Is Science Flourishing On The Expense Of Planet Earth?

Our presence itself is a product of science and nature joining forces to bring about new lives into existence. Had the atmosphere of Earth not been suitable or had science not developed at a pace fast enough to combat the various epidemics, we as a species might have been wiped out completely. Thus, human growth depends on scientific and technological developments. Today, when we are dreaming about commercializing space travels and searching for signs of life on Mars, aren’t we forgetting about the well-being of our planet Earth herself?

The Industrial Revolution that started sometime in the middle of the 1700s, lead to a manifold increase in the production of goods and services at cheaper rates by the application of scientific knowledge in almost every field known to man. The planet’s population also exploded, reaching 1 billion by 1800 and then doubling again by 1926. By the beginning of the 21st century, it had grown to 6 billion. Due to our increasing human population, we face difficulties in balanced interactions with local and global environments.

As a result, humans and their domestic animals are squeezing the of life on Earth to the margins. Since 1970, populations of wild mammals, birds, fish, and amphibians have, on average, declined by 60 percent. Technology does greatly influences the way we live, work, and connect with the external world and one another. Our hunger for a more luxurious lifestyle where we can obtain what we desire just by a click ignites the drive for further scientific and technological advancements. This advent of new technology has the potential to transform the face of our environment and affect biodiversity which, in turn, is responsible for the extremely drastic changes influencing earth.

To flourish”, says Barbara Fredrickson of the University of Michigan, “means to live within an optimal range of human functioning, one that connotes goodness, generativity, growth, and resilience.” This ‘optimal range’ is although a very grey area, and in practice, we see the interpretation is usually based on ethical frameworks that is a mixture of beliefs, preferences, sentiments, and so on.

Our environment itself suffers greatly through our relentless pursuit of flourishing. If we ponder about the enormous age and complexity of our biosphere (including the earth, oceans, forests, plant and animal life, and our atmosphere), we might have a tendency to respond with marvel and awe- 2 emotions that command a corresponding quantity of respect. Our actions, sadly, don’t mirror this. Habitat loss, especially due to industrialization, is widely regarded as the top cause of species extinction around the world and these dramatic population declines are a red flag that many species are on thin ice. To save those species, their homes and the other species with which they depend must be protected—and quickly.

The need of the current hour is to address the environmental crisis in a holistic and social context and has thus become embedded in a greener version of the current economic paradigm, in which green growth and technology will amend the environmental stressors. Tackling the present environmental crisis will require fundamental societal shifts in values, and principles and attitudes shaped by science must be challenged in the process. This is a race to the future, a future powered by renewable energy sources and reinforced by efficient energy use. But unless the whole world joins the energy revolution, we will all be losers in a climate-changed world.