‘Save biodiversity, save our life’
Mysore, India – The Infosys Mysore Development Center, which is the biggest training center in the world, hosts assorted species of birds such as myna, red-vented bulbul, pigeon, crow, robin, black drongo, owl, raptors, parakeet, and so many others. Their bird calls add to the serenity one feels living on campus. It is certainly not sheer coincidence or a stroke of luck that avian friends thrive at Infosys. The Center has thousands of native species of trees and wildflowers in hundreds of acres of sprawling ground with waterways that are so essential for the survival of different life forms.
The center is indeed a model of green development, where safety and environmental impacts are primordial considerations. It is among the corporate sector members that has carefully integrated sustainability with its vision, operation and programs. Design of the buildings is such that maximum daylight is ensured. Green procurement of supplies is a policy. Walking is highly encouraged. Entry of cars is restricted. Biking is rent-free and one can leave a bike on any street for anyone’s use.
Infosys proves to the world that a corporation can still be a responsible user of our limited and vanishing natural resources.
Our visit to Mysore, also known as the City of Palaces, also brought us to the magnificent Mysore Palace. The tour transported us to the time when humanity’s carbon footprint did not bring as much devastation as it does now. While the opulence was visible, the paintings on the walls depicted the more sedate lifestyle of the royalty which ruled Mysore for seven centuries, largely reliant on horses, elephants and cows for mobility.
Theirs was a way of life so different and which stood in sharp contrast to our present fossil-fuel dependent existence. Our gas-guzzling transportation system has completely overhauled our way of life, relationships and state of affairs and has contributed to the deteriorating quality of our air, heavily impacting our health. While it has substantially cut distance and removed geographical barriers, it has put us faster and nearer the cliff of destruction.
Outside Mysore Palace, the kites had a heyday in the sky, majestically flying near and far, scouring for their next meal. Would they know that the air is not as fresh as it was during their ancestors’ time?
Swarms of bees were frenetically suckling the nectar of the lovely colorful flowers embedded near the Palace gate. How unaware they must be that studies have shown that their numbers had dwindled in areas where chemical pesticides were indiscriminately used.
The doves came in droves and took shelter in the thick foliage of giant acacia trees. One can only imagine how bountiful the flora and fauna must have been when the Majarashtra reigned supreme centuries ago. Then, habitat loss due to deforestation, unplanned development and chemical use, to mention a few, was not as pervasive as it is now globally and did not decimate the wildlife’s population.
Climate change that we all face exacerbates biodiversity destruction and loss. The burning of carbon emitting fossil fuels from both transportation and power sectors is unceasing, despite scientific certainty that carbon and other greenhouse gas are responsible for the weather aberrations, storm surges, heating of the planet, drought, flooding, landslides and the consequent displacement of millions of refugees, as a result of climate change.
News of more coal fired power planned for simultaneous establishment in various parts of the country, including tourism destinations such as the islands of Cebu and Palawan, reveal a condemnable indifference of the Aquino administration on health, environmental and climate impacts. Have our government officials and the coal proponents even considered the carrying capacity of the fragile ecosystems in the area and the harm that will be brought to the species of flora and fauna in addition to committing violations of the rights of constituents to life, livelihood, health and a healthful and balanced ecology and to participate in decision-making?
The evident partiality for coal is a continuing transgression of the Charter of the Department of Energy which requires energy technologies that do not sacrifice ecological concern. It is likewise a gross and intentional disregard of and renders meaningless the National Climate Change Action Plan that committed to mainstream renewable energy sources, among other priorities.
For as long as coal is prioritized and environmental costs are externalized, green energy that is even demanded by our legal system will not take off as fast as it is envisioned to be. A sustainable future for the generations yet unborn will continue to be an unrealized dream.
It is mind-boggling why coal power plants are allowed to operate in delicate ecosystems such as Tañon Strait Protected Seascape, where 14 out of 26 species of whales and dolphins in the country congregate, and another one in Palawan near the Rasa Island Wildlife Sanctuary, considered the last stronghold of the endangered Philippine cockatoo.
When will we learn to connect the ecological dots and realize that our unsustainable anthropogenic habits and practices had already inflicted heavy damage on our already devastated environment, severely threatened biodiversity and livelihoods, and contributed to the growing number of environmental refugees?
I hope not when it is already too late.
Humanity’s downfall lies in our failure to appreciate that we are interconnected with all life forms, even the smallest of them. One of India’s foremost ecologists, Nirmal U. Kulkarni, succinctly noted in his inspiring “Goan Jungle Book,” that “If we save their habitat, we save them and ultimately ourselves.”
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HARUHAY FESTIVAL. On March 16, University of th Philippines Cebu students will host a Haruhay Fest – a push for a livable Cebu. The activity starts at 5:30 a.m. Everyone is invited. For more info, check out their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/haruhayfest.
