By: Mr. Anamitra Roy
Abstract:
Environment is a broad term. It encompasses all that surrounds us, both the natural world in which we live and all the things produced by people. It is an undeniable fact that this life will become extinct from the face of this earth if its constant, active and beneficial links with the environment are disrupted, or environment itself is fatally degraded. When changes occur in the environment various insurmountable problems appear before the plants and animals including the human beings. Many of them try to adapt themselves to those changes, some prefer to leave the place forever, and some of them are simply destroyed and become extinct. The balance in nature is thereby disturbed. This establishes the prime importance of environment.
Key Words: Environment, life, dependence, philosophy etc.
Introduction:
The earth is our home. Here we have all the essential requirements of life for a happy and purposeful living through generations. In this beautiful planet we have got a unique, congenial environment that makes our existence possible. Here, we have water to satisfy our thirst, air to breathe, fertile soils to produce our food, enough natural resources, e.g. forests, wild-life, coal, oil, minerals, etc., to improve our standard of living. Moreover, here we have a congenial temperature and plenty of sunlight, source of all energies, to make our lives enjoyable.
The universe is vast and almost infinite: however, barring future possibilities, we are not so far aware of the presence of life anywhere in the universe except in our planet. Life, is the most unique and precious treasure of this planet. The creation, evolution and sustenance of life on this planet have been possible only because of its extraordinary environment. On the other hand, it is also an undeniable fact that this life will become extinct from the face of this earth if its constant, active and beneficial links with the environment are disrupted, or environment itself is fatally degraded.
Meaning of the Term “Environment”:
Environment is a broad term. It encompasses all that surrounds us, both the natural world in which we live and all the things produced by people. Biologists use the term ‘environment’ in a general way to describe the total living and non-living things which influence the lives of organisms present in a specific area. In present times, the man made environment of ferro-concrete cities, huge industrial complexes and the various wastes from these places are playing an increasingly important role in changing the environment which affects the life of every individual species of plant and animal inhabiting the place.
Dependence of Life on Environment:
The basic components of the environment are plants, animals, air, water, soil, temperature and light. Plants and animals are the biotic components, and air, water, soil (excluding organisms living in the soil), temperature and light are the abiotic components.
Life is totally dependent on the environment. If it is a green plant, it would require sunlight, water and carbon dioxide of the air to synthesize sugar in the green parts of the plant by a process called photosynthesis. It also requires oxygen of the air for respiration and minerals of the soil to synthesize proteins and other vital organic compounds. Many species of plants do require assistance from insects and other animals for pollination of their flowers and dispersal of seeds.
If it is an animal it would require obligatory assistance from the green plants. Directly or indirectly, all animals live at the expense of green plants. They could be regarded almost as parasites of plants. A community without green plants will not survive; a community without animals would. Animals also require oxygen from the air and plenty of water and minerals from the environment. Both plants and animals require congenial temperature to maintain their life processes. They cannot live in too high or too low a temperature and the degree of tolerance varies from species to species. Hence, temperature is a very important component of the environment, which, to a great extent, determines the habitats of plants and animals.
The most crucial feature of these environmental components lies in the fact that their quality, quantity and relative proportion among themselves are not all constant and easily changeable by man-made as well as natural forces. And when such changes occur various insurmountable problems appear before the plants and animals including the human beings. Many of them try to adapt themselves to those changes, some prefer to leave the place forever, and some of them are simply destroyed and become extinct. The balance in nature is thereby disturbed.
Recognition of the Importance of Environment in Ancient India:
Since the birth of human civilization ancient people use to recognize and respect the beneficial roles of sun, soil, air, water etc. They use to worship sun, water, air, soil and various species of plants and animals of their environment.
Ancient Indian philosophers use to hold that the entire universe including earth, plants, animals, and human beings is composed of five essential elements, e.g. Khiti, Op, Teja, Marut and Byom (i.e. earth, water, energy (sun, fire), air and void (empty space of the universe). Bodies of plants, animals and human beings are created out of these five essential elements, and after death, their bodies are disintegrated and converted back to these elements.
The fundamentals of conservation ethics were brilliantly formulated in the Upanishads: “The whole universe together with its creatures belongs to nature. Let no one species encroach over the rights and privileges of other species. One can enjoy the bounties of nature by giving up greed.” In other words, if nature is over-exploited because of our greed, we stand to lose all its benefits.
In the Buddhist era a mass awareness was created for conservation of nature and natural resources. Killing of animals was discouraged and all sorts of violence, animosity and warfare were condemned. Instead, love, respect and reasoning had been promoted in the search for eternal truth of nature.
The recognition of environment depicted in our ancient scriptures is in comfortably with the outlook of the present-day world to save the nature and formulate an effective strategy for the conservation of nature and natural resources.
Philosophy in Environmental Study:
Ever discipline has its own philosophy that helps to understand its ultimate goal, and establish the link and relationship with other disciplines. Man has divided scientific knowledge into a number of disciplines and so that they can be pursued them separately, this artificial classification has got its own merits and demerits, but in nature most of those disciplines are working together in an intricate network of interrelationship creating almost endless amazing products with which nature has been sustaining its existence. A holistic approach is therefore imperative to understand its significance and ultimate objective.
An apple fall from a tree: it is the action of law of gravity. Sir Issac Newton discovered it and that was indeed a great discovery. At least fifty startling scientific discoveries from the same phenomenon unknown to the scientific world on that day could, however, be made from that apparently very simple observation. A few of them may be cited here, – formation of abscission cell-layer that causes the apple to drop (Plant Physiology); action of enzyme galacturonidases that makes the apple soft and edible (Biochemistry); synthesis of proteins in the apple during ripening (Biochemistry); production of esters emanating characteristic flavor of the apple (Organic chemistry); dormancy of apple seed that checks its germination while confined inside the fruit (Plant Physiology); and the genetic code of the apple species which is hidden inside every cell (in the chromosomes) of the embryonic tissue, that on germination will produce only apple plant and not some other plant (Molecular Genetics). The fall of the apple is to show how numerous scientific principles of widely diverse nature, work together in a closely coordinated manner for manifesting a single natural phenomenon. From the philosophical point of view one simple but crucial question may be asked: ‘for what purpose?”
If anyone would spend some time below an apple tree he can observe that a number of birds and numerous insects attracted by the delicious flavor, color and sumptuous food reserve of the fruit hurriedly show up there and devour it, but not the seeds, as the seed coat contains the deadly toxic hydrocyanic acid. These seeds under favorable condition would break their dormancy and initiate a new generation and the ultimate goal of the apple-fall would be accomplished.
It is, therefore, quite apparent that the ultimate purpose of the series of extremely complex, physical, chemical and biological reactions behind this simple natural event is to perpetuate the existence of the apple species on the earth. It may be the ultimate natural goal of all life forms including human beings. In order to attain this goal a certainty of congenial environment is imperative which is increasingly becoming uncertain with time.
References:
Basu, Rathindra Narayan (2000), Environment, University of Calcutta, Calcutta.
Brody, S. (1969), The Subversive Science, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, U.S.A.
Concept Research Foundation 