Ecological Intelligence (Dr.Alam): An Introduction

The note is a an original contribution from Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam , a development professional and a Cognitive Psychologist.The concept occurred to me in 2003 while working for Save the Children UK in Rapar ,Gujarat.I could not publish this earlier. After publishing this here on Slideshare, I realised Daniel Goleman had published this in 2009. I understand my conception is different since,here many other features are referred with an indicative table on ecologically intelligent decisions.

1. Ecological Intelligence: A Concept for Discussion by Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam
Ecological Intelligence ©
A concept for addressing the climate change, measuring potentials of
ecologically sound behaviour, consumption, production, decision and
transport pattern
©Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam
Conceived in June 2003 and shared with some friends in Europe

January 2010
Intelligence is universal it exists among the members of all species. Ants, spiders, lions all
have intelligence. Human beings have been granted the best intelligence with the knowledge
of names. The capacity of naming things is what makes human being the supreme creation
on earth. For some, this is referred as anthropocentric pride as they feel that this idea of
human being the supreme has created exploitative attitudes and overexploitation of the
resources of Earth at the cost of other species. However, behaviour patterns are different
among the people with various faiths and various ideologies. Muslims believing in the
commands of Allah are commanded to walk humbly on earth and asked to adopt the middle
path. Buddhists follow the Madhaya Marga and Brahmins establish piety to be the highest
virtue through recitation of the names and strong meditation. Humility and compassion is
taught as an essential virtue by all the religious leaders. People of faith think that men and
women not believing in commands of any messengers will tend to attain comforts utilising
means that are prohibited in the religious traditions.
The concept of ecological intelligence is proposed to cover all the consumption, behaviour,
movement, and transport, production patterns where the decisions are to be influenced for
making the best use of energy generated through organic and inorganic processes. The
concept is being proposed for meeting the ecological challenges assuming the following:
·Prevalent concepts and tools of intelligence do not measure the extent to which a
person will take decisions conducive for ecological safety
·Organisations seeking personnel do not have predictable tool that will provide
results indicating potentiality of individuals towards making ecologically safe
decisions
·Operationalisation of the concept of ecological intelligence is needed for meeting the
needs of climate change and ensuring that there is equity, social and global cohesion
in accessing the renewable resource based livelihoods and services
·Recession is required for emission of green house gases. Nations supporting
boosting of economy through increasing spending of non-renewable GHH emitting
resource based products are indulging in eco-crimes and undoing their work for
ecological safety
·We do not need higher and higher rates of growth for products, services and utilities
that are based on GHG emitting resources.

2. Ecological Intelligence: A Concept for Discussion by Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam
·We do have secure energy supplies for all the time in the future .We would not be
able to get all the energy if expand New Delhi like habitations across the country. A
limit must be brought for safeguarding secure supply of the vital necessities of
food,clean drinking water and fresh air across the urban and rural areas
·India does not have secure supply of energy. It has a vision that may not be realised
and that would not be sustainable in the long term. Nuclear energy is also based on
the supply of thorium and uranium.
·Replacement of energy sources for all the non-renewable resource based energy is
not possible. Even if it was so, there is need to protect local economy and local
support systems for communities.
·Looking after the elderly parents becomes a major casualty for youth and couples
who are forced to migrate to urban locations. Ecologically intelligence social policy
ensures care of the elderly in the family setting as it has been the convention
·There is a broad agreement among social scientists for working on safeguarding the
interests of the future generations, addressing the health needs in the present and
preparing for the end of petro-modern opulence and expansion of non-renewable
resource based livelihoods.
· There are various approaches for addressing the ecological challenges with
convergence and divergence in measures across the nations. It is assumed that the
concept of ecological intelligence will be a uniting factor based on the recognition of
ecological safety, interspecies justice, equity personal and collective ecological
wellbeing.
DEFINITION OF ECOLOGICAL INTELLIGENCE
Ecological Intelligence can be referred to the manifestation of behavioural attributes that contribute in making
of decisions that are ecologically safe at personal, local and global levels. The focus is on the decision
that people make .An ecologically intelligent decision requires simultaneity at the global level.
It is part of the civilisations. The Imam of a mosque using a zero watt bulb for assembly of
men praying in the month of Ramadhan is a decision that is ecologically sound .The decision
could be attributed to the general command for minimising consumption. The use of zero
watt bulbs is good for saving money and energy. It calls for development of a holistic
consciousness where an individual relates to the joys and suffering of fellow human beings
both at local and global level. For example, a person living in a big city like New Delhi thinks
of fellow men and women in the neighbouring villages where thousands and millions pursue
agriculture based livelihoods and fellow men and women in Andamans, other villages, rural
areas who get affected due to their consumption decisions.
Ecological Intelligence refers to the measure of intelligence that could be used for the
following
·Human resource development for ecologically safe organisations
·Development of ecologically sustainable and sound business development strategy
·Educational planning and management
·Pedagogic innovations
·Curriculum renewal
·Policy making

