain water is reduced and run off increased and there are devastating floods during rains and the rivers are then dry for rest of the year. Every tree is a dam more efficient than concrete ones to conserve and store water. Forests work as sinks by absorbing obnoxious and polluting gases, convert them in useful products and purify the air. They ameliorate climate, regulate rainfall, protect from fury of devastating storms, provide a host of products to fulfil human needs. The erratic climatic changes, green house effects, widening ozone hole, melting of Arctic ice-caps (already more than 48%) and glaciers are all threatening our health and even survival. These renewable resources of nature rejuvenate if exploited within the carrying capacity but unfortunately forests are being exploited many times more.
Likewise non-renewable resources the various minerals