Gandhiji and Environment

Mahatma Gandhi was a multifaceted leader who had his own ideas on different realms of nation building. Gandhiji’s view on development is as much important as his contribution to India’s freedom struggle. He held very authentic view on the sustainable development which has emerged as a hot topic in late 90’s. 

Gandhiji had told vividly the truth that there is sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed. He foresaw the damage that would happen to the earth, if India, having almost one fifth of world’s population, also adopts the path of reckless industrialization as the western world did. Even though the western countries represent a small portion of the world, their avaricious exploitation of natural resources all over the world and the indifference towards environmental health brought unrecoverable damages to the ecosystem of which the consequences the whole world is facing now in the form of global warming and climatic changes.  He advocated cottage and small industries in lieu of the huge industrial establishments which are polluting our environment. Japan, the country which had industrialized fast, had seen the pros and cons of the industrialization, is now going back to square one, i.e. to the small industries. The 21st century Japanese model of economic development envisages local development by utilizing local resources. Thus the communities can be self sufficient. This is the same model of growth that Gandhiji advocated. The self sufficient community need not depend on others even for their electricity needs. India also planning to construct small hydro electric projects that are better than the huge ones which are submerging acres of land and uprooting thousands of people.  Already a village in Ladakh has shown the path by becoming self sufficient in power generation. Local power generation also helps in more utilization of renewable energy resources. 

 Gandhiji had identified science without humanity as one of the seven sins. He did not recognise the separation of ethics from economics. This shows the importance he had given to values. He saw all entities of the earth also in empathy and called for a humane approach to them. His view was that what we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another. This thoughts are more relevant in contemporary world where lose of ethics is creating threats.

Gandhiji’s idea is that power is to be exercised from the grass root level. Even though our constitution did not share power with the base level initially, later amendment was done to include this. Empowering local authority helps in sustainable development on account of realizing and utilizing the potential of each unit. For instance, the forest resources are better conserved by the tribal people. Corruption in governance also could have been avoided to a large extent if the decision making authority was vested with the lowest level. Even the disaster management can be well laid on the shoulders of local government which will be more effective. 

Gandhiji has opposed the export/import economy. If the nation is utilizing its natural resources effectively – from exploration to processing and consumption in the nation itself, huge volume of international trade can be avoided. Just imagine the fuel saving in transportation of raw material from the source to the industrial hub and back to the places of consumption. Thus the nation can be self sufficient and the current problems of trade deficient and current account deficit would not have surfaced.

The Gandhian approach has precise solutions to the environmental and economic problems that we are facing now. If implemented, it would have plucked away the crisis in the budding stage itself.