Introduction:
Human
is nothing but a star dust; a creation of God with a material body having
components which are commonly found in this universe and especially in the
nature. Thus human is nothing but a part and parcel of this nature and all
other beings, living and non living are his brothers and sisters, in this
sense. Forgetting his roots,
human, today is busy in the work of destruction of
the nature. The cruel act of human, knowingly or unknowingly, is causing
irreparable damage to the whole of the cosmos, which will in tern bring about
their own end. Among many such evil acts of human, deforestation takes the
center stage as it affects the balance of the whole Eco- system. Deforestation
is the process whereby natural forests are cleared through logging or burning,
either to use the timber or to replace the area for alternative uses.
Deforestation can also be called as, clearance of a forest or stand of trees
where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use.[1]12-15
million hectares of forest are lost each year, which is causing serious threat
to human existence on this planet.
1.1 Causes of
Deforestation:
The
expansion of agriculture, the huge mining projects, the creation of
hydroelectric dams, Government
resettlement programs , population
growth and poverty also act indirectly in deforestation, urban Construction,
land used for fuel, illegal logging.[2]
1.2
Effects of Deforestation:
1.2.1.
On Environment:
1.
Extinctions loss of biodiversity of microbes (bacteria), plants, insects,
animals, indigenous people etc.
2.
Habitat fragmentation. This disturbs the animals' habitat and may force them to
enter habitats which are already occupied. This can pose many problems such as
territorial conflicts, homelessness (loss of habitat), lack of food availability,
migration disturbances, etc.
3.
Soil erosion occurs when trees and plants are removed; the rain water washes
the nutrients in the top soil away.
4.
Changes in watershed geomorphology.
5.
Desertification (dry, hot, arid conditions).
6.
Edge effects can change micro climates (small climates) which affect endemic
species (native species which can only live in specific environmental and
habitat conditions).
7. Climate change (more carbon dioxide is
released into the atmosphere, thus increasing the effects of global warming).
8.
Pollution (ground, water and air pollution
from oil extraction and mining chemicals).
1.2.2.
Social impacts:
1.
Loss of culture (indigenous peoples
subsistence living in the rainforest). People who live in the rainforest depend
on the natural environment for food, shelter, materials for cooking, clothing,
etc. If the forest is cut down or if their environment becomes polluted from
oil extraction and mining, they are forced to move or risk starvation and
sickness.[3]
2. Displacement of people (loss of
farmland, forest resources, etc).
3. Social conflicts and struggles over land
and natural resources.
4. Conflicts over racial and ethnic rights.
5. Poisoning from oil and mining waste.
6. Economic
uncertainty (price fluctuations and high interest rates on outstanding
international loans with The World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
Thus the most affected species are the poor
and the marginalized. Life becomes almost impossible for these people and as
religious I believe it's our duty to work for these people thus, we are bound
to work towards the welfare of Ecology.
1.3. Scriptural Background
·
He is like a tree planted by water, that
sends out its roots by the stream(Jer 17,8)
·
He is like a tree planted by streams of
water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.(Ps
1,3)
·
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a
desire fulfilled is a tree of life. (Prov 13,12)
1.4. Jesus and Nature:
Jesus
time and again used the imageries from nature in his preaching of the Kingdom. Trees
had a special place in his teachings where he asks Zachchaeus to come down of
the tree or his comparing of the Kingdom to a mustard seed or his cursing of
the fig tree. It was finally on the tree that he laid down his life and brought
salvation to us all.
When we carefully analyze, Jesus and
the rest of the scripture uses tree as a symbol of life. Through deforestation,
are we not harming the precious life or are we not promoting death. Are we life
givers? Or Death dealers?
1.5. As the Church Thinks
Though late church has realized the impact of
degrading the nature. As it says
Biodiversity is ‘the
variety of life’. It is the great biodiversity on Earth that allows for
sustainability and complex biological processes to occur. As human continue to
destroy habitats and entire ecosystems through deforestation and development,
the Earth is rapidly losing its biodiversity. Our industrial, consumer oriented
and throw-away society is acting like the parasite on the rest of the living
world, consuming it and often damaging it in ways that are irreversible. All
the Christian Churches would do well to raise believers’ consciousness about
what is happening to the earth.[4]
1.6. Preventive Measures
·
Using sides of paper when writing, drawing,
photo-copying, faxing, etc.
·
Recycling paper, cans, glass, and plastic.
·
Reading the newspaper on-line.
·
Even better, whenever possible, walk, bike, carpool
or use mass transit (bus or train).
·
Saving electricity by turning off lights, T.V.,
radio, computer, etc when you are not using them
·
Buy organic fruits and vegetables. If these
chemicals kill insects and pests that try and eat the vegetables, think about
how harmful they can be to you and the environment
Conclusion
A more workable solution is to carefully manage forest resources
by eliminating clear-cutting to make sure that forest environments remain
intact. The cutting that does occur should be balanced by the planting of
enough young trees to replace the older ones felled in any given forest. The
number of new tree plantations is growing each year, but their total still
equals a tiny fraction of the Earth’s forested land.[5]
As I am going top be a priest, I would like
to have a deeper study into the subject of ecology and ecological crisis. I
would definitely promote conservation of nature through my homilies and other preaching.
I believe the priesthood that Christ instituted is not merely a priesthood to remain
within the four walls and be a monastic; rather, it’s a cosmic call. It's a
call to be a cosmic priest, to care for all the created things, living and
nonliving. Thus as a priest, I would try to work for the integral liberation
and salvation of the whole of creation, in my own small little way possible. I
ever I understand the words of Gandhi and make others understand , '“Earth provides enough to satisfy
every man's need, but not every man's greed”, I am sure, then I will be able to
help my fellow beings to contribute positively to make this earth as beautiful
place to live on, especially for the last, the least and the lost.
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/causes-and-effects-of-deforestation.html
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation-overview/
http://www.tigweb.org/youth-media/panorama/article.html?ContentID=7611
[1] Wikipedia,
The Internet Encyclopedia,S.V. “Impacts of deforestation”,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation (accessed Oct 22,2012)
[2] National
Geographic,“Environment:Deforestation”,http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/
global-warming/deforestation-overview/ (accessed Oct 25, 2012)
[3]
Butler Rhett, “Impact of Deforestation: Local and National
Consequences.” http://rainforests.mongabay. com/0902.htm(accessed Oct 21, 2012)
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