Dependence of Man on the Environment - Essay Example

Number of Paper: Dependence of Man on the Environment Nature has created this world with the infinite colors and their combinations. Every creature has been given the task to perform for some time and then go and rest for a while. Among all creatures that God has made, human beings are the most superior of the lot and they gain significance over any other being that is present in the world. The main premise is that mankind has manageable control over its environment. A more accurate statement would be that mankind has a measurable effect on the environment. Whether man has control over it or not is still an argument. As human beings it is our responsibility to take good care of our nature and our environment. Some people also argue that environment has been created for man and he can use it in any way he wants to. Both have become banners for different power bases, making the arguments itself almost irrelevant. Human beings have the ability to use their actions in a positive way which can be useful for both the environment and their own selves. The idea of working with environmental circumstances rather than trying to control the surroundings must be the motivating idea behind any changes in the relationship with mother earth. Dependence of man on environment is a two-way link; helped in essence by the input that man has manifested within the reigns of the environment itself. The clear cut methodology for having an environmental friendly atmosphere is dependent on the actions (and inactions) of man alone. The development of new and advanced technologies is based on the idea that man can control nature to some extent and thus use it for his defensive ideologies. These changes can range from weather maps to electronic meters, and natural disasters to the natural development of the human race itself. For example, one of the most common motivating factors behind technological development is the environmental aspect of isolated expanding human populations which is, of course, war. Mankind was made and has always been supported by the environment. Both the Bible and the theory of evolution agree with this fact nonetheless. According to Bible, God has created this world and produced human beings. He is the one to have sent Adam as the caretaker of the world as well as its environment. The theory of evolution says that man appeared because he occupied a niche in the environmental scheme of things. The Bible and the theory of evolution agree on other issues as well. They both have concluded that mankind can only survive if it cooperates with the environment that exists around it. The Bible contains instructions for environmental cooperation such as crop rotation. Evolution shows, through history, that the people who learned how to facilitate the environment through farming, ranching etc were the first ones to exhibit “civilized behavior.” (Jenkins, 2006) The political aspect of these games is taken so seriously that they interfere with man’s ability to set priorities. Money and technology have taken over even food production as the priority of the dominant cultures of mankind. People have become direly addicted to money and technological inventions that less than ten percent of the world’s population produces the food for the other ninety percent. The others take this food production for granted. All the people who are involved in the production of food are highly dependent on money and technology. They use manufactured fertilizers to produce different kinds of crops for people and for higher production. They use manufactured foods to feed their livestock. They use massive machinery to harvest this produce. They must take huge loans each year to pay for these processes. The adoption of amusements as necessities and the arrogant assumption that man knows better than the life processes designed by God is self destructive to state the least. There is proof everywhere around the world that one can see and fathom for one’s own self. Look at the pollution and poverty of the major cities. Look at the depletion of the world’s forests. Look at the condition of the ozone layer. Look at the famines and the accompanying economic depressions of the early twentieth century, the most prosperous century in the history of mankind. Man’s arrogant financial and technological solutions to his problems are the equivalent of putting band aids on a cancer patient. Money and technology are not the only problems; they are not evil or destructive in or of themselves. Mankind can use money and technology in a very positive way for its own benefit and for the environment but today both money and technology have become man’s obsession. It is the duty of humans to use all the things for the benefit of the earth rather than something else. Ecologically, globalization has enabled countries to realize global environmental challenges that can only be rectified with international cooperation, such as climate change, cross boundary water and air pollution, over fishing of oceans, and the spread of invasive species. It has led to the primary and secondary pollution of developing countries. Primary pollution since most industries is installed in developing countries with less environmental regulations. Secondary pollution in that, since there is little growth in these countries, toxic substances can cross over to their territories suffering from pollution even if they never intended to be there. The usage of fuels in vehicles is causing a lot of hue and cry in the environmental circles all across the globe. It is because of the effects courtesy pollution that these things have started to get noticed more and more with the passage of time. One needs to study whether these issues have a sound reasoning to back up the very same or these are based on fallible grounds. (Cherni, 2002) Having said that the different commissions that have been set up in the wake of reducing fuel emissions and preventing toxic wastes entering into the human ecosystem, need to realize that more efforts are eventually needed to incorporate the drafts and steps as discussed in the various meetings from time to time. Fuel prices have of late increased throughout the world and it would be a pretty wise step to cut down on the vehicular traffic as this will lower the expenses of the drivers and owners of the cars and also provide a respite to the environmentalists who are doing their worthwhile efforts in the current times. Reducing the usage of fuel in vehicles can stem the flow of pollution to a fair enough extent, so much so that one can heave a sigh of relief in the wake of pressing environmental concerns and not to forget the attached perils. Human bodies can also stop taking their toil in these circumstances. One needs to understand that the reduction in the fuel usage will only benefit the entire human race and that its effects on the whole environment can easily be witnessed by one and all in a very short period of time. However the need of the hour is to inculcate feelings of trust and understanding related with the commissions and bodies that are doing their bit with regards to the reduction in the fuel usage, not only in cars but also the industrial wastes that deposit a lot of pollution in free air. The environment needs to be reassessed in the present scheme of things where pollution in the form of fuel and toxic wastes is aplenty. However the steps that can be taken in the light of reducing fuel usage are so many that one can only just talk upon. The more important thing, at the moment is to make people realize about their commitment towards the environment and to the whole ecosystem as a result. The steps that can be taken include a drip in the car manufacturing process whereby fewer cars come on the road and thus the same would ultimately ensure fuel usage is on a sufficient level. Moreover, the governments of respective countries must develop a consortium or a body that looks after the whole world’s environmental concerns rather than just a single country for that matter. Toxic emissions in the form of fuel usage is a sure bet with the developed nations since it has been proven with the passage of time that these very countries are the biggest pollutants present on the face of earth. Thus it would not be right to suggest that the developing nations do their bit and cut down on the environmental hazards whereby countries like United States and France keep on releasing dangerous gases into the air. (Foster, 1993) Research has also confirmed that United States is indeed the biggest pollutant in the world at the moment. On a more personal level, people can exercise restraint in the form of fitting in silencers which would decrease the amount of noise pollution as well as getting their cars’ engines checked up for better fuel economy, which would indeed give them better mileage (of the car) as well as keep the environment clean and green. Also, with the induction of Green CNG kits one can surely expect something positive to happen in the days to come. This would also make sure that people start driving cars which would appeal more to the beauty of the environment as well as less toxic gases emitted in the same environment. Countries like Netherlands and China where a lot of people commute on bicycles have surely understood this problem and are doing their best to counter the same. These bicycles decrease the effects of pollution in the environment as well as form an exercise machine and thus make people fit and healthy, not to forget they start getting punctual with regards to their destination times. A question could be raised here as to how people commute on bicycles when the distance is a lot more and the answer for this is that public CNG buses could e employed which will have a very soothing effect on the environment as well as help and facilitate the people with their long distance journeys. The government can do so much in this regard that can make people aware of the perils and hazards related with fuel usage and that too which is on the increase in recent times. Buying hybrid cars is also another theory that can be looked into. This would ensure that people could switch to either petrol or CNG, and in buses the switch could be made between diesel and CNG. However this is not such a common methodology and is