“The earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.” – Gandhi
Human Greed in the Name of Development Threatening Life:
- Uncontrolled Resource Exploitation: Large-scale deforestation, mining, and extraction for industrial purposes. Eg. Amazon rainforest has lost 17% of its area.
- Rising Carbon Emissions: IPCC reports that global temperatures have risen by 1.2°C since the pre-industrial era, causing more frequent and severe natural disasters.
- Loss of Biodiversity: WWF estimates a 60% decline in wildlife populations since 1970, primarily due to habitat loss and pollution.
- Social Inequality in Environmental Impact: According to UNEP, vulnerable communities face the greatest risk from rising sea levels, heatwaves, and food shortages.
- Violation of Environmental Ethics: violation of the principles of non-maleficence and deep ecology.
- Unsustainable Urbanization: Rapid urban expansion consumes land, leading to overcrowded cities with poor living conditions.
- Future Generations at Risk: Short-term economic gains undermine long-term environmental sustainability, leaving future generations to bear the consequences.
| Biodiversity Loss (IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services)The average abundance of native species in most major land-based habitats has fallen by at least 20% since 1900. At least 680 vertebrate species and more than 9% of all domesticated breeds of mammals had become extinct by 2016more than 41,000 animals worldwide are threatened with extinction, including 41% of all amphibians, almost 33% of reef-forming corals, 27% of the world’s mammals, more than a third of all marine mammals, and 13% of all known bird species. (IUCN) |
Measures to Protect Life and Restore Equilibrium:
- Government – Deontology (Duty Ethics)
- Policy Implementation: laws like carbon taxes and incentives for renewable energy. Eg: Sweden’s carbon tax.
- Infrastructure Investment: Prioritize building green infrastructure, such as public transportation systems. Eg: bike-friendly infrastructure in Netherlands.
- Strengthening Environmental Regulations: Stronger enforcement of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA)
- Ecocentrism: Prioritizing ecosystem health over individual resource use. Eg: Norway’s protection of the Lofoten islands from oil exploration preserves marine ecosystems critical to biodiversity, despite potential economic gains from drilling.
- People (Virtue Ethics)
- Adopt Sustainable Lifestyles: by using renewable energy, recycling, and limiting resource consumption to ensure Intergenerational Equity.
- Community-Based Conservation: Engaging local communities in conservation efforts, like the Chipko Movement in India, Great Green Wall in Africa
- Businesses
- Sustainable Practices by investing in clean technologies and adopting circular economy practices. Eg: IKEA has committed to using only renewable and recycled materials by 2030.
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Eg: Patagonia donates a percentage of profits to environmental causes and focuses on sustainable production.
- Global Community
- International Agreements: Eg: Over 190 nations committed to limiting global warming to below 2°C at the 2015 Paris Climate Summit.
- Technology and Resource Sharing: Eg: The Green Climate Fund assists developing countries in climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.
Securing a nature-positive world by 2030 must be our guiding star in order to maintain equilibrium between the humanity and the environment