3. Ecological Intelligence: A Concept for Discussion by Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam
·Voters education for choosing men and women who would support the
development and implementation of ecologically sustainable social development
policy
PARAMETERS OF ECOLOGICAL INTELLIGENCE
FOR INDIVIDUALS
·Awareness of ecological sustainability
·Awareness of the difference between the renewable and non-renewable resources
·Awareness of the limits of sustainability of the non-renewable resources
·Energy resources and crisis
·Awareness of the climate change findings
·Awareness of the independence of decisions and choices for ecological safety
·Awareness of personal responsibility for eliminating the emission of green house gas
emissions
·Amount of personal contributions to emissions
·Amount of time spent in communicating for reduction in emission of green house
gases
·Amount of carbon neutral time (inter-personal, inter-group interaction, speeches and
others)
ECOLOGICAL INTELLIGENCE FOR ORGANISATIONS
Ecologically intelligent organisations demonstrate work for ecological safety and contribute
in the reduction of the emission of green house gas emissions. They design HR policies so
that men and women respecting ecologically safe practices in the organisation are employed.
Ecological Intelligence of the organisations is reflected through the following:
·Work space design ensures use of sunlight only. Working hours are limited to days
and the work is accomplished during the day
·HR policies include adoption of austerity in consumption and measurement of
ecological footprints. Organisation ensure tree planting for all mile travelled through
air
·Equity is ensured in wages and hierarchy in the organisation is managed following
the best practices of ecological safety. Men and women at key positions ensure that
their position is safeguarding only through the six monthly measurements. Spending
is monitored and they are reported for its urgency and for its implications for
ecological safety
·Products indicate not only the content but also the extent to which they are based on
GHG emitting gases. Some of the renewable resource based products are recyclable
such as iron is recyclable provided there is energy for melting the iron and designing
new products. This is however possible for only limited number of products after all
the petroleum has exhausted. Considering such as scenario of total exhaustion of the
non-renewable resources such as petroleum, there is need to prepare for the end of
petro-modern era along with the services and utilities that are possible only with the
fossil fuels.
FOR GOVERNMENTS

4. Ecological Intelligence: A Concept for Discussion by Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam
Ecologically intelligent government meeting the obligation of the future generation while
ensuring distributive justice for renewable resource based livelihoods, habitats. Ecologically
intelligent government will demonstrate the following:
·Awareness of ecological sustainability of the services offered by the government
·Awareness of the difference between the renewable and non-renewable resources
and its integration in the policy development for various ministries
·Awareness of the limits of sustainability of the non-renewable resources
·Preparedness for the end of petro-modern era
·Sharp appreciation of basket of Energy resources and plans for addressing the crisis
effectively and sustainably
·Awareness of the climate change findings and its use in the building the economic
and cultural policy
·Awareness of the interdependence of decisions and choices for ecological safety
·Awareness of personal and public responsibility for eliminating the emission of green
house gas emissions
·Amount of public sector contributions to emission of green house gases
·Amount of time spent in communicating for reduction in emission of green house
gases
·Amount of carbon neutral time (inter-personal, inter-group interaction, speeches and
others) spent for addressing the issues related to development and climate change
ECOLOGICAL INTELLIGENCE AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Ecological intelligence refers to the measurement of the potentiality of men and women for
making decisions that are ecologically safe. Thus it is the decisions based on perceptions and
learnings that are key defining features of ecological intelligence. It is the decision that men,
women and children make that will be described through the measures of ecological
intelligence. Emotional Intelligence on the other hand measures behaviours such as
empathy, compassion; concern for expectations of significant others.
MEASURES OF ECOLOGICAL INTELLIGENCE
Ecological intelligence needs to measure by a set of psychological tests that measure the
following:
1.Extent to which a person believes in the oneness of humanity. Belief generated
through either secular lesson or through religious learning generate response for
temporal and eternal wellbeing of all
2.Extent to which a person believes in the belief in the common destiny of civilisations
3.Extent to which a person believes in the belief in seeking equitable and ecologically
sustainable future for future generations
4.the extent to which a person believes in ecologically safe behaviour and its
contribution to personal and collective ecological wellbeing
Tests of Ecological Intelligence

