Earth is under stress

Sunil Seth
It’s an age old saying that ‘Health is Wealth’. In spite of the fact that we all know that a disease free life is a boon, how many of us really take care of it religiously? In the wake of ‘Development and Growth’, our working regime is totally skewed many a times to suit the Global Timings. We wake up at night to work for America as there is day over there and one has to sleep in the day compulsively, thereby, disturbing the sleep patterns going against the ‘Body Clock’. There are so many other things like Working Patterns, Eating Habits, Life Styles and many more which again contribute towards the disturbance of this Clock. Then someone ends up becoming a Heart Patient, someone a Diabetic and another Cancer Patient and thus starts the process of ‘Research and Development’ and we come forward with Box of Medicines. To tackle or neutralize the Worldly Pressures, come into the picture the various kinds of Stresses viz. Mental, Physical, Emotional, Psychological, Financial and many more of them. Ironically, we don’t try to mend our ways but try to fix the problem by Quick Fixes instead. Finally we come to know the root cause of all this – the ‘Psychology of We the Humans’. First we create the ‘Problem,’ then start running for the ‘Solutions’. Same is in the case of ‘Mother Earth’, which has abundance of resources that are not being used judiciously and over exploited for vested interests- a total selfish behavior uncalled for from us, the humans, who are the most aware and enlightened species. Probably, even the animals don’t damage and spoil the nature the way we are doing. These recurrent damages have pushed
‘Earth’ towards ‘Stress ‘which we humans are also under and the stress of the earth manifests itself in the form of ‘Diseases’ as devastating as ‘Flash Floods, ‘Cloud Bursts’, ‘Typhoons’, ‘Cyclones’, ‘Landslides’,’ Volcanic Eruptions’ and lot many other catastrophic events. The Earth is getting badly affected now. Being shortsighted and selfish, we, fail to gauge the damage that is being caused to the earth because at the first stance, the damage doesn’t seem to affect us directly. So we ignore our wrongdoings and want someone else to take the responsibility of taking the corrective measures. This attitude of ours is pushing the ‘Earth’ -the only planet having the perfect Biosphere for sustenance of LIFE – grapping for sustenance which otherwise would and is capable enough to sustain the ‘Mankind’. The Earth which is in perfect balance in context to the ‘Cosmic Balance’ is being forced to land in the ‘Intensive Care Unit’ in the times to come. Let’s check it here and now itself lest even the ‘Ventilators’ should not be of any help. Anything which is ‘Free’ is not valued. Here, right now, I, am not talking of ‘Water’ but the ‘Cosmic Balance’, which is now being disturbed by our reckless pursuit of the so called ‘Worldly Development’. When we diagnose the cause of the above highlighted diseases, the key culprit turns out to be the ‘Climate Change’. India being the fifth most vulnerable nation to the extreme weather ‘Disasters’ based on casualties and the worst affected by Climate Change induced weather in 2018 according to ‘Global Climate Risk Index ‘ by German Watch, an International Environmental Think tank as well as to the economic loss caused by the disasters. India’s economic losses in extreme weather events have been estimated to be over $37.8 billion. Incidents causing these losses included prolonged heat wave with 11 of its 15 warmest summers recorded since 2004 in northern and central parts of India, the cyclones Titli and Gaja on the eastern coast and landslides set off by flooding the worst in one in 100 years in Kerala. Report was released in the 25th Conference of Parties of UNFCC underway in Madrid where the world leaders discussed the Climate
Change issues. Catalyst to this ‘Climate Change’ is the ‘Reckless’ and over exploitation of the ‘Natural Resources’ besides being accelerated with the factor ‘Pollution’. Atmosphere is being ‘Heated’ up, Glaciers are ‘Melting’. Sea Level is ‘Rising’ and Land Masses are under the threat of ‘Submergence ‘. We must all candidly accept that the ‘Earth is under stress’ and has started rebounding with recurrent ‘Natural Catastrophes’. What exactly is it? Why is it now more frequent than before. Droughts, Floods, Heat Waves, and, what not ? Do we need to give a heed to what we are doing. For what, are we doing? As we all know that the planet on which we live is one of the tinniest spot, but the only spot having a perfect balance for sustaining ‘LIFE’, which no other planet has. Endless search is to look for something like this. What this balance is. How, it is being balanced in spite having ‘Rotation and Revolution’. It is the ‘Gravitation’ as an external balance and ‘Meridinal’ as an internal one. Such a perfect balance it is -existing , since ages, but probably under threat now. Now, it is being pricked by the ‘Unplanned Defacing of the Earth’s Physiographic Alterations’. The ‘Body’ being the planet Earth and the parts of the Body are the Oceans, Glaciers, Mountains, Forests, Rivers, Deserts, Mangroves, Back Waters, Deltas and many more ‘. By distorting any of its body part, we are trying to play with its ‘Natural’ profile with which it was born. In fact, we are disturbing its ‘Meridinal’ balance that maintains the exterior part and which exists because of ‘Gravitation’, The internal balance termed as. ‘Isostatic Balance’ balancing the physiographic features of the Earth like gigantic Mountains as big as Mighty Himalayas and fathomless oceans like Pacific. The power of ‘Gravitation’ can well be visualized by the occurrence of ‘Tides’, be it Lunar i.e. Moon Induced or Solar, the one induced by the Sun. Leveling of the Mountains, Disturbing of the Mountain Slopes for the constructional needs, creating massive reservoirs behind the Dams, creation of artificial land masses like in Dubai and disturbance to the Biosphere as a whole and Ecosystem in particular are all pushing the ‘Mother Earth’ towards ‘Stress’ being categorized as ‘ Geodesic Stress’ – a topic under research in Germany actively. Probably and unfortunately we all are unaware of it. Development is inevitable but what I want to stress upon is that let this not be the indiscriminate one rather it should be a conscious one as ‘Sustainable’.
The way we pass on the ‘Physical Inheritance’ to our kids in the form of ‘Assets and Bank Balances’, we should be equally concerned to pass on the ‘Geological Inheritance’ sensibly so that our kids are in good health to enjoy the ‘Physical Inheritance’, which is to be gifted by us to them. As we all know that the ‘Matter can neither be Created nor Destroyed.’ So why are we facing shortage of Water. If the Glaciers are Melting; Sea Levels are rising. It means there is no change in the ‘Quantity’ of it. What is the matter of concern is the ‘Spatial Distribution’ of Water in terms of ‘Space, Time and Quantity’. Nature is not at fault but we the Humans are. Now what matters is can we reverse the damage already done besides, refraining from doing the same again. For this we need to take care of the ‘Population Explosion and Migration from Rural to Urban’. Efforts should be to Educate every individual for the judicious use of Water. Above all, the strict implementation of the rules in the form of ‘Water Usage Charges’ has to be there. Only this act can reduce all other efforts of ours towards ‘Recycling’, which is very ‘Capital Intensive’, be it the ‘Creation of the Infrastructure’ or ‘Maintenance’ of the same there of. There is no ‘Shortage’ of water but only the ‘Misuse’ of it which needs to be checked and if checked, then ‘Half of the Problem’ will be over. ‘Well Begun is Half Done’. ‘Taxing’ of water is the first ‘Half’; like the other resources are being taxed – ‘Air’ in the form of ‘Mobile Usage’ and ‘Electricity’ in the form of electric gadgets. The second half of it is the introduction of ‘Green Social Responsibility’, the way ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ is being implemented. Either the ‘Defacing’ of the Mother Earth is to be avoided or if ever needed in the wake of Development, it needs to be restored by doubling the efforts. Stringent laws need to be framed and religiously enforced.
World is heading towards trying to reverse the damage done by the concept of ‘Nature Based Solutions for Water’, being actively followed by the Western World- an effort to bring back the Blue Planet, Earth, to its original ‘Biosphere’ levels. Let us take a pledge not to disturb the face of the ‘Earth’ and start our efforts to ‘Destress’ it at an earliest so that it may not rebound back which would be catastrophic. Let not the word ‘Geodesic Stress’ spread its wings and engulf this very beautiful Blue Planet. We all take care of our ‘Personal Self’ by going to the ‘Beauty Saloon’. Let’s , take care of the ‘Mother Earth’s Beauty’ -its physiographic features – too. ; we, being the only ‘Beautician’ in this case.
(The author is a Chartered Engineer)
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com

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