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MEDIEVAL JAINISM: CULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT
The vegetation provides life to every living being. The chlorophyll in the process of photosynthesis, breaks up water into oxygen and hydrogen. Oxygen works as 'life gas' for all the creatures in breathing on one hand and it filters high energy harmful particles from the sun while creating Ozone sphere on the other. Released hydrogen, mixing with carbon-di-oxide which is poisonous to the human being, produce carbohydrates in a natural way without any cost. It provides existence to life, it provides food to survive. It is the regulator and stabiliser to the natural cycle. Besides, vegetation absorbs air pollutants, detects noxious gases and checks the soil erosion. It controls the humidity and attracts the rainfall. Only vegetation has the capacity to convert the solar energy into food through photo-synthesis process. Vegetation only, has the capacity of inhaling the poisonous gas CO2 and has also the capacity to convert it into ambrosia, i.e., "Amrita". It provides life gas to all beings-man, animal and even to vegetation.
Country like India must have at least 40% of the total land under forest. Unfortunately on the paper it has 27% and on the ground it is hardly 11.6%. The state of Rajasthan has 13% land under forest on the paper but it has only 7% forest area. Worst is the situation of the backbone of Rajasthan, i.e., of Aravallis which has hardly 1.5% land under forest. The environment of vegetation life is so important for human welfare, and yet we have been neglecting it and cutting it away in the name of development. At present more than 1.5 million hectares of good forest land is being lost each year. This attitude has started showing its adverse impact; subSaharan conditions have already begun to plague several parts of the country. Extremity in the temperature is increasing; range of highest and lowest temperature is increasing. Latitudinal rules are changing. Earlier
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