- With around 5 percent of the world's population, the US consumes about 40% of the world's resources and emits around 21% of the worlds carbon dioxide, a greenhouse-causing gas.
- 75% of genetic diversity of agricultural crops has been lost
- 75% of the world’s fisheries are fully or overexploited
- Up to 70% of the world’s known species risk extinction if the global temperatures rise by more than 3.5°C
- 1/3rd of reef-building corals around the world are threatened with extinction
Development is certainly a very
catchy term for the civilized men. To yearn for betterment is as old as the
existence of the human race. This humanistic zeal has produced numerous
technological marvels, sparkling innovations & countless scientific advancement.
The world has been transformed into a global village owing to amazingly fast
mediums of transportation. Despite all these developments, human beings have
been unable to find incessant comfort in the material luxuries. Amidst the ever
increasing connectivity of the mobile phone networks, many people feel that
their links with the nature have actually been severed. NASA may be researching
very hard to find an alternate inhabitable world but one wonders if it will accomplish
anything to satisfy the unceasing human greed. The relentless exploitation of
the natural resources may have increased the GDPs but not the human happiness.
Water resources have been contaminated by life threatening chemicals. Air has
been polluted to such an extent that with every intake of air we are damaging
our lungs & other internal organs. Illegal mining is a menace that not only
results in gigantic losses to the national treasuries but in addition to it
causes massive damage to the invaluable biodiversity as the mining sites are
predominantly located in forest areas. The consumption pattern of the modern
materialistic societies is, frankly speaking, unsustainable. We can't treat the
earth like our slave any longer. Climate change is a globally recognized crisis
that is primarily caused by the headless exploitation of the earth’s resources. The time
has come to rethink & redirect our lifestyles so as to be eco-friendly
& sustainable. Global warming, climate change & ecological damage are some of the most relevant issues that endanger the very human existence. Holy Quran
states “Corruption has appeared on the land and in the sea because of what
the hands of humans have wrought. This is in order that we give them a taste of
the consequences of their misdeeds that perhaps they will turn to the path of
right guidance.” (C-30, V-41). Many experts and activists are realizing
that the massive looting of natural resources to satisfy the material pursuits
of luxuries needs to be stopped as it has undoubtedly contributed
to the collective mess we are presently getting deeply entrapped in. To sum it
up, the modern day American lifestyle, championed by the Neo-Liberals &
craved by the elites of the developing countries, is clearly not the path
the humanity should be following if we really care for the welfare of our
future generations. We need to keep it in mind that we are not the masters of
this earth but a component of it which implies that any harm to the nature will
eventually harm us. Incorporating this vision in our developmental models will
help us to develop a better future & will not cause a myopic development
gauged by mere GDPs & growth rates.
