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For the research essay assignment on Eastern traditions in the Modern World, I chose as my subject Hinduism and the role that their environmental ethics plays with regards to the environment, when worldwide concerted efforts will be required to protect the earth’s natural environment from destruction as a result of irresponsible human activity. I will attempt through my research to address the following questions: How has Hinduism responded to the world concerns with regards to the urgency to protect our planet by reversing the current trend? Has there been a varied response by different sectarian groups within Hinduism? Have religious officials and institutions justified their position using sacred texts? Did I find both conservative and liberal viewpoints on my chosen topic? My thesis statement is as follows: With over 80 percent of the world population identifying themselves as religious and the fact that over 1 billion followers adhere to Hinduism, my argument is that their basic beliefs combined with their morals, values and behaviours, it has the potential to be an effective platform to contribute positively towards the efforts of environmental conservation.
Currently, all over the world, there are many ways that land is being degraded by allowing the relentless deforestation of our forests, by pursuing a formidable industrialization and by the intensification of urbanization to name only a few. These activities have been proven to be extremely detrimental to the overall health of our environment. Thus, the urgent need to implement a robust habitat protection plan and work within the limits of nature to preserve and restore health to our planet. The current state of India’s environment is devastating. There are many causes that are directly linked to the poor environmental conditions of modern-day India. The Hindu’s religious beliefs could be an effective path to address the most important environmental issues faced by India. It is well documented that their dismal environmental situation is largely attributed to the ever-growing large population, a very high level of poverty, increasing degradation of air, water and land, as well as the widespread political corruption. Implementing environmental ethics could be possible if India, as a whole, would embrace their past and adhere to the basic Hindu teachings of respecting and protecting nature[endnoteRef:1]. [1: Dhwty. “The Past Teaching the Present: Ancient Sanskrit Texts Discuss the Importance of Environmental and Species Conservation.” Ancient Origins. Ancient Origins, September 15, 2015. https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-ancient-traditions/past-teaching-present-ancient-sanskrit-texts-discuss-importance-020527. ]
Hindu Philosophy on the environment
Hinduism as several sects but there are four main branches (Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism and Smartism) and the central difference is whom they believe is their primary deity. Hindus do not believe they reign supreme over other living forms on earth. Brahman is the ultimate goal and Absolute of Hinduism and “is of the nature of truth, knowledge and infinity”[endnoteRef:2]. Brahman is not “God” but the Universal Principle which is the ultimate Reality in the universe. While Prakrti (nature) is the “material” cause of the universe. However, this division is non-dualistic in nature as they are one and the same. One of the basics of Hinduism is the belief that all life is sacred. Unlike the followers of Judeo-Christians and Islamic beliefs, it is the duty of Hindus to nurture and protect what the Divine and/or Supreme Being has created rather than dominate it. Hindus will therefore practice tolerance, vegetarianism and ahimsa or non-violence. I must stress that of all the ethical rules for Hindus to observe, Ahimsa is the most fundamental because it represents the right attitude to have in order to lead a moral life. [2: Morales, Frank. “What Does Brahman Mean in the Hindu Religion?” Learn Religions. Learn Religions, March 11, 2018. https://www.learnreligions.com/brahman-of-the-vedas-1770045. ]
