Ecological intelligence to beat plastic pollution

Dr Sanskruti Tahakik

The world is being inundated with plastic. More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year, half of which is designed to be used only once, of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled.

It calls for Ecological Intelligence to face the challenge of handling plastic pollution.

In 2009, Daniel Goleman put forward the concept of Ecological Intelligence, the ability to understand the impact of our actions on the environment.

He examined how we can collectively become more intelligent about the ecological impacts of how we live. According to Goleman, one demonstrates ecological intelligence when he or she actively learns about the connection between their actions and the environment and applies what has been learned to “do less harm and live sustainably.”

The ecologically intelligent being sees “the interconnections between our actions and their hidden impacts on the planet, our health, and our social system.” Simply recycling isn’t enough. Neither buying organic food or nature-friendly cosmetics nor changing light bulbs will be enough. We have long journey to sustain, we need more understanding and knowledge, we need to change way of thinking, educating new generations is crucial.

They are now forming mental models and habits they will keep life-long; re-connecting with nature will develop our Ecological Intelligence. Physical touch with soil, taking care of a sapling we planted is another level of joy to experience, only this real-life experience will develop ecological intelligence, putting a flyer on your social media story will not.

The issue of less ecological intelligence is not limited to negative effects that we have on the planet at an alarming rate. Our mental health is suffering due to the unnatural world in which we’re developing. Research in naturalism and mental health showed that the more disconnected we become from the natural world, the more likely we are to suffer from issues such as anxiety and depression.

So, get out of your devices, and join groups which work for nature conservation in your city, work in nature to protect planet and our own mental health.

(The writer is Assistant Professor,

MGM Institute of Physiotherapy, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar).