Articles

We have replaced nature’s ‘Water Cycle’ with a ‘Money Cycle’

19 February 2025

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By: Meraj Zargar

Global warming and climate change are natural phenomena, just like gravity, the Earth’s daily and annual rotation, biological growth, and the gradual expansion of the universe. However, unlike these natural phenomena, global warming and climate change have had deep and dangerous impacts on human life. Despite being fully aware of these threats, modern humans remain oblivious, much like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.

Our educated class is trapped in debates and trivial discussions, while the religious class is so preoccupied with the classification of sins and virtues that they have forgotten a basic reality: if a severe axe wound occurs on the body, it cannot be healed through exorcisms or amulets but requires medical treatment with stitches and antibiotics. Similarly, if someone is diagnosed with cancer, they cannot be cured by offering tributes at shrines or massaging the legs of a wandering mystic. Instead, modern medical treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy are necessary.

According to various credible sources, nearly 50% of the world’s forests have been wiped out in the past 100 years. The primary reasons for deforestation include agriculture, urban development, and logging for timber. Deforestation has profound impacts on the environment and wildlife.

In India, deforestation has been a major issue over the past few decades, though estimates of forest loss over the last century vary. Some reports suggest that India has lost about 30-40% of its forests in the past 100 years. However, efforts have been made to protect and restore forests through government campaigns and afforestation programs. In Jammu and Kashmir, about 20-30% of forests have been lost since 1980 due to deforestation and illegal encroachments.

In the past century, the world’s population has increased significantly. In the 1920s, the global population was approximately 2 billion, while by 2020, it had surged to nearly 7.8 billion—an almost fourfold increase.

India’s population has also grown significantly during this period. In the 1920s, India had around 300 million people, which increased to 1.38 billion by 2020—approximately a four to fivefold rise. Similarly, the population of Jammu and Kashmir grew from around 1.5 million in 1920 to about 12.5 million in 2020—an eightfold increase.

Over the past century, freshwater resources have drastically declined worldwide. The major causes of this decline include rapid population growth, industrialization, excessive agricultural water usage, and climate change. Globally, underground water reserves have decreased by nearly 50%. Many major lakes and rivers have seen significant reductions in water levels.

For instance, the Aral Sea, once the world’s fourth-largest lake, has almost dried up. Glaciers, which are a primary source of fresh water for many rivers and lakes, are melting rapidly, leading to further depletion of freshwater reserves.

In India, groundwater levels are declining at an alarming rate, especially in northern regions, where underground water reserves have decreased by about 60%. Major rivers like the Ganges and Yamuna are experiencing reduced water levels, negatively impacting both the environment and human life.

In Kashmir, lakes and rivers have been affected by environmental changes, pollution, and human activities. The area of Dal Lake has significantly shrunk over the past few decades—some estimates suggest it has reduced by about 50% since the 1960s. Similarly, Wular Lake, the largest lake in Kashmir, has also diminished, largely due to sediment

The past century has seen a massive expansion in roads, buildings, and industries across the world, including India and Jammu & Kashmir.

Globally, the road network has expanded to approximately 65 million kilometers, growing five to seven times over the last century. As urban populations have increased, the number of residential and commercial buildings has skyrocketed. Compared to 1920, the number of buildings in major cities has increased many times over. Industrial production has surged by several hundred percent.

In India, the total road length in the 1920s was around 0.4 million kilometers, which increased to approximately 5.8 million kilometers by 2020—a 14-fold increase. Similarly, industrial output in India has grown 50-100 times compared to the 1920s, with a significant rise in factories and industrial zones.

In Jammu & Kashmir, the road network has expanded significantly. In the 1920s, road connectivity was limited, but today, it spans nearly 50,000 kilometers, several times more than before. Cities like Srinagar and Jammu have seen a dramatic increase in modern residential and commercial buildings, with a 10-15 times rise in construction compared to 1920. The number of industries, particularly in handicrafts, handlooms, and tourism, has increased by 10-20 times over the past century.

Over the past 100 years, the number of vehicles worldwide has grown exponentially. In 1920, there were only a few hundred thousand motor vehicles globally, whereas by 2020, the number had soared to 1.4 billion—a growth of thousands of times. In the last four years, millions more vehicles have been added.

In India, there were only a few thousand vehicles in the 1920s, but now the number has surged to around 300 million. Major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Chennai have seen rapid increases in vehicle numbers.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the number of vehicles was just a few hundred a century ago, but now it has reached nearly 2 million.

A century ago, in most countries, houses and buildings were largely made of mud and straw, with thatched roofs. Today, nearly all houses are made of concrete, with cement and steel replacing natural materials.

This is also true for India and Jammu & Kashmir, where urbanization has transformed landscapes into concrete jungles.

The current situation can be summarized as follows:

Half of the world’s forests have disappeared.

The global population has multiplied five times.

Land is turning into deserts at an alarming rate.

Water bodies have turned into sewage dumps.

All the heat that reaches the Earth is now being reflected back into the atmosphere by concrete, steel, and barren surfaces, further intensifying global warming. As a result, glaciers are melting, and the planet is heating up at an unprecedented rate.

Humanity has replaced “Nature’s Water Cycle” with a “Money Cycle.”

Meanwhile, religious leaders remain fixated on the concept of sin, failing to recognize that the greatest sin today is materialistic greed. People have trapped themselves in a “pressure cooker” of modern life, sitting on prayer mats and asking for relief from heat and cold—oblivious to the fact that their own actions are causing climate catastrophe.

Soon, this “pressure cooker” will explode, and the universe will collapse back into a Big Bang balloon.

God is just and unwavering in His ways—He does not change His laws.