THINKING IN PLANETARY TERMS

4/07/2010
Global warming has become the issue of 21^st century. Most if not all our scientific, economic and cultural resources are being and will be employed towards finding a solution to this problem. Why is it so difficult to solve this problem? The answer lies in the name it self. Global warming; global is the key word. Up till now problem solving has been an individual effort, may it be an individual person or individual institute or an individual country and the reward of problem solving has also mostly gone to that individual in one way or another. Global warming is different. The effort of solving it has to be global and rewards of finding a solution will benefit every one on this planet. Failure to do so will harm everyone.
This universality of solving the problem and reaping the outcome is a total paradigm shift from what the human modus operandi has been up till now. Our way of thinking and working has evolved over millennia; individual or tribal survival being the prime moving force. Our civilization has broadened this to the extent that now we think in terms of countries or group of countries. We may pretend but still evolutionally we are way behind thinking in planetary terms. At present we do not act as though every human being is equally important and has equal rights (compare between the responses to Bhopal ie UNION CARBIDE and Mexican gulf ie BRITISH PETROLEUM disasters). 1000 people dying in a third world country makes a smaller news impact than 10 people in a G8 country. From this state of affairs to visualize that not every one on this earth but every thing on this earth is equally important seems an unfathomable leap. And that is what thinking in planetary terms means.

At present in many regions of the world the governments still make decisions which help them personally or tribally. Whether it will be of any benefit to their country is not taken into consideration. Many a times these decisions blatantly harm their country. We rightly call them corrupt and denounce them. But when governments take decisions which are beneficial to their countries but harmful to the planet as a whole (increased carbon emission, pollution of air, water and soil, increased consumerism and natural source depletion) we do not apply the same moral criterion. In planetary term they are almost equally guilty. And this applies to every country in the world!


If we are going to survive this millennium we have to start thinking in planetary terms. Before taking any decision we must check that it would not harm the planet. And this should be incorporated into our inherent moral code. Can it be achieved? I am certain that it can be. But it needs a seismic change in our psyche not just in our industries.