Table of contents
Acknowledgements i
Executive summary iii
Introduction 3
TRYING TO FIND A SOLUTION 3
Consequences of our Greed 5
LOSING OUR RESOURCES FAST 5
GASPING FOR BREATH 6
THREATENING GLOBAL TRENDS 6
Exploitation and Poor Planning 7
THE GREEN REVOLUTION TURNS SOUR 7
MISUSED TERMINOLOGY: AN EXAMPLE OF EXPLOITATION 8
The Urban-Industrial Lifestyle 9
THE PRICE WE PAY 9
NATURE’S FURY 9
WATERS OF HATE 10
CENTRALIZED ECONOMICS: BOON OR BANE? 10
INDUSTRIALISM 10
TALL CLAIMS 11
The Cause of the Crisis 12
MUST SEE THE BIG PICTURE 12
UNLIMITED WANTS AND DESIRES: THE ECONOMIC PROBLEM 13
ANCIENT WISDOM 13
SIMPLY FOLLOW 14
The Hunger Problem 15
THE LAW OF KARMA 15
THE COST OF MEAT 15
ENORMOUS ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE 16
THE ECONOMICS OF A NON - VEGETARIAN DIET 17
THE VEDIC SOLUTION 17
SOLVING THE HUNGER PROBLEM 18
SAVING MONEY WITH A VEGETARIAN DIET 19
Sustainable Consumption 20
AGENDA 21 21
THE VEDIC DIRECTION 21
UNSATIABLE GREED OF HUMANS 21
MUST TREAT THE ROOT CAUSE 22
Quality of Life 23
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AND POOR QUALITY OF LIFE 23
DIRECT ASSAULT ON NATURE 23
The Myth of Over Population 24
EXAMPLES OF MISMANAGEMENT 24
The importance of cow 26
LIVING COWS ARE AN ECONOMIC ASSET 26
COW DUNG 27
BEING CRUEL TO OUR OWN MOTHER 28
Agriculture and Self Sustainability 29
THE MODERN-DAY AGRICULTURE 29
FIELD ECONOMICS 29
THE IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURE 30
THE ROLE OF OXEN 30
THE NATURAL FERTILIZER 31
Sanitation 32
WASTED EFFORTS 32
Conclusion 33
DECENTRALIZATION 33
THE REAL CAUSE 34
PROPER EDUCATION 34
Appendix A : A Peek inside a Slaughterhouse 35
Appendix B : Energy Wastage in Meat Consumption 36
References 37
List of Figures
Fig 1. Graphical Description of the Law of Karma 15
Fig 2. Water – intensive processes in meat production 16
Fig 3. Relative Per-Acre Yields of usable protein from various food sources 17
Fig 4. Godhana 26
Fig 5. A Poster campaigning against beef 27
Fig 6. Plight of cattle in slaughterhouses 35
Fig 7. Energy transfer in the natural food cycle and the enormous loss involved in flesh consumption 36
Introduction
“Nobody dares to say that they do not care about the environment any longer”, says Steinar Lem, head of information at Future In our Hands, one of the Scandinavia influential NGOs.1 Despite being the major focus of so many organizations, the current situation of natural resources and the environment is very grave. Due to the exploitative tendencies of the human race, we are facing a grim risk of losing the precious gifts of nature bestowed upon us by God.
In pursuing the goal of improving the quality of life, the main target upon which all are endeavours are based, various efforts are being made by the society and its confused leaders. But our lack of proper knowledge and improper utilization of these resources is leading to an appalling lifestyle as demonstrated by our leading urban centers. The problem is so serious that even the basic need of survival may become difficult to fulfill in the coming future.
It is not that the problem of natural resources and environmental pollution is not known to anyone. Indeed, it is one of the main issues which the society is trying to address (atleast superficially) . But despite years of effort and hundreds of conferences and discussions on the topic around the world, the problem is only getting worse. Some of them may even be intending well. But still no one seems to be getting to the core of the problem. Pictures of dolphins or pandas are no guarantee of the “eco-friendliness”, though many seem to think so.