I would like to cite as example a decree attributed to the Hindu Vedic named Yajnavalkya, one of the earliest known Hindu philosophers who warned: “the wicked person who kills animals which are protected has to live in hell fire for the days equal to the number of hairs on the body of that animal”[endnoteRef:3]. Without a doubt, the most important aspect of this doctrine pertains to the belief that the Supreme Being incarnates into forms of various species. Hindus believe in “Samsara”, which is described as: “the indefinitely repeated cycles of birth, misery and death caused by karma” as defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. It encompasses the reincarnation into forms other than human. Hindus believe that the process of samsara will go on until such a time one is released from it and liberated from karma to finally attain moksha, which refers to various forms of emancipation such as enlightenment, liberation and Nirvana. It is important to note that the Hindu religious goal of moksha is not salvation, and does not require forgiveness, but detachment from the material world. The earliest Hindu sacred texts were produced during the period known as ancient India. The unquestionably most respected of all known Hindu texts are found in the Vedas and consist of a compilation of four books and formed the basis upon which Hindus practice their religion. In particular, the Rig Veda book is a crucial source of inspiration for Hindus on the proper treatment to afford towards all life forms and nature. It is specifically mentioned that trees and plants are believed to possess divine healing properties, and it is still a popular belief that every tree has a Vriksa-devata (i.e. a tree deity). This explains the reason why trees are ritually worshiped with prayers, offerings, and the sacred thread ceremony. The Vriksa-devata are not worshiped as gods, but as manifestations of the Divine. Tree planting is considered a religious duty[endnoteRef:4]. [3: Gaia. “Hinduism and Ecology.” Hinduism and Ecology. Accessed October 26, 2019. http://www.environment-ecology.com/religion-and-ecology/279-hinduism-and-ecology.html. ] [4: Gaia. “Hinduism and Ecology.” Hinduism and Ecology. Accessed October 26, 2019. http://www.environment-ecology.com/religion-and-ecology/279-hinduism-and-ecology.html. ]
Causes of environmental destruction
Hindus can play a pivotal role in identifying environmental issues that are central to India and able to develop and implement effective solutions to address the most serious ones in a timely fashion. It is important to point out that internal and external forces such as secularism, years of British colonialism, capitalism and globalization have caused believers of the Hindu faith to turn away from religious ideologies of environmental protection in favor of the Western approach based on “sciences” to deal with modern environmental problems. It is obvious that Easterners and Westerners have opposite views when it comes to man’s responsibility towards nature. Within the three major monotheistic religions such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam, men considered themselves as the dominant beings over nature as opposed to Hindus who believe they are equals and must work together in harmony. Indira Nehru Gandhi, the only female Prime Minister of India and very much criticized for her policies, considered herself more as an environmentalist and naturalist than a politician. She reminded the nation of Emperor Ashoka’s decree to not only protect his citizens but also protect animal life and trees. She is credited for the implementation of four laws that govern environment regulation in India which are: “the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1974, the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981”[endnoteRef:5]. Hinduism could be an impressive driving force behind India’s environmental ethics by providing the necessary guidelines based on their belief system. Hinduism can play an important part in addressing pollution issues if they educate their citizens on the principals of Hindu teachings in order to heighten the Indian people’s consciousness of environmental problems to find potential solutions[endnoteRef:6]. It is interesting to note that during they last election, they made little to no mention about climate change or environmental convervation. [5: Ians. “Indira Gandhi Saw Herself as an Environmentalist, Not Politician: Jairam Ramesh.” India.com, July 23, 2017. https://www.india.com/news/agencies/indira-gandhi-saw-herself-as-an-environmentalist-not-politician-jairam-ramesh-2344092/. ] [6: Ghaffar, Raham. “Environmental Problems and Solutions.” Envirocivil.com, March 8, 2013. https://envirocivil.com/environment/environmental-problems-and-solutions/.]
Hindu population & poverty
Current world population is estimated at 7.5 billion. In June 2019, the United Nations in their latest update, projected that global population would reach 10.9 billion by 2100 vice 11.2 billion. This decline is a result of a drop in the fertility rates observed in most part of the world. This decline is being attributed to increase level of urbanization. Currently, 54 per cent of the population lives in a city. The UN projects that by 2050, it will climb to 68 per cent. It has been observed that when people move to a city, they have fewer children[endnoteRef:7]. [7: “Is Population Control the Way to Fix Climate Change? | CBC News.” CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, October 25, 2019. https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/population-climate-change-1.5331133.]
