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EXPANDING ECONOMIC SYSTEM AND THE REVENGE OF NATURE.


There is a very strange relationship between the two complicated systems; the human society and the environment. If this relationship is maintained then it is good for human beings if not, they will suffer a lot. Human beings are infant to this ecological system. Economic system or the economy is the subset of the biosphere or the ecology as a whole. The economic system grows or expands where as the parent system does not. We human beings have forgotten that we are part of nature in fact we are nature and this misunderstanding of the truth has lead to serious destruction of the ecological system.

Basically it was after the industrial revolution of 1800’s that converted nature into resource and this resource was considered to be eternally abundant. Surplus extractions of these natural resources and the limitless growth and expansion by the only specie of nature i.e. human beings have taken too much from nature. Besides, these facts environmental economists have failed to give value to these natural resources water, glaciers, forests etc and at the same time they are not recognizing the property rights of nature. Water which was once considered to be abundant resource is now converted into a scarce capital.

Economists have failed to recognize many things that nature does for human society free of cost e.g. pollination, photosynthesis, rains, energy from the sun etc. According to a research conducted in USA nature’s contribution towards human society free of cost is worth $ 35 trillion per annum while the total output of all the economies of the world is $ 18 trillion per annum only. Despite the limitless mercy of nature on human beings the biosphere is in severe trouble and if we don’t change our attitude and culture of considering growth and expansion as an end instead of means towards an end of better quality of life without harming the nature and if we continue accelerating disconnection from nature we will have to pay a lot for this mistake.

We have seen recently that nature has begun to take revenge from human beings in different forms. Due to the increasing effect of global warming we are facing irregular and long lasting rains which creates flood and we saw the massive destruction caused by these floods in almost every part of our country including our homeland Chitral as well. These floods especially in Chitral are a result of deforestation. The forests which have the ability to absorb huge amount of water are being cut everyday without any check and balance and as a result we face floods and soil erosion which causes huge destruction.

We must keep in mind that we are not superior to nature and if this exploitation of nature continues at the end it is the parent system that will survive and the infant human being will not be able to survive on this planet.We don’t have much time to think about it rather we should take some practical steps for the conservation of nature and should contribute towards strategic planning for sustainable development with out destroying the nature.

AFAQ ALI MULUK
MOREDER, CHITRAL.