India has practiced sustainability for centuries, integrating it into cultural and religious practices, stated Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar at the National Conference on Environment. He emphasized the need for optimal consumption and warned of the environmental risks of reckless resource exploitation, referencing India’s historical environmental wisdom as a solution.

NEW DELHI: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday said that India has been practising sustainability for centuries, long before it became a global concern.
Speaking at the valedictory session of the ‘National Conference on Environment – 2025’ organised by theNational Green Tribunal(NGT), Dhankhar said, “Much before sustainability became a global buzzword, India lived it for centuries where every banyan tree was a temple, every river a goddess, and waste was an unknown concept in a civilisation that worshipped circularity”.
He stressed that India’s ancient wisdom holds the solution to environmental degradation. “India’s DNA carries the only vaccine againstecological collapse, conspicuous consumption. We only have to read what is there in our gold mine,” he said, referring toVedic literatureas a valuable source ofenvironmental ethics.
The Vice President warned that reckless exploitation ofnatural resourceswas pushing the world towards disaster. “The consumption has to be optimal. We are paying a heavy price already for reckless exploitation of these resources and thoughtless consumption, conspicuous and lacking empathy,” he said.
Dhankhar also pointed out thatclimate changeand water management could influence seismic activities. “Studies have revealed that earthquakes, which are usually caused by tectonic processes, can also be triggered by human activities like dam construction and groundwater depletion,” he said.
Dhankhar also recalled theBhopal gas tragedyof 1984, calling it “mega environmental negligence” and a lesson still unlearned.
He said that families continue to suffer from genetic disorders andgroundwater contaminationdecades later.
He also urged developed nations to move beyond political considerations and adopt environmental models that prioritise planetary health. “No individual, no group, no nation can by itself resolve this issue. There will have to be convergence,” he asserted.

Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with EID Wishes, Messages and quotes !