Environmental Pollution & Ethical Practices
By Sujata Roy Abhijat
Summary
Sujata Roy Abhijat discusses environmental degradation as a crisis demanding ethical reflection. Observing shifts in climate and ecology, she argues that industrialisation and consumerism have disrupted the Earth’s finely balanced regulatory systems, leading to pollution, resource depletion and species loss. The article reviews environmental ethics, which expands moral consideration beyond humans to include animals and ecosystems, and suggests that Indian concepts like ahimsa and aparigraha can inform ecological responsibility. Abhijat surveys laws and policies aimed at pollution control but contends that without an ethical foundation, compliance is superficial. She emphasises education, community traditions such as sacred groves and water harvesting, and a shift from anthropocentrism to ecocentrism. The article calls for individual restraint, corporate accountability and institutional reforms. It concludes that sustainable solutions require synthesising scientific knowledge, policy measures and a moral commitment to respect and protect nature.
Conclusion
Abhijat ends by stressing that environmental crises cannot be solved by technology and laws alone; they demand an ethical shift. Rediscovering traditional values of harmony with nature and embracing an ecocentric ethic will balance human needs with ecological integrity. By cultivating ecological consciousness and holding individuals, corporations and governments accountable, society can reverse pollution trends. The author urges readers to act locally and think globally, recognising that the planet’s health depends on moral choices.