A problem as massive as the depleting environment needs a more comprehensive approach towards finding a solution.

A lot of research has been done to analyse factors responsible for environmental degradation and towards finding radical solutions. The act of integrating ecology with social sciences has thrown up a surprising result regarding detrimental effects of divorce on natural environment. The fact that it is so hard to believe proves how unaware we are of the gravity of the situation.

The most important reason for environmental destruction is the amount of pressure an increasing population puts on earth’s limited natural reserves. The ratio between the number of natural reserves left and the number of users is fast decreasing. Soon there will be nothing to rescue or restore. More people mean more households and an increased demand for resources. When a household is divorced it results in two separate households. With this increase in the number of households, there are fewer people per household and a situation similar to that of increase in population is replicated. Thus, there is a similar pressure on natural resources.

Another reason for environmental destruction is depletion of natural resources like land, water, fuel, energy, wood and so on. Divorce causes a single household to divide into two. The rise in divorce rate in every society results in increased number of households. Each subsequent household results in more demand for space, electricity, water and so on.

Also, with divorced families, there is an increased requirement for accommodation that means more houses, more building material and more infrastructural expenses. This means more wood is cut, more iron, steel ore is mined, more roads mean more coal is burned. A divorce results in more households with fewer people. As a new home is set, it means extra rooms are needed with associated costs for heating and lighting. Intact families would mean there would be lesser need of houses for the same number of people.

A married household is likely to use the resources better and more efficiently than divorced households. There is an overall increase in consumption of water and energy by divorced households. More people living in divorced households spent more electricity per person per month as compared to a married household, as multiple people can be watching the same television, listening to the same radio, cooking on the same stove or eating under the same lights, using the same amount of energy for central heating. Four people or two people would still use one refrigerator. Thus married households are better examples of optimum use of resources.

Divorce has a multiple effect on the environment. Take trees for example. Trees need space, that is, land and water to grow. As seen earlier, divorced households take up more space and consume more water. This means they are competing with the trees for space and water. Thus, more divorced households mean lesser trees. On the other hand, an increase in divorced households means they need more fuel and energy. This in turn means more trees are cut. So, more divorced households mean less trees and at the same time an increased cutting of trees. It is like a double assault on the environment leading to rapid destruction.

Does this mean that we should abolish divorce to save the environment? Will that be a better situation for the society to be in? There is no simple answer to this question. Not all divorces are bad. In some marriages it becomes impossible to stay together. What about people stuck with abusive, alcoholic spouses who cheat, lie and gamble? Should their happiness and well being be sacrificed for the overall good of the environment? Maybe not!

The solution lies in a multi pronged approach. Besides encouraging other methods of environmental conservation, there should be an emphasis on the social values where enough weightage is given to the sanctity of marriage as an institution.

Life skills like patience, communication, character and courage should be taught to children from a very early age. It is the responsibility of the present generation to emphasise on the importance of families as a great support system to get through life. This needs to be taught not just through words but also through example.

This will enable our children to grow up into happy adults capable of living life as individuals and as a family. An indirect result of lesser divorces would be environmental conservation, which is important for future generations to inherit so that they may enjoy nature’s bounty to its fullest.