“The world is a fine place and worth fighting for”. This is what every person should instill in their minds. Haven’t we realized that “it’s not the sun that wither the plants to death but the man who gradually beats the trees to death” (http://www.coolnsmart.com/environment_quotes/). If you look around you, do you feel proud of what you see? Whatever happened to our environment is our doing, that’s why we should fix the mess that we made in every way possible. Some people might agree to what I said and others won’t. People have different opinions and the least that we could do is to respect those opinions.
When it comes to our role in the environment, there is what we call environmental worldviews. It is “how people think the world works
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The believers of planetary management worldview believes that we are totally separate from nature and are much more powerful than nature so nature only exists to meet our needs and wants. With the improving technology and economy, we’ll be able to manage earth’s life-support system and all of these are for our own benefit. The stewardship world view on the other hand believes that we do manage nature for our benefit but we still have a responsibility to maintain and protect it. This worldview ceases to develop the environment or help improve the environment and avoid things that might harm it and all of these, of course, are still for our own benefit. I think this is the worldview of our government since they do projects to help the environment but still the one to benefit most is us. The last one is the environmental wisdom worldview. In this worldview, nature is much more important because we, humans, are depending on it. We don’t only think for ourselves but mostly for nature. Without nature, we will all be extinct. It is actually the opposite of the planetary management. In this view, we are not selfish and nature is the top priority so we must develop programs that will help nature because we know that it is nature that will help us
This quotation opens your eyes, I know of no one who wants to destroy the earth either. The majority of man kind doesn’t think too much about what is happening to the earth due to their actions. When most of us drive a car or spray deodorant we don’t think of the consequences. It is the responsibility of those who create problems to help fix them and prevent them from happening again. In society today it i...
Such ploys seek to undermine any legitimate eco-consciousness in the audience, replacing it with rhetoric that is ultimately ambivalent toward the health of ecosystems, but definitively pro-business. These tactics assume a rigidly anthropocentric point of view, shutting out any consideration for the well-being of non-human existence; they seem to suggest that nature lies subordinate to our base desires. In addition to upholding the subordination of nature to business and leisure activities, this view establishes nature as something privately owned and partitioned (243), rather than something intrinsic to the world. Our relationship with nature becomes one of narcissism.
As a result, It hurts my heart to see our world being destroyed by people who are not educated. These people pay no regard to how their actions are slowly destroying our world. Like Rachel Carson said, “only within the moment of time presented by the present century has one species -man- acquired significant power to alter the nature of this world”, we can already see the effects of what our species has done in only the last two hundred years. If we continue on this path of greed and destruction, our planet will not be suitable for life on earth and our species along with millions of others will go extinct but the planet will continue to live on. While we try to save our species, we may help to resolve the destruction we have caused along the way. It is easy for one to think that their actions alone are not making a difference but if everyone thinks this way, no change will ever be made. I believe that every person can make a difference if they take the right steps toward a more sustainable lifestyle. It is important that we work together to try and undo what we have done, as impossible as that may seem. I feel this way toward these issues because of the admiration I have towards the environment. My relationship with the environment is not one that came about overnight, but rather, one that started as something small in the memory of a fifth grader to what is now my passion
A human induced global ecological crisis is occurring, threatening the stability of this earth and its inhabitants. The best path to address environmental issues both effectively and morally is a dilemma that raises concerns over which political values are needed to stop the deterioration of the natural environment. Climate change; depletion of resources; overpopulation; rising sea levels; pollution; extinction of species is just to mention a few of the damages that are occurring. The variety of environmental issues and who and how they affect people and other species is varied, however the nature of environmental issues has the potential to cause great devastation. The ecological crisis we face has been caused through anthropocentric behavior that is advantageous to humans, but whether or not anthropocentric attitudes can solve environmental issues effectively is up for debate. Ecologism in theory claims that in order for the ecological crisis to be dealt with absolutely, value and equality has to be placed in the natural world as well as for humans. This is contrasting to many of the dominant principles people in the contemporary world hold, which are more suited to the standards of environmentalism and less radical approaches to conserving the earth. I will argue in this essay that whilst ecologism could most effectively tackle environmental problems, the moral code of ecologism has practical and ethical defects that threaten the values and progress of anthropocentricism and liberal democracy.
The most obvious reason that the environment has moral significance is that damage to it affects humans. Supporters of a completely human-centered ethic claim that we should be concerned for the environment only as far as our actions would have a negative effect on other people. Nature has no intrinsic value; it is not good and desirable apart from its interaction with human beings. Destruction and pollution of the environment cannot be wrong unless it results in harm to other humans. This view has its roots in Western tradition, which declares that “human beings are the only morally important members of this world” (Singer p.268).