5. Ecological Intelligence: A Concept for Discussion by Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam
Considering the above there is a need to develop tests and establish measures of reliability
and validity. The tests will be used by organisations, universities for various purposes
eliminating all the possible source of bias in the test.
Proposal
S.N.Situation Ecologically Intelligent
response
Ecological Hostile
/Stupid /malignant
response
1 Transport use
patterns
Choosing the mode
of transport
Choosing public transport and
halting the purchase of personal
vehicles
Choosing personal transport
when there is an option for
public transport
2 Habitat designs
Choose an ecologically
sustainable design for trading
and commercial centre.
government offices taking care
of the unsustainability of non-
renewable resource based
services
Choosing designs that will
require modification as soon
as there is no replacement for
fossil fuel based energy
3 Urban Planning
Urban planning takes care of
the limits of non-renewable
exhaustible resources such as
petroleum. Automobiles, lifts
based on fossil fuels will no
longer be available when the
reserves of the fossil fuel is over
Urban planning is based on
some belief that there will be
full scale replacement of fossil
fuel based energy in the
future. This kind of vision
without any guarantee for the
full-scale replacement of
energy
4 Domestic
Consumption
a Products Consuming ecologically safe
products produced through
carbon neutral processes with
minimum involvement of
machines based on the use of
energy
Consuming products and
services based on the use of
ecologically unsustainable
green house gas emitting fossil
fuel causing global warming
5 Choosing the
schools for
children
·Neighbourhoods
schools within walking
distance
·Choosing schools
involving long
distance travels
6 Shopping ·Neighbourhood
shopping with minimum
travel
·Promotion of local
·Avoiding shops in the
neighbourhood
·Promotion of distant
shopping malls

6. Ecological Intelligence: A Concept for Discussion by Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam
markets
·Repair of old energy
efficient gadgets rather
than buying
·Throwing away the
repairable energy
efficient gadgets
7
Leisure
·Practicing prayer 5 times
a day
·Walking to
neighbourhood for
social interaction
·Eliminating travel for
leisure
·Avoiding energy
intensive travels
·Avoiding energy
intensive facilities such
as discos, bars and other
·Using energy intensive
discos for so called
unwinding
·Long distance leisure
travels
·Ignoring
neighbourhoods

Use of surplus
income/ disposable
income
·Helping the poor ,old
and orphans
·Ostentatious
consumption
Energy policy Ecologically intelligent
energy policy appreciates
the end of petro-modern era
and calls for minimising
consumption of GHG
emission utilties ,services
and products
Ecologically stupid energy
policy does not appreciate the
end of petro-modern era and
calls for maximising
consumption of GHG
emission utilities, services and
products. For example ,Japan
is injecting trillions for
increasing spending without
educating people on
ecologically safe consumption
Advertisement Ecologically intelligent
advertisements ensure the use
of renewable materials and
ecologically safe methods
Ecologically hostile
advertisements ensure the use
of non-renewable materials
and ecologically unsafe
methods
Films/ theatreEcologically intelligent films
demonstrate the need for
ecologically safe behaviour and
enterprises
Ecologically hostile and stupid
films glamorise ecologically
hostile behaviour and
enterprises. They tend to
glamorise role models who
seek to build and own
ecologically hostile spaces and
properties
Workplace Ecologically intelligent
workplace design includes space
Ecologically stupid workplace
design does not have space

7. Ecological Intelligence: A Concept for Discussion by Dr.Muhammad Mukhtar Alam
for collective prayer for collective prayer and
promotes ecologically hostile
working hours using lots of
energy. Business process
outsourcing is good here in
India but in the long term
they will not sustain
IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATION POLICY, PEDAGOGY, QUALITY
MEASUREMENT AND FINANCING OF THE PROJECTS
Integration on environment sustainability is part of the UN millennium development goals.
International Financial Institutions such as International Monetary Fund is being faulted for
not having integrating the environment sustainability in its funding decisions. There is need
to measure ecological intelligence and ensure its consideration in HR, policy assessment,
assessment of political visions across the nations. There are urgent implications for assessing
the curriculum of school children and pedagogy for ensuring that ecologically intelligent
behaviour is rewarded and ecologically hostile behaviour and consumption is negatively
reinforced.