How far has scientific advances reached the human race?

Environmental degradation and destruction on scale never witnessed due to global warming and other man made causes, has compelled countries to revisit their policies with priority for ecology conservation. Some governments are also making companies choose environmental causes as an option to fulfil their Corporate Social Responsibility [CSR] obligation. Read this article and provide your valuable comments, on whether you feel science and technology has done justice to evolve ways to contain the collateral damage.

Scientific advances and inventions especially over the past century, has been much touted day in and day out, as the claim of superiority human beings today have, over other creations in the planet. While the younger generation has been born into it, the middle aged and the elderly have during their lifetime been witness to several technological developments, be it landing on the moon, inventions moving towards robotics that places information and power at one’s fingertips to replace manual efforts or developing weapons of mass destruction purportedly to protect their respective country’s sovereignty, but undoubtedly with the parallel agenda of gaining crucial edge in military might and economic power rat race.

Such inventions and technological advances have no doubt achieved many advantages for mankind, with its fair share of negativities and path towards destroying flora and fauna. Forests are being destroyed and many animals are moving towards extinction due to manmade and natural disasters. In many recent cases, natural disasters have a cause effect relationship, due to human interventions, encroachment and mindless destruction of the environment through overt or covert acts.

While climate change, environment conservation and effluent treatment, has been high in the agenda of individual countries, the UN and all other international agencies where most countries are represented, there appears to be limited prioritizing, co-operation and unity in planning and dealing with environmental issues that threaten to deprive the world of many of its natural resources.

To cite specific instances in recent years, devastating floods and forest fires culminated in loss of human lives, mass destruction of forest, wild life and property. While it is well known that the Amazon forest fire was aggravated by the inhabitants deliberately setting fire to forests based on political backing, for using the land for their personal purposes, the recent Australian fire started as another one of the bush fires that were not uncommon in those parts.

This time however, the Australian forest fire caused unprecedented destruction and seemingly uncontrollable and millions of animals were killed as the forests got razed to the ground.  It was indeed tragic to see videos of partially burnt animals like koalas and kangaroos seeking human intervention to protect them from the blazing fire, as also the news that over 10,000 camels were culled, to prevent these camel herds from encroaching into rural areas and use up the scarce water in human settlements in rural areas, 

The above referred damages may be partially attributable to global warming, industrialization etc. but also serves as a grim reminder that scientific advances has still not contributed adequately to a level of predicting, promptly identifying, preventing, mitigating and controlling/containing the adverse impact of natural calamities and catastrophes of such large magnitude. 

Solutions may be difficult to find, but countries must cooperate to save the planet and conserve it for future generations. Advanced countries should lead initiatives and assign higher priority to natural disaster prediction, planning and mitigation, to avoid colossal losses to life, property and ecological assets.