Bridging the disconnect between man and nature
2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere program. This program aims to enhance the relationship between man and nature through improving livelihoods whilst safeguarding our natural environment and cultural heritage. This is a big task in our busy modern individualistic societies where we tend to be more concerned about our livelihoods at the expense of the latter and are thereby collectively disconnected with our natural world. We are also collectively losing our cultural diversity. A common feature in our globalized world seems to be a hyper focus on the many immediate and urgent matters that compete for our attention (what I call the curse of our to-do lists), which is causing us to be less mindful of the shedding of leaves, the flowers in bloom, the birds in song, and the slow and gracious pirouette of our planet around the sun. This, to me, is a much deeper problem that goes beyond just missing out on the beauty of our natural world.
When we fail to mark the changing seasons, we fail to celebrate mother earth, the system that nourishes us and keeps us alive. When we ignore our impact on our natural environment, whether through deforestation or pollution, we fail to show respect for what truly sustains us. When we fail to notice the dead bird by the sea choked on a plastic bag, we worsen the situation by failing to redress the problems we’ve created for ourselves. Underneath all this, is a cultural crisis of care. Failing to care for nature does not end there, as in fact, it extends even to our fellow humans and animal life. In an extractive world such as ours, caring about matters that may not directly affect us is now so rare that for those of us who dare to care, it has become a radical act. It is worrying how the same philosophies that have made a monoculture of our lands are making a monoculture of our traditions and eroding our indigenous wisdom, skills and knowledge, and in turn decoupling and destabilizing our ancient, symbiotic relationship with nature.
In parts of the world people still show great kinship with their natural environment perhaps because they have retained cultures that are deeply rooted in nature that enable them to take notice of subtle changes in their environments, or because their language forces them to be conversant with their own orientation within the natural world, or they may still rely more heavily on natural systems for their lives and livelihoods such as in less industrialized and small island nations where some traditional forms of fishing and farming may still exist and conservation may still be valued. And yet, despite continuing to protect their eco-systems, wildlife and social heritage in some form, 3.5bn people will be displaced due to climate change, primarily in these very countries that are also the least able to adapt due to lack of finance and technical know-how. There is an imbalance then in who benefits from climate change in the short run and who pays the price in the longer run. What, if anything at all, can we do now to salvage the mess we are getting ourselves ever deeper into day by day?
Although the real time impact of our greenhouse gas emissions is invisible, fortunately, today’s science and technology is advanced enough for us to know the extent of the damage these emissions have caused over the past century. We also now have a plethora of viable solutions at our disposal that can help us move towards a more sustainable future that not only address global warming but also help make our systems and societies fairer. Our solution set not only includes technological advancements in the form of renewable energy and battery storage, for instance, but also an obligation for those who can to translate our awareness into action by educating our girls, being conscious consumers, respecting our biodiversity, recognizing resource boundaries, reducing our food waste, restoring our degraded lands, and protecting our green spaces. Those who can afford private vehicles and consume meat, often also the more privileged amongst us, can further commit to moving to more plant-based diets, shift to alternative modes of transportation such as cycling and carpooling, and use renewable electricity to power our homes. Government incentives can and must fill in gaps where retrofitting homes is involved and developing an efficient and affordable public transit system is the need of the hour. What we can all do is advocate for better policies by using our voices and our wallets.
Thus, we can all act as enablers for sustainable development by being ethical law makers, investors, business leaders and researchers. Irrespective of our individual circumstances and professional capabilities, we can also all be active agents of change by making simple lifestyle changes and shifting our cultural norms around food waste, energy use, energy efficiency, and deforestation, and be bold in all our community leadership practices. A sustainable future is no longer just about saving the stray polar bear cub who’s lost its home. It is good and badly needed for us humans too, and will make our societies healthier and more resilient everywhere. So I asked a few people…
“What does sustainability mean to you?”
I have always had an interest in sustainability. Conservation and taking care of our environment was part of how I grew up. I was also keen to learn about our physical world in school and found subjects like geography and the environmental sciences quite intriguing. Although I went on to specialize in something else entirely at university, the climate crisis became very real to me through various projects I participated in during this time, and when the opportunity arose, I decided to take action and become a sustainability leader myself.
Part of my activism is about creating cultural spaces that hold people’s attention because they want to engage rather than treat them as consumers of yet another product that promises to make their lives better. During the current pandemic, most projects have gone online, so while thinking about organizing my own independent initiatives, I was looking at various platforms that could still engage my target audience in an era of constant overwhelm.
The idea of a photo exhibition came to me when I realised that photos are probably the easiest way to connect with people, both young and old, whether they are already active in the climate space or are just learning about it. Having been active in this space myself for a while now I have also realised more and more how multifaceted the concept of sustainability is. I wanted to bring together all the ideas in one space, so that people could immediately relate to some ideas and be challenged by others and thereby be inspired to generate new conversations. Most importantly, I wanted to use images and emotion to create a space that is not only educational but also beautiful, so that it left a mark on my viewers well after the event.
As our awareness of climate change evolves, we begin to learn what we can all do to save our planet, but to sustain action we must also sustain our engagement with the discussions around the climate crisis, and develop a deep-seated belief that we can still make a positive impact and change the course of our future for the better. I believe that, in addition, a healthy dose of imagination surrounding what a sustainable world could look like for us all can ease us into the process of making sustainable living a part of our very identities.
This project is an invitation to one and all to use this visual platform to think deeply and differently about sustainability. As global population continues to rise, and we must move to new models of urban living, let us choose to use our resources more efficiently and equitably, and (re)discover ways to live better. I hope this exhibition will inspire some ideas in that direction.
View the virtual exhibition at: https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/node/5046445?t
