Be ‘green’ for the future

 

Posted 20 June 2011, by Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, The Star Online (Malaysia), thestar.com.my

AS I pondered over the latest earthquake in Christchurch, it dawned on me that no country on earth can be considered safe. In Malaysia, we do not have earthquakes but there exists other environmental threats.

It is necessary to reflect on the fact that human beings have destroyed a lot of the diversity in nature, this diversity that is so crucial to the stability of Mother Earth for the coming generations.

Humanity has reached the strange position where, although people – in every country, from all kinds of organisations – are crying out to conserve the environment and to pursue this valiant cause in every way possible, we have come to think that achieving such a cause is impossible because the root of the problem has not been addressed.

We complain about pollution, we talk about fundamental changes in laws and equitable sharing of resources to conserve our environment.

We have experienced numerous flash floods and landslides. We see government-initiated programmes in cleaning up the filth we have created. And yet the lessons of previous disasters have not been learnt and absorbed.

As trustees of our planet’s resources and geo-biological diversity, we must undertake to use our natural resources in a manner that ensures conservation. Being trustees will compel us to temper our actions with moderation and balance.

Sustainable environmental conservation must not be viewed as a discretionary commitment which we weigh against other competing economic interests.

Instead, we must re-examine ourselves and our beliefs. It should be a responsibility shouldered by each one of us. We must view this as a fundamental part of our our physical survival, and as well as spiritual development.

We must also consider that we have a common responsibility for protecting the diversity on this planet. If all we do is place an economic value on biodiversity, then we will always be undervaluing it.

The simple fact that some plant or animal is part of creation should give us the signal that it is necessary. We should not be asking if it is useful or not. We learn again and again that what is earlier considered useless proves later to be extremely useful.

We live in a world with six billion people. We need all the skills and knowledge of the patterns of life if we are to meet the challenge of leaving our planet in its safe and beautiful environment for our future generations.

It is quite clear now that it is up to every single one of us to preserve the environment that we live in.

History has an important lesson for humanity, and that is civilisation can be destroyed if it does not make peace with the environment. No one can deny the importance of the environment in regard to civilisation.

Can we have a new paradigm of development that makes peace with Mother Earth? As political leaders, as community leaders and as citizens we can and we must.

TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE, Kuala Lumpur.

 

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/6/20/focus/8924606&sec=focus