Today, with its 1.1 billion Hindus, India has the largest world population of believers of Hinduism in the world. It represents 79% of total India population and close to 16 % of the world. Neighboring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan are home to 21 million, 13 million, and 4 million Hindus respectively. India is the second most populated democracy in the world and represents close to a fifth of the entire world’s population. The population density of India is considered very high with its estimated at 440.29 person per square km. India is almost three times denser than China[endnoteRef:8]. Population and environment are inseparable of each other, they are part of the same ecosystem. A severely overpopulated area will most likely lead to destroying the environment than to actively try to conserve it. According to a 2017 report published by Oxfam, an International Confederation of agencies fighting poverty, the richest 10% in India controls 80% of the nation’s wealth while the top 1% owns 58% of India’s wealth. By comparison, the richest 1% in the United States owns 37% of the wealth. About 60% of India’s nearly 1.3 billion people live on less than $3.10 a day, while 21%, or more than 250 million people, survive on less than $2 a day according to the World Bank’s median poverty line. Despite its billionaires, intellectuals, technology and being the single largest democracy in the world, India struggles with its enormous poor population. In India, almost 75% still lives in villages and leads a hardscrabble life of labor; only 11% owns a refrigerator; 35% cannot read and write[endnoteRef:9]. The issue of overpopulation being defined as having a population so dense as to cause environmental is being looked and impaired quality of life should not be viewed as the solution to fixing our trouble environment and climate change. Between 1975 and 1977, under the leadership of Indira Gandhi, her government implemented a sterilization program to curtail the perceived problems caused by the ever-increasing population. As a result, an estimated 11 million men and women were forcibly sterilized. It was imposed upon the poorest and most vulnerable people in India. Such programs are forbidden, as there are in all respects similar to committing crimes against humanity. Instead, world leaders should put their energy and the financial resources towards education. In addition, special consideration should be given to the education of girls and women, which would protect women’s reproduction rights. It is widely acknowledged that women’s education has been a key factor in the overall decrease in birth rate among industrialized countries. Furthermore, it would be a more logical approach to control the population of livestock in the world. A change to the current law that forbid slaughtering of cows would go a long way to help with environmental issues and climate change. [8: “China Vs India by Population.” Comparing China and India by Population – StatisticsTimes.com. Accessed October 26, 2019. http://statisticstimes.com/demographics/china-vs-india-population.php. ] [9: Basu, Moni. “This Is What It Means to Be Poor in India Today.” CNN. Cable News Network. Accessed October 26, 2019. https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2017/10/world/i-on-india-income-gap/.]
Pollution
India has currently the worst air pollution in the world. Most Indian cities have and are still experiencing rapid urbanization. This rapid growth in urban India has translated into a tremendous increase for the need in electricity to power homes, businesses, a significant increase in the number of fossil fuels-based motorized vehicles have become the main source of air pollution. Environmental impacts are not limited to local air quality, greenhouse gas emissions from cows and vehicular traffic, damage nearby soil, vegetation, forest areas, aquatic systems, and groundwater. With two-thirds of India’s population depending directly on climate sensitive sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, and forestry, it is essential that these problems are addressed sooner rather than later. Major efforts are needed to reduce air pollution such as reducing emission of pollutants and greenhouses gases to improve the quality of air. India has launched a “green” court on October 19, 2010 to make polluters pay damages as it steps up its policing of the country’s environmental laws. The country has also switched over to cleaner petrol and diesel. The government has almost reduced the acceptable limits for polluting gases to the half, gases like sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. The key bits are that residential and industrial areas will have the same limits.
In conclusion, I found that India approach to environmental issues filled with contradictions. India had an election this spring, and the liberal view on environmental conservation and climate change is based on science while the conservatives are more in line with tradition and spiritual ideologies. To use Hinduism as an effective tool to address environmental conservation issues is a sound approach. The sheer numbers of followers is impressive. However, the government will need to revise some of their laws. In particular the law forbidding the slaughtering of cows. India is ranked 2nd in the world with around 1.5 billion head of cattle, representing over 12 percent of world inventory. Allowing cows to roam free with no control, does more damage to the environment than culling them. Unfortunately, for Hindus, killing animals causes bad karma to be released onto the world. Although, they believe they respect nature, they aren’t educating themselves on the effects over population of animals have on the earth. Since the independence of India, there has been a surge of religious officials and politicians that justify their environmental objectives by using sacred texts but without implementing proper educational systems and effective programs. Environment issues are complex. Without simultaneous improvements on the education, poverty, economics fronts, India will keep struggling to improve the state of their environment.
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