‘This mass extinction will have a direct impact on human life’. The article about earth hour points to many significant aspects (“Earth Hour, time to stop Nature’s free fall”, Mar.30, Gulf Today).

One of them is the sentence above, which I believe is a bit faulty because it talks about extinction in relation to the survival of humans. The problem with the policies of many countries or the lack of policies is that humans are made the centre of all of them. It’s always about the survival and wellbeing of humans. But since we share the planet with other animals and plants, I believe that is only apt that policies are made keeping the existence and wellbeing of the other creatures in mind.

In ensuring the health and wellbeing of the other creatures we not just contribute to our own health but also learn to live in harmony.

We talk about saving the environment in relation to the degradation of the wellbeing of humans. We talk of trees being important because they give oxygen for us to live. We talk about climate change because humans feel the impact of floods and heat.

But very little is said about the effects of the above on the animals. The statistics of animal deaths due to perishing in the heat of climate change or because they lost their homes to a road or because they died searching for water, are absent. Similarly we fail to record the distress of trees when their lives are threatened with the axe.

And so, we need to look beyond ourselves and be more nature centric.

Abilasha D

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