Human Rights and Environment

IntroductionSince vedic time the main motto of social life was 'to live in harmony with nature'1. Sages, saints and great masters of India lived in forests, meditated and expressed themselves in the form of Vedas, Upani shads, Smritis and Dharmas. This literature of olden times preached in one form or the other a worshipful attitude towards plants, trees, Mother Earth, Sky, Air, Water and Animals and to keep a benevolent attitude towards them. It was regarded a sacred duty of every person to protect them. The Hindu religion enshrined a respect for Nature, environmental harmony and conservation. It instructed man to show reverence for the presence of divinity in nature. Therefore, trees, animals (cow), hills, mountains, rivers are worshiped as symbols of reverence to these representative samples of Nature. A perusal of Hindu religious scriptures called the Vedas, Upani shads, Smirits, Purana, Ramayana, Mahabaratha, Geeta, mythological literature including stories, social and moral codes and political rules reveal that the following were the general guiding principles to be observed by all in their daily life in combination of Environment and Human Rights- Respect nature- Life in living is dependent on various components of nature- Protect natural environment- Utilise natural resources only to satisfy the need of the people- Presence of the divinity of nature in all living and non-living objects- Destruction of nature means destruction mankind- All must have compassion for animate objects, e.g. trees, animals, birds, aquatic life, etc. microorganisms alike. Himsa (violence) was considered as a sin- Air, water, land, sky, trees, animals are the creation of God and he dwells in all them. Therefore, to worship them is to worship him - the creator of the universe- Man, being one of the creations of God, has no special privilege or authority over other creatures, on the other hand he has more obligations and duties to protect and improve them- Ahimsa Parmo Dharmah (non-violenbce) is the dharma of the highest order; one should be nonviolent towards animals, trees, and other microorganisms alike. Himsa (violence) was considered as a sin.- Drought, fury of floods and storms, heavy rains, cloudbursts, lightning, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, heavy tides are the violent forms of anger manifested by the gods and goddesses- Purity of thought and expression, and cleanliness of the environment around us should be observed- All lives, human and non-human including tees, are of equal value and all have the same right to existence. It shows that the principle of sanctity of life is clearly ingrained in the Hindu religion.In article2 the author clarified that Hinduism declared in its dictum that the earth is our mother and we are all her children(i). The ancient Greeks worshipped the earth Goddess. Islamic law regards man as having inherited 'all the resources of life and nature' and having certain religious duties to God in using them(ii). In the Judoe-Christian tradition, God gave the earth to his people and their offspring as an everlasting possession to be cared for and passed on to each generation(iii) And European Convention on Human Rights clearly states in article 2 is that everyones right to life shall be protected by law.Relationship between Human Rights and EnvironmentSection 2(d) of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 defines Human Rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the constitution or embodied in the international covenants and enforceable by courts inIndia3 The above definition, however, limits the scope of the functioning of the human rights commission of India. Therefore ratified top two covenants, International covenant on civil and political rights and the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights. But the covenants are not directly enforceable as law before the Indian courts. …