As a culture we perfected the art of minimal consumption and maximum harmony with nature a good two thousand years ago. But today we all hanker after development Nilakshi Sharma Spring has arrived in the Arctic circle. The pale northern sun warms the icy lands and the Arctic poppy shyly emerges amongst a sea of Arctic heather. Life awakens and starts a new cycle as the breeding grounds of birds and animals come alive and fill with the noise of the newly born. But spring is early, too early. And it has been arriving earlier and earlier every year for the past decade. Anthropogenic pollutants are beginning to alter and not merely impact fragile ecosystems like the Arctic. Given that earth is ultimately an a gigantic organism with interlinked systems, it is stupid to shrug off early artic spring, snow in Dubai or even a heat wave across Europe as being unimportant to our lives in India. Ecology literally means the study of home. As a species it is the entire planet then that is home for humans, not the arbitrary divisions of nationality and race that we have imposed and clung on to with such vehemence. The smog that smothers the Gangetic plain in summer eventually wanders over arctic seas. USA's share of the world's carbon emissions, a staggering 33.3%, is responsible for the retreating glaciers in the Himalayas. "The highest function of ecology is understanding consequences," wrote Frank Herbert in his award winning science fiction novel Dune. He was writing about a surreal world, where the scarcity of water was the vector that determined not only the culture of the human society on that harsh planet but also the evolution of all species. As a genre, science fiction has constantly proved itself as a true vision of the future. And we are now undeniably on the brink of comprehending the profound truth of Herbert's observation. Indiscriminate implementation of scientific discoveries and technology, coupled with the assumption that a developed lifestyle is the ultimate aspiration has led us to the brink of an ecological disaster. Earth systems are beginning to react to the extreme pressures being put upon them. Essentially the culture of conspicuous consumerism and comfort are devastating the earth. Air, water, soil, and forests are all being contaminated and then destroyed. The proposed dredging of the Palk straits is a marine disaster but the debate revolves around whether or not it is the Ram Setu. The cold desert of Ladakh is facing unprecedented heat. Our rivers are being turned into sewers, with sludge, human waste and industrial effluents replacing clean water. Uncontrolled logging is denuding our forests but the authorities turn a blind eye because they receive their share of the illegal booty. Virgin lands in Orissa and Bihar are being turned over to MNC's for mining with nary a thought to the ecological toll. Tigers are dying, lions are vanishing, elephants are being killed, Bundelkhand faces a drought yet again and the only things the Indians want to talk about is development and progress. When will we realise that the developed lifestyle, modelled largely on the American lifestyle is a choice that is simply not sustainable? As a culture we perfected the art of minimal consumption and maximum harmony with nature a good two thousand years ago. Right after we created the world's first planned cities with indoor plumbing and drainage in the Indus Valley civilisation. But today all we hanker after are the amenities deemed essential by the developed world. Air conditioners, refrigerators, and conspicuous luxury. We follow suit blindly. In a tropical country we emulate countries that lie in the temperate zone and build huge buildings of glass. And then put in air conditioning. We discard traditional wisdom like earthenware pots to cool water and use refrigerators that promise to deplete our already damaged ozone layer. Being confronted with the reality of climate change does not spark of a national debate on environment protection. We are more excited about the carbon credits market. Essentially we will adopt only enough green technology to allow corporations and business houses to sell the carbon they are not thus emitting to first world companies and citizens. So basically, the developed world continues to consume resources at a rate disproportionate to their population, and a selected few in the third world countries like India become carbon dollar millionaires. Meanwhile, the Sunderbans keep getting eroded, un-seasonal rains spark another round of farmer suicides, and chemicals keep leaching into the soil. And yes, we keep offering to dismantle ships and manufacture other toxic industrial products in India that the developed world is outsourcing because they do not want to contaminate their environment. And we do it because we place development over environment. We have some of the most stringent environmental laws in India. And probably the worst implementation record. Zero implementation is the correct assessment. As citizens we have the right to protest against the ecological callousness of our elected representatives. As parents we have the obligation to preserve the environment for our descendents. But we are being blinded by money and comfort. Refusing to realise that the consequences of our ecological ignorance are frighteningly close at hand. As for our aspirations towards the American lifestyle, it works out to approximately 4% of the earth's inhabitants consuming 25% of the global resources. You do the math and decide whether you can afford to sit back in your complacency or you should be a green activist.