Unit Paper 4- Human Impacts on the Earth

The Unit Paper 4- Human Impacts on the Earth

Humans do not exist in a vacuum.  This semester my biology 156 class has focused on the basics of the human system and how it functions.  However, we are part of a much larger system within which we function, as do countless other animals and plants.  The final unit paper for my 156 class asks that I consider what my world view philosophy is.  This is very much along the lines of the 105 class I have also been taking this semester!

For this paper we were first asked to consider three world views, and which one we felt fit our own ideas the best.  The three world outlooks are planetary management worldview, stewardship worldview, and environmental wisdom worldview.  Planetary management worldview is the idea that we are separate from, and in charge of nature.  Stewardship worldview is similar in that it puts humans as in charge of the world, but sets them more as caretakers, whose responsibility it is to act as shepherds.  Finally, environmental wisdom worldview suggests that we are included in nature, and must engage as sustainable users of the resources we share.  I tend to favor environmental wisdom as the best course to follow.  Although there are areas where I feel we need stewardship to try and repair problems that were previously caused by human activities, the best way to move forwards seems to be one where we don't put humans as dictators of nature.  It is our responsibility to live as sustainably as possible, not our place to exploit the Earth or to decide which other living things should live or die as a species.  Over the history of the Earth many, many species have come and gone, and knowing this is seems ignorant to think that our one species can, or even should, save every other species that happens to coexist with us at this time.

There are many causes of the environmental problems that we see today.
1. Population Growth

One of the biggest concerns is population growth.  If human populations continue to grow and do not level off we will end up with a population larger than can be sustained by the resources available to us.  This is a natural occurrence  and happens in other animal and plant populations, but could be much more devastating in the human case.  Humans have the ability to monopolize resources and prevent others living things from having access to them in a way that most others do not.  This type of behavior would drastically reduce both biodiversity and population densities of other living things, and could spell disaster for many other Earth dwellers besides humans as well. 


2.  Resource Waste

Another major problem is resource management.  There are gross amounts of waste created by humans.  Not all of this is municipal waste that we tend to focus on.  In fact, most waste is industrial waste, and much of it could be reduced for greater efficiency, more sustainability, and lower cost energy and goods.  Current practices generate so much waste of energy and thus resources that well over half of the materials used in most production end up as waste.  This connects to the most raw elements included in industry.  If you consider the mining that is used to gather mineral resources etc, it's easy to see how this happens.  The primary focus here needs to be on decreasing industrial production waste and increasing efficiency.  One way that most people can address this though is through a program of recycling.  The term recycling has come to be a blanket term that people use for the reuse of any previously used item.  Actual recycling is the re-manufacture of resources into new products.  While recycling is good, and does help, the more ideal is reusing.  Reusing is often thought of as part of recycling, but it is separate, and is strictly the re-purposing of items for secondary use.  



3. Pollution

Pollution is one of the major problems that is causing some of the fastest changes in the world right now.  The good news about it is that since we have become more aware of the impacts that it can have we have been doing a lot to try and change the amount of impact that this is has on the Earth.  Pollution can be as complex as the  industrial wastes that are generated through the production process, or as simple as littering.  There needs to be a greater endeavor to make sure that what we are putting back into the environment is as clean as possible.  One of the challenges to this is that some countries are much more proactive about this than others.  Having clean waste coming out of factories can be very expensive to accomplish.  This drives businesses to move production to other countries where regulations are more lax.  This pollutes a different community in the short term, and simply means that world wide effects will stem from a different source.  People have adopted the NIMBY principle, and feel like as long as it is "not in my backyard" it is okay, but there is a growing movement that support NIABY instead "not in anyone's backyard."

4. Education


Many people are simply unaware of the impact that they are having on the world.  Many adopt an attitude that since they are one person, their impact is so small that it doesn't really matter one way or another.  But when everyone thinks in this manner, the results can be catastrophic.  Educating young people about how they can make a difference ensures that the next generation can take a more proactive role.  But it is important to make sure that we educate adults as well.  Everyone needs to be aware of the effects that we have on the Earth, and the different things that we can do to address them.  

Muir Woods,12-1012,  G. Whittaker

For our class we viewed a slideshow on this topic that included Environmental Pioneers.  If I were to research one of these people, I would want to study John Muir.  This past winter I took my kids to visit Muir Woods in California and they learned a little bit about him while we were there.  As a child I visited the woods as well as annual trips to Yosemite, a place with which he was very involved.  I think his cause was admirable, and his life living in nature was fascinating!  Although I have some general knowledge about him I have always wanted to learn more, and would love to read some of his own writings.