Dr. R. Jaishanker Nair, Associate Professor of Ecological Informatics at Indian Institute of Technology and Management-Kerala spoke at the GEP Public Talk Series on Sunday, July 31, inspiring the public and society at large into a sustainable trajectory of development.

He began his talk by explaining the negative consequences on health and the environment that human development has had. Our life-supporting resources are declining, consumption is rising, and on the local level, we are facing a loss of ecosystems, he said.

“The time for sustainability is now,” he stressed.

“We must think: whatever humans have achieved has only been in the last 10,000 years. The climate has almost been stable in the last 10,000 years, but now it is showing an unpredictable bracket. We are now in unpredictable conditions,” he said.

Sustainable development, a practice which has gained much popularity in recent years, is the pattern of resources use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment not only in the present but for all generations to come.

Emphasizing that sustainable development must not be a mere “paper” theory, he said it should be a conscious process coming from a collective awakening in society. “Conscious development moves from knowledge to experience,” he said, whereas “natural development is an unconscious, slow, cumbersome trial-and-error process from experience to knowledge.”

Dr. Nair, who is also Visiting Professor at University of Applied Sciences, Stuttgart, Germany, finished his talk by calling for a global social renaissance, a collective awakening process. “Change doesn't happen overnight, and you can’t force anything,” he said.  “It has to be a social process, in which society is changed from the inside.”

H.H. Jagad Guru Swami Isa, Founder of the GEP, spoke following the presentation. Swamiji defined negative and positive development, by emphasizing the important correlation between “unnatural” and “natural”. Both unnatural and natural products have their source from nature: raw materials.

He gave the example of plastic, which is made from petrol. But in its altered state as plastic, it is considered unnatural and negative. When a plastic bag is thrown into nature, it becomes harmful. How does this happen?

Humans are away from positive development, and the natural rhythm, Swami said. He spoke about the type of relations one must have, positive types of recreation, and positive education—all of which should not add more to one’s stress, but provide an experience of true joy and therefore relaxation.

A scientific awareness about the human system, its interaction with nature, and society, is essential in proper education, He said.

“This knowledge must be cultivated from childhood onwards, in schools and in the educational system,” He said. “Without this knowledge, sustainable development will be arrested.”

“One basic principle must be followed: school should provide formal education, and parents and society should provide informal education. Then only we can build our society in a sustainable way.”

More Talks in the Series