There is no need for legislation or a proclamation on any international platform to make everyone aware of the reality of climate change and environmental degradation. Congestion in the chest when walking a few kilometres in the early winters and regular diarrhoea during the monsoons are the best interactions between the human population and the rapidly changing climate.

The human demeanour towards the environment has been the only determinant as a factor that has brought us to this point, where the number of deaths due to climate change will surpass the number of deaths due to homicides in a few decades from now. It is adjuratory upon us as occupants of this entire planet to realize how perfidious we have been to other species of creation and future generations of the human race, who were destined to inherit a planet suitable for life and prosperity.

Conscious Planet is a Global Movement, launched by Isha Foundation that is led by global spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, that promotes a more conscious attitude to the soil and the planet. The movement aims to demonstrate to governments throughout the world that their population desires a strategy that rejuvenates soil and ecosystem.

People from across the world, constituting eminent intellectuals, leaders, scientists, and other celebrities have joined hands “to restore the soil and rekindle humanity’s relationship with Mother Earth.”

The movement’s sole purpose is to mobilize wits and funds to make people comprehend the need for soil protection at this juncture. In this piece, I’ll accentuate how important this movement is, as well as its connection to Indian culture, which has historically served as a torchbearer for everything that seeks to promote equity, inclusivity, and prosperity.

Why soil?

The Movement has prioritized soil over the other aspects since it is the most fundamental component of the entire ecosystem. Anything, whether it’s water or flora, is inextricably linked and engaged with soil. Furthermore, other parts of the ecosystem, such as air and water, have received far more attention than soil. Everything has been dubbed into some form of air or water pollution but the soil is the one which has been considered the least.

The soil is not only a component of the ecosystem; it is, in fact, the foundation of life on our planet. The habitat we live in and the food we consume are only possible because the earth serves as a resource and a medium. It serves as a resource for us to cultivate vegetables while also acting as a medium for water purification and atmospheric air fixation. Life would not have been as easy, or even possible if this had not been existent.

Degradation of Soil

The soil which we are talking about just constitutes a small fraction of the earth’s crust and that too is not completely fertile. Total fertile land accounts for around 38% of the total land area on the planet, with just 11% being agriculturally cultivable and the remainder consisting of meadows and pastures.

Soil is a finite commodity, which means that its loss and deterioration cannot be recovered during a handful of decades. The rates of soil erosion are substantially higher than the rates of soil formation. Soil erosion and land degradation pose a significant threat to global food security and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), jeopardizing the well-being of at least 3.2 billion people worldwide.

According to a Food and Agriculture Organization research, around 20% of the planet’s vegetated area shows deteriorating production trends, with fertility losses due to erosion and degradation. It also states that by 2050, agricultural yields might be reduced by 10% globally and can go up to 50% in some countries due to pollution and environmental degradation.

According to another study conducted by the Indian Space Research Organization, roughly 24 billion tonnes of rich soil and 27,000 bio-species are lost globally each year. Through these researches and studies, we come to know that more than 50 per cent of the total fertile land has already eroded. There is literally nothing that we can do about half of the entire fertile land. What we are left with is just an option to conserve the rest of the land and give time to the other half to rejuvenate on its own. Now we can and should only strive to act for a conscious planet that is inhabitable and can be inherited by our coming generations.

Our attitude towards soil is the fundamental factor in its deterioration. Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, we have begun to regard everything as an asset or a commodity. Everything that has any value or is of any use to us is being exploited en masse, without regard for other values that may be profoundly associated with it.

India as the torchbearer

This movement’s beginning in India is neither a coincidence nor a depiction of the generous behaviour of Indians. For millennia, India has been the torchbearer for what is now known as sustainable development. India is a champion when it comes to living in peace with the environment. The way Indians have lived for thousands of years while protecting all natural resources and causing no harm to biodiversity is exemplary.

Pollution, which has caused major harm and a negligent attitude towards the environment, is not traceable to any traditional Indian practice but has been foisted on everyone by the western world in its ambition to become the wealthiest among all. The consequences of the western quest for omnipotence and omnipresence are what we are seeing today, as resources being exploited in the name of development, and native concepts that did not harm the environment but rather propagated the concept of optimum existence labelled regressive, obsolete, and useless.

Indigenous Indians’ lifestyle is entrenched with the concept of natural resource preservation and harmless consumption. This growing worldwide movement is part of an effort to let the world recognize that India has the strength to lead the world in environmental conservation.

The Conscious Planet movement

Conscious Planet is an International Movement that promotes a more conscious attitude to the earth and the environment by mobilizing mass participation and local engagement.  Increasing community engagement would guarantee that ecological challenges become public issues allowing governments to adopt policies and set funds for ecological remedies, resulting in long-term execution.

The recognition and endorsement this movement is receiving are commendable. Leaders from across the world have come in solidarity with this Movement. Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum has stated that the World Economic Forum extends its full support to this initiative. Dalai Lama has stated that he is very much impressed by this initiative and is happy that people have come to act for ecology and particularly the Earth.

To succeed in this important, global effort, public support is necessary. The ultimate test of this movement’s success will be whether or not it can bring mankind together as one to protect the planet’s and all life’s futures. The perils of indifference towards the impact Climate Change could have on the planet are catastrophic, most notably witnessed in Europe last year when global warming caused extreme weather patterns, leading to unprecedented floods. Given the steep challenge that Climate Change bears for humanity, it is all the more important for people to unite and spread awareness about all such initiatives, including the Conscious Planet movement, to avert the impending crisis and bequeath a better world to our progenies.

We must come together as a generation in order to protect mother earth and lead a life of content and satisfaction. The crisis is not far from us. It is here and now is the time to act with no delays. The day we are left with nothing to eat, all of us will fall prey to hunger, the hunger of death.