All creatures great and small (The Hindu)

Mains Paper 3: Environment
Prelims level: World Animal Rights Day
Mains level: Relations between welfare of humans and other animals

Context

• World Animal Rights Day falls on October 4. It coincides with the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron Saint of animals and the environment. In this context, it is necessary to understand the importance of other living beings for human beings.

Man and other living beings

• Bees pollinate 70 of nearly 100 crop species that feed 90% of the world.
• Dung beetles evolved 65 million years ago and, as their name suggests, eat dung, recycle nutrients and improve the quality of the soil.
• Half of the world’s species are insects, so if insects go extinct, the consequence would be complete degradation of our soil consequently leading to the disappearance of all remaining life. Animals provide meat and other dairy products etc.

Key Issues

• The deleterious impact of animal agriculture, including pastoral activities, is captured in research that shows that the Amazon fires were caused by ranchers who wanted to use the land for cattle grazing and farming.
• Indian forests are also being degraded by the excessive pressure of animal agriculture.
• The United Nations has found that “livestock production is one of the major causes of the world’s most pressing environmental problems, including global warming, land degradation, air and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity”.

Way forward

• Farm animals must be grown more compassionately.
• It is time for our government to depute a Ministry and budget for the welfare of animals.
• Animal lives can be saved by commercialising the innovations of plant-based and cultured or clean meat.

Conclusion

• Thus it is suggested that we have an opportunity to translate our philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam into action. We must act in our collective best interest.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) During the proclamation of National Emergency under Article 352:
1. The laws made by parliament under state subjects continue until revoked by the state legislature.
2. The parliament can extend life of State Legislature by one year at a time for any length of time.

Select the correct answer using the code given below
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: B
Mains Questions:
Q.1) Do you think the welfare of humans and other animals is closely interlinked?