News Excerpt:  

As India pays homage to Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar on his birth anniversary, this article explores the ecological dimensions of Ambedkarite philosophy as well as remembers Mahad Satygraha.

Ambedkar and his environmentalism:

There are three important pillars of Dr Ambedkar’s ecology, 

• First pillar: He looked at humans and nature from a democratic perspective. He perceives democracy as a ‘mode of living’. If democracy is defined as a mode of living, then there has to be a democratic principle in the distribution of natural/ecological resources to humans.
• Second pillar: Ecological crises were essentially social crises. 
• He believed that social hierarchy was responsible for the disproportionate appropriation of ecological and natural resources by privileged sections of society, while underprivileged sections could not gain adequate access to resources.
• Third pillar: How to handle such ecological crises. Ambedkar’s ecological thought has a wonderful scheme for the democratization of natural resources in the case of the Indian subcontinent.

Ambedkar’s ideas:

• Ambedkar advocated for the redistribution of natural resources through constitutional morality, public policy, and the democratic apparatus in India to make the distribution of ecological resources more egalitarian and equitable.
• He believed that a strong society is possible when the entire populace develops by gaining more equitable access to natural resources.
• Ambedkar's ecological thought had a moral dimension, as reflected in his work "The Buddha and his Dhamma," where he contemplated the notion of 'biocentric equality,' which means equality among all species.
  • The work says that it is not enough to have equality and liberty. There should also be fraternity.
  • By quoting the Buddha, he mentions that human beings should not just be restricted to equality among themselves but should go beyond that.
• Unlike Gandhi, who used tradition as an agency for defining the relationship between humans and ecology, 
• Ambedkar saw ecological conservation as being rational, scientific, and moral, in addition to considering tradition.
• Ambedkar represented a unique voice within Indian environmental thought, stating that to address socio-ecological problems, 
• • We need to consider tradition, rationalism, science, and morality, all together.

Contemporary use of his ideas:

• Ambedkar challenged the neo-orientalist view that Indian ecological thought is essentially traditional, spiritual, or metaphysical. 
• He highlights the vibrant material and moral aspects of Indian environmental thought. 
• He argues Indians value the conservation of natural resources as a moral duty, not just a spiritual obligation.
• He advocated for a formidable ecological governance based on democratic principles, realizing that attitudinal change was necessary for effective governance.
• Ambedkar's Neo-Buddhist philosophy promotes a new eco-value system that emphasizes the judicious and sustainable use of natural resources to ensure continuous access to resources.
• The ongoing climate crisis can be addressed through Ambedkarite principles like democratic governance, equity (at the international level), and moral-spiritual humanism that focuses on the concern for fellow humans rather than supernatural powers.
• His views discourage excessive consumerist culture, which aligns with the need to mitigate climate change by reducing overconsumption and waste.
• Attitudinal change and a spiritual dimension, not in a normative sense but rooted in moral humanism can help support the effective implementation of public policies for ecological resource management.