Prof. Chetan Singh Solanki's column: One Earth will not be enough if we adopt a Western lifestyle

I often wonder what the India of our dreams should be like. India today stands at a defining juncture in history. On the one hand, there are the needs of 1.4 billion people — employment, food, health, education, infrastructure — for which development is our compulsion, not a luxury. On the other hand is the bitter truth of climate change, which is no longer visible in our homes, farms and cities, with no scientific reports. The floods in Punjab, the cloudburst in Uttarakhand, the unbearable heat in central India – all these are telling that the climate crisis is not the future, but the present. It is also clear that the Earth is not unlimited. Neither his land, nor his water, nor his air, nothing is limitless. For centuries we lived under the illusion that nature's reserves would never run out. Today, when rivers are drying up, groundwater is receding, soil is exhausted and air has become poisonous, we are paying the price for this illusion. Behind every act of consumption, invisible carbon waste is emitted, which makes the earth hotter and the future unsafe. If India adopts the uncontrolled consumption of the West, not only this country, but the earth will also not be able to survive. Even if 1.4 billion people in India were to adopt the same lifestyle as the people of America or Europe, we would need at least 8 Earths, but we have only one. But India also has a unique strength – the roots of civilization. This land has always been of simple living, high thinking. Rivers are considered as mothers, trees have become gods, mountains have been considered as the protectors of the house. Gandhi also warned that the earth can fulfill the needs of every person, but not greed. This heritage of India today is not optional but necessary. At a time when the world is becoming intoxicated with consumption, India has the cultural guidance of a balanced life. Today's Finite Earth Movement expresses this ancient truth in modern language that limited consumption is possible on a finite earth and this is also our future. In the midst of all this, the meaning of development will also have to change. Measuring success only by GDP is like getting sick when money grows in one's bank – that is, wealth on paper, poverty in life. Real development is where the air is clean, the water is pure, the soil is alive and the society is harmonious. The goal of development should not just increase production, but increase the quality of life. Jobs can be offered not just in large factories, but also in renewable energy, the repair industry, organic farming, and local enterprises. Cities can become where buildings save light, save air, save electricity, and not where they cannot live without AC. Transportation can be such that it increases convenience and reduces pollution. Education should be such that it gives not only a degree, but also a sense of responsibility, and an understanding of the limitations of the earth. India has a rare opportunity in this era. The West is already stuck in its wrong model, it will take decades to correct it. Many developing countries are eager to follow the same path. But India is still at a turning point. If we want, we can create such a development model from the beginning, which will also give prosperity and stay within the boundaries of the earth. If India adopts limited consumption on a limited land, the carbon footprint of the whole world can change. We have the energy of youth, the power of technology, cultural philosophies and the scale of 1.4 billion people. These four together give India a real opportunity for global leadership. The India of our dreams is one where development and environment are partners. Where every child has access to clean air and water. Where the farmer's soil remains fertile for generations. Where prosperity does not mean the number of goods, but the health of society and nature. Where education creates citizens, not consumers. (These are the author's own views)