TRYING TO FIND A SOLUTION
For most people, it seems obvious that something has to be done. But that is often where it stops; and those who do take action deal with the problem on a material level -- a partial solution only. They may succeed in treating the symptoms to a degree, but they fail to address the underlying cause of the crisis.
To deal with such a serious problem, one must know first of all, what is the primary cause behind all this. That is were the Vedas come in. The solution to all our problems is very well addressed in the ancient and timeless Vedas, the source of all perfect knowledge. The Vedic science deal directly with all aspects of our existence, which include living in harmony with the nature and leading a peaceful life which provides a very high quality of life. Scriptures are like manuals for the planet. They provide the instructions, which must be followed to lead a perfect life.
We must understand that every society - no matter how primitive - needs some guiding intelligence. Today, even in the so-called civilized societies, the leaders (towing the lines of politicians and businessmen) have no absolute standard for their many decisions, big or small. Without the absolute standard, they are simply forced to speculate how to employ their intelligence to create and justify the means by which economic development and material sense gratification may be accomplished. However, despite the erudite intelligence guiding man’s societies, his individual and collective endeavours are increasing the world’s distress, not its happiness.
This report makes an attempt to look into the Vedic basis of living and explains the primary cause for our current delicate situation and what the Vedas propose to overcome it. Again it must be stressed that it is not just an alternative model. The Vedic literatures clearly state that there are no two ways for doing the right thing (See “Must treat the root cause” on Page 22), hence the model must be taken very seriously.
Consequences of our Greed
Our insatiable material appetites are depleting the earth’s resources at a frightening rate. We are also generating waste faster than it can be processed by the planet’s absorptive systems. According to the United Nations Agenda 21 report, "the major cause of the continued deterioration of the global environment is the unsustainable pattern of production and consumption, particularly in industrialized countries." 2 Many of the world’s colossal environmental threats – climate change, ozone depletion, and biodiversity loss (mass species extinction) – are largely the result of developed nations’ unbridled consumption patterns.
LOSING OUR RESOURCES FAST
We are clearing and stripping our tropical rain forests with the amazing speed of 30 football fields per minute to help the lumber and meat industries make their profits, depriving about 1000 endangered species of their natural habitat annually, despite their vital role in the ecosystem. 3
Deforestation also creates topsoil loss. Monsoon rains wash away hopes of agriculture together with valuable soil, for the soil now lacks the natural protection of roots and foliage. Another important cause of topsoil loss is the intensive use of chemical fertilizers in factory, all this for providing the "comforts" of a consumer society, where love of ease has demanded quick-and-easy disposable goods.
Mountains of waste have become the pedestals on which the industrialized nations try to make their stand. The problems of consumer garbage, industrial waste, toxic waste, and nuclear waste are still far away from any acceptable solution. The meat, oil, and chemical industries increasingly contaminate the earth’s fresh water supplies. Massive oil dumping, accidents from oil drilling and transport, as well as motor vehicle use cause about 3,180,000,000 liters of oil to end up in the oceans yearly. For the sake of living easy, more than a quarter of the world's population lacks adequate or uncontaminated drinking water. 3
GASPING FOR BREATH
The water and soil is laden with toxins, the noxious fumes spewed out by vehicles and industries are fast polluting the air we breathe. S K Chhabra of the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, Delhi, notes that the levels of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in Delhi's ambient air, on most days of the year, are much above the norms set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). 4
Statistics of the World Health Organization show that two-thirds of the world's urban population breaths polluted air. Industries, especially the meat industry, take the biggest part in it, followed by motor vehicles. Much of the industrial exhaust causes the dreaded acid rain, responsible for killing trees, crops, and lakes, as well as the corrosion of buildings. The surplus of carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere by burning of fossil fuels in factories and vehicles, and by burning forests to clear land, constitutes 95% of the total amount to enter the atmosphere yearly.
