Editorial

How long will we ignore Mother Nature’s wake-up call?

Opinion | Editorial | John S. Shilshi | 10-Jul-2022

Mid-2022 has been a tough period for north-east states in terms of natural calamities. Floods, landslides, torrential rain – almost all states suffered huge losses of property and lives, the worst being Assam. But can we merely call this the wrath of nature?

A report recently released by the Worldwide Wildlife Fund (WWF) says, close to 15 billion trees are cut every year across the globe. In terms of geographical coverage, our north-east region may perhaps be just a dot in this massive count of deforestations across the world. But every tree we cut is very much part of this astronomical figure of destruction, spelling out our own peril.  For the tribal people, who are the natural guardians to more than 70% of forests in most north-east states, cutting down of a forest was traditionally considered as some kind of a victory. This mindset was developed since most untamed forests in early times were indeed invincible. It took some skill and courage of a few brave men to cut trees having imposing heights, endangering their own lives, as one was never sure which way a giant tree would fall. Also being primarily dependent on forests for almost every need, cutting of trees was considered as a daily routine, therefore, even massive destruction of forests for whatever the purpose be, did not pinch the conscience. And in most tribal societies of the north-east region, shifting cultivation or Jhum was in practice as direct consequence of poverty. People needed food to survive; therefore, agriculture activities through clearing forests became necessary. As such, it was often argued that unless there was an “alternative source of livelihood” for people to survive on, clearing forests and destroying the eco-system was inevitable. However, in the last five decades or so, it became evident that shifting cultivation was no longer the chief cause of deforestation. It was the commercial exploitation that ruined our forests permanently. 

 A credible report titled ‘District-Level Changes in Climate: Historical Climate and Climate Change Projections for the North-Eastern States of India’, released by the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), says that between 2021-2050, temperature and rainfall patterns would increase substantially in all the eight states of the north-east region. This prediction, the report says, was concluded based on study of rainfall and temperature pattern in the region during two decades - from 1990 to 2019. It states that while rainfall was most likely to increase in the entire region during the 2030s, temperature was expected to increase by 1°C to 1.5°C from the present. A frightening scenario indeed!

 With our mountains and hills turning brown by the day, and lakes and rivers shrinking each year, the once green and serene identity of the north-east region is soon disappearing. The tragedies that our region has experienced in recent times shouldn’t be surprising to anyone, and those oblivious to the situation should be made aware immediately. We need to walk the talk in order to save our planet Earth, before our villages are carried away by landslides, submerged and inundated permanently by floods and erosions. Bringing awareness on environment and the need to protect our forests and our ecosystem should not be considered as someone’s job, but as our own responsibility. It would require the same level of indulgence as when fighting against political injustices. A concerted effort from all entities – Churches, Civil Society Organizations, Student Bodies, Schools and Colleges will be needed, to regenerate our region from brown patches to green covers. These tragedies should be seen as stern wake-up calls and warnings by Mother Nature, to seriously consider ending discriminate destruction of nature around us – mountains, rivers, trees and the entire bio-diversity – in the name of development. One person, one village, one district, one state – all it takes is a small voice to rise up against age-old practices and new-age expansion. And within no time we may perhaps see that voice reverberate across the globe.

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