Stewardship extends far beyond knowing how to spend your money wisely and how one can best care for the earth. Being a Christian steward, and thus having stewardship, allows Christians and those alike to make life choices that advance His kingdom and live into what He has entrusted His followers to. Economics is one of the first things people start to study in order to fix this fiscally and environmentally broken world. George Monsma asserts that stewardship is the foundation of economic life, and it is because of this, people need to use their resources not only for the benefit of themselves, but those in need.
We are supposed to be good stewards of this earth while we are still living on it. God gave us this planet to inhabit and have dominion over everything on and in it. That means that we are responsible for keeping it clean, for protecting it from harm or depletion and we have to preserve and replenish the earth.
Two philosophies were developed in the past as part of the early environmental consciousness. Utilitarian conservation states that resources should be used for the greatest good for the greatest number for the longest time. Biocentric preservation, on the other hand, emphasizes the fundamental right of living organisms to exist and to pursue their own goods. Early schools of thought and rising concerns such as fossil fuel issues, air and water pollution and biodiversity loss led to modern environmentalism, the active participation in attempts to solve environmental pollution and resource problems. This term reinforces the notion that human beings have a responsibility to protect the environment. Similarly, global environmentalism is a concern or action to help solve global environmental problems.
Environmental philosophers are able to open up a range of different ideas behind our environmental crisis. They do this by not only looking at physical marks left by humans on the earth but also at the very humans themselves. Theories don’t only explain complex dynamics and structures but give us an opportunity to reflect upon our own behaviors and decisions in relation to the environment.
Anthropocentrism is the school of thought that human beings are the single most significant entity in the universe. As a result, the philosophies of those with this belief reflect the prioritization of human objectives over the well-being of one’s environment. However, this is not to say that anthropocentric views neglect to recognize the importance of preserving the Earth. In fact, it is often in the best interests of humans to make concerted efforts towards sustaining the environment. Even from a purely anthropocentric point of view, there are three main reasons why mankind has a moral duty to protect the natural world.
... By showing the world the severity of our need for conservation, we will be able to save the earth and get the most out of our resources. We need to fix this problem before it becomes uncontrollable to the point of having no resources to meet our needs. By reducing our consumption of resources, we will be able to become closer to fixing the problem of global warming, high gasoline prices and pesticide-filled meats. The outcome of respecting our world and “going green” will better how we live our lives, our communities and the environment.
Keith Douglas Warner with David Decosse authors of Thinking Ethically about the Environment explains that, “Environmental ethics apply ethical thinking to the natural world and the relationship between humans and the earth” (Douglas and Decosse 1). Understanding our environment will probably be the most important part of environmental ethics. By understanding the environment, one is putting one selves in the shoes of something that is relevant to nature. Understanding the struggles and helplessness that nature has will hopefully influence one to take better care of our planet. Feeling sympathy is something everyone needs to express towards planet Earth. Humans are the largest factor on deciding if the planet worsen or prosper. Our planet has nothing to do with how polluted it is, this is truly our
We all belong to the same world and all of us have the same responsibilities towards the world and its environment. This fact might be hard to digest, but if we continue to pollute the Earth at the current rate, all of the world’s ocean waters will become one-hundred-thirty percent acidic. This means that the ocean will be unable to sustain most of its marine life and only a few creatures will be able to survive in the water. A big population of people think that they do not or have few responsibilities towards the environment. People think that the governor of a country should take steps to help the environment. They leave it to scientists since they have the technology to prevent pollution, or that is what most people think. There are more responsibilities to the world each individual has than most of realize. The amount of negligence and ignorance of humans towards the Earth is taking a heavy toll.
Is it right that future generations, who have committed no crimes, be forced to live in a contaminated environment with freshwater depletion, polluted air, global warming and biodiversity reduction just because our present generation has caused the damage? Should our future children be ensured an ecologically healthy environment? I think they should. I strongly believe that protecting the environment is extremely important. We are all part of the environment; Earth is what we all share in common. It is our home and we are obliged to preserve it. As someone who is aware, who cares and who is concerned, I’d like to help you understand why protecting our environment is vital. I believe that protecting the environment is essential for healthy living, in creating a healthful environment for our future generation and last but not least, the Earth is our one and only home.
Many people assume that the environment is not in danger. They believe that as technology advances, we do not need to worry about renewing natural resources, recycling, and finding new ways to produce energy. They state that one person in the world does not make a large difference. In reality, each individual's contribution greatly affects our environment. Our natural resources are slowly disappearing, and we must work together to save them and the Earth from ruin.