Editing The root of Indic Environmentalism (section)

==== The Dhārmika Way ====
<blockquote>We know everything because we begin by knowing ourselves.<ref>McDonald, C. (2015, June 15). How many Earths do we need? BBC News; BBC News.</ref></blockquote>The word environmental first originated in the 1920s, as part of the Nature vs Nurture debate on human nature’s origins. It acquired its ecological sense in 1972 when the adverse impact of human industry on the biosphere became apparent.<ref>Etymonline. (2022). Etymonline.com</ref> It was not so that humans were oblivious to the environment before, but the heady progress heralded by untempered science created a tunnel vision of utopia, which still persists. Environmentalism then came to denote the ideology advocating for restraint in the consumption of humans, and to preserve the biosphere. Still, development was viewed as a process of economic activity in which countries move from ''“traditional civilisations“'', through a transition of industrialisation towards ''“tertiary civilisations”'' in which service sectors dominate.<ref>Stueber, H., & Wurth, S. (n.d.). Service Economy Fallacy - Competitiveness of European economies faced with growing “Asian Powers.” Retrieved January 18, 2023</ref>

The motivation of this form of environmentalism is humanism and pragmatism. However, this is also the reason that it has been unable to capture the imagination of much of the population. A consumerist lifestyle marketed by endless allurements can easily overcome the will of the masses unchecked by any tradition. The shallow understanding of the Self, that of man’s conception as just a physical existence with no past or future, inevitably leads the individual to seek out the best gratifications available. YOLO.

In Bhārat, the idea of human nature has been conceived differently. Five sheaths form the human existence: The Annamaya Kośa (Physical body), the Pranamaya Kośa (Energy body), Manomaya Kośa (Mental body), Vijnanamaya Kośa (Wisdom body) and Ānandamaya Kośa (Bliss body).<ref>Yoga Ayush Ministry, & Yoga Ayush Ministry. (2022). Yoga. Ayush.gov.in</ref> These are higher truths of the human existence available for verification by enlightened beings. Harmony in all the kośas is the requirement for one to become established in the state of bliss, and any act of mindless violence towards self or the other hinders in its attainment. Having realised this, sages helped society banish the bane of anthropocentrism from the collective consciousness since long. Furthermore, the ideation of devatās as tattvas allowed formation of sacred bonds with the rest of nature like trees, animals, rivers and rocks.

Today however, Indians have been disconnected from these knowledge systems of their ancestors. An unsustainable mode of life has been advertised as the pursuit of happiness throughout the world, and projected as the culmination of human accomplishments (brilliantly caricatured by animator Steve Cutts in his short video here). Studies suggest that Humanity could sustain itself with just 80 percent of the planet’s current resources if every person lived like an Indian<ref>McDonald, C. (2015, June 15). How many Earths do we need? BBC News; BBC News.</ref>. But increasing affluence has turned the middle class and above Indians into consumers in the pattern of the West, which is a threat for the world.

With increasing number of people moving towards ever growing cycles of consumption, the finite resources on the planet face a severe strain. The need for food flattens forests to create arable land and the need for water desiccates soil leading to desertification. The debt on finite non renewable resources generated by mass opulence in the present has been thrust on the rest of the living creatures and onto the future generations of humans. The countries on the lower index of human development face the most pertinent risks of climate change, war and famines as resources get scarce. '''To rely on science alone to rectify this problem without behavioural change is beating around the bush.'''

Dharma, based on the Dhṛ dhātu implying ‘That which sustains’, prescribes the duties and responsibilities of the creatures based on their nature and dispositions. Humans, being capable of svadharma through viveka, must account for all life impacted whenever they start a project. In India that consciousness has been kept alive through various practices such as pūjā before every endeavour, alongwith pūjā of every tool used. This may appear unnecessary and irrational to the modern mind, but advancement without secularization has been very much possible (and desirable) as evidenced by civilizations of the past.