________________
and in future there will be more conflicts and wars for water than for any other reasons. Population also started increasing exponentially. The excess pressure on land decreased its productivity which is being increasingly supplemented by chemical fertilizers. As a result of mono cropping the crops are susceptible to pest attacks requiring poisonous pesticides. The indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides is one of most important factors for air, water and soil pollution. The remnant pesticides in water, food grains, fruits and vegetables are entering human system with increasing biological magnification and causing incurable diseases like cancer. Inspite of innovations and high tech agriculture more than one third of world population and more in poor countries is still suffering from malnutrition and hunger. There will be no respite unless population explosion is checked and reduced to sustainable levels.
The industrial revolution with more and more industries coming up every year is adding fuel to fire. The already stressed environment as a result of pressure of increasing population is getting more and more burdened by increasing demands for water, power and minerals and industrial pollutants are accentuating the pollution levels of air water and soil to intolerable limits. The thrust of every industry is to increase the consumption of its products, thus enhancing consumption levels more and more putting more and more pressure on environment and adding more and more pollutants. For any industrial product even for manufacturing a needle there is need for water minerals and energy. The energy requirement of civilisation per capita in K. Caloaries day since Paleolithic era have been calculated by E. Cook in 1975.
1. Early Paleolithic 106 years ago
2. Middle Paleolithic 105 years ago
3.
Early Neolithic 10+ years ago
4.
Middle ages 600 years ago
Early industrial 100 years ago
Modern technological society 1970 base year
5.
6.
2000 units 4000 units
12000 units
26000 units
77000 units 230000 units
Presently it is around 300000 units and if population and consumption levels are not checked and reduced it will treble to 900000 units by 2050. This needs to be checked and reduced to sustainable levels.
The first steps for yogic (Symbiotic) union with nature is to gradually. revert back to forest based life style. This is not difficult. Trees giving edible seeds, fruits, flowers can be planted in agricultural fields at a spacing of 5×5 or 6x6 metres so that cross cultivation can be done and agriculture crops can be grown till such time the trees start giving edible products. Author's project "Food from Forests" was sanctioned by Department of Science and Technology and the Research Scholar Sneh Sharma has done Ph.D. on it. Within the available money and time only seeds of twenty species of forest trees could be analysed for their nutritional status-protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, filbres
72