THREATENING GLOBAL TRENDS
Poverty, social and gender inequalities are increasing globally. According to World Bank, about 3 billion people lived on an income of less than 2 US dollars per day in 1993. Indeed, nearly 1.5 billion of the world population of 6 billion is predicted to live in severe property at the beginning of the millennium. The gap between the rich and poor is increasing day by day. About 800 million people sleep hungry every day. One billion people around the world suffer from micronutrient deficiency. It is predicted that by 2050, as much as 42 % of the world’s population will live in nations which will not have sufficient freshwater stocks to meet their combined needs of agriculture, industry and domestic use.5
Exploitation and Poor Planning
The current havoc is mainly due to poor planning and whimsical decisions not based upon concrete plan.
THE GREEN REVOLUTION TURNS SOUR
For example, the country is on the brink of a serious food crisis. A fine example of short term planning is the Green revolution. Punjab and Haryana were at the forefront of the Green Revolution in the late 1960s and early 1970s, in which farm machinery, pesticides and fertilizers, irrigation and the replacement of traditional crops with high-yielding varieties dramatically increased productivity. But now due to artificial methods, crop yields and water resources are declining alarmingly, and some parts are close to becoming barren. Many farmers are heavily in debt from their investments in new equipment and reliance on chemicals, and rural unemployment is increasing. These are ominous signs of a deteriorating farm economy.6
One of the major causes of this crisis was the introduction to Punjab and Haryana of rice, not a traditional crop in these arid states. Irrigation made growing rice possible, and it was introduced as a cash crop and cultivated alongside wheat. Now, however, it has begun to suck the land dry. Excessive pumping during the rice-growing season has led to a drop in the groundwater table of an average of half a meter a year. In some areas, levels have fallen well below the reach of the deep tube wells used by the farmers, or the water has become saline.
The heavy use of fertilizers has had another effect: excess nitrates have leached into the groundwater, which is now contaminated dramatically.
The government is pushing for all - out industrial growth, and this is true in the agricultural sector as much as any other. Such enterprises are more political than agricultural, and they are gravely detrimental. The economic benefits are lapped up by a few, while the long-term fallout will effect millions of poor farmers.
MISUSED TERMINOLOGY: AN EXAMPLE OF EXPLOITATION
Steinar Lem, points to a few examples of misused green labels lately , like “green diesel” , which is just slightly less polluting than ordinary diesel , and air companies marketing “green” aeroplanes !1
Today , in the upper niche of the Indian consumer market , where fads rule the roost , any product that is tagged “eco-friendly” has an edge. A medley of logos and fancy tags colour up the shelves of up-market departmental stores in urban India - “ environment - friendly” , “CFC-free” , “printed on recycled material”, “non-toxic” , “recyclable” , “animal-friendly” , and so forth. All consumers are literally going into overdrive. 7
“Go green” seems to be the new marketing buzzword. Anything and everything can become eco-friendly in this vast soup of the consumer market - cosmetics, vehicles, consumer durables , you name it.
Nobody knows what is green. Labels merely help companies to cash in on the guilt inherent in a consumer society.
The Urban-Industrial Lifestyle
The urban-industrial lifestyle is hopelessly artificial and heavily strains the development of real human interests. In India, Mahatma Gandhi tried to organize villages in that way so as not to drag people to the town. So, a peaceful atmosphere can be attained only when there is large-scale village organization, actual village life. The ideas of the cities are not to be borrowed by the villages. Poet Cowper said that the country is made by God, and the cities and towns are made by man.
THE PRICE WE PAY
The growth of cities and industries has severely affected the environment. The spread of environmental disease has increased with the spread of civilization
Scientists worldwide now accept that along with industrialization and urbanization, there has been a steady destruction of nature. Cities and industries have both affected clean air and clean water.
Industries produce a lot of hazardous wastes; and cities produce a lot of garbage. Hazardous wastes pollute the groundwater. Accumulation of garbage allows disease-causing agents to proliferate. K C Sahu, formerly with the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, raised the concern that heavy metal contamination was increasing due to mining, mineral processing, the burning of fossil fuels and industrial and agricultural activity.4