Character · Pillar 8 of 8
Nature
Whether India grows without degrading the land, air, water and living beings it shares: living by Dharma towards all life on this earth, and consuming without excess or waste.
What is the Nature pillar?
Nature is the eighth of eight pillars in the 47 BH framework for a developed Bharat by 2047, and one of the three pillars in the Character layer, which covers the more important goal of becoming richer in character. It asks whether India grows without degrading the land, air, water and living beings it shares: living by Dharma towards all life on this earth, and consuming without excess or waste. It has five sub-pillars: air and water; energy; waste and consumption; land, forests and biodiversity; and climate resilience.
How Nature connects to the 47 BH vision
Nature is one of three Character pillars. It extends Dharma beyond people to all life on this earth: the land, air, water and living beings that India shares.
A developed Bharat that is richer in per capita income and, more importantly, in character: where people work hard and build wealth, yet live by Karma, accountable for every action, and by Dharma, doing their duty towards their family, friends, society and all life on this earth.
The 47 BH vision for 2047
The five sub-pillars of Nature
Each sub-pillar is a part of Nature that 47 BH examines in its conversations and explainers, through the two lenses described below.
- 8.1
Air and water
Air quality, water availability and quality, and the health of rivers and groundwater.
47 BH looks at the air people breathe, at whether water is available and clean, and at the health of rivers and groundwater.
- 8.2
Energy
Secure, affordable energy and the transition to clean sources.
47 BH looks at whether energy is secure and affordable, and at the transition to clean sources.
- 8.3
Waste and consumption
Reducing waste, recycling, building a circular economy, and mindful consumption.
47 BH looks at reducing waste, at recycling and a circular economy, and at consuming mindfully, without excess.
- 8.4
Land, forests and biodiversity
Protecting forests, wildlife, animals and ecosystems.
47 BH looks at the protection of forests, wildlife, animals and the ecosystems they depend on.
- 8.5
Climate resilience
Preparing communities and infrastructure for heat, floods, droughts and other climate risks.
47 BH looks at whether communities and infrastructure are ready for heat, floods, droughts and other climate risks.
Two lenses on Nature
Two lenses apply to every sub-pillar in the 47 BH framework, so that rural India is present throughout and India learns from the world without copying it.
City and village
Nature is examined for both urban and rural Bharat: air and waste in cities alongside groundwater, forests and farmland in villages, and whether both are prepared for climate risks.
Learn, avoid, protect
- Learn
- What can India learn from countries that cleaned their air and rivers as they grew richer?
- Avoid
- Which mistakes should it avoid, such as growing first and cleaning up later, or a throwaway culture of consumption?
- Protect
- What of its own should it protect, such as traditions of reuse and repair, and reverence for rivers, forests and animals?
Questions about the Nature pillar
What is the Nature pillar of 47 BH?
Nature is the eighth of eight pillars in the 47 BH framework for a developed Bharat by 2047. It asks whether India grows without degrading the land, air, water and living beings it shares, living by Dharma towards all life on this earth and consuming without excess or waste.
What are the five sub-pillars of Nature?
Air and water; energy; waste and consumption; land, forests and biodiversity; and climate resilience.
Why is Nature a Character pillar?
Because 47 BH sees care for the land, air, water and living beings as a duty, Dharma towards all life on this earth, and not only as an economic or technical question.
Does the Nature pillar oppose growth?
No. It asks how India can grow without degrading what it shares, and consume without excess or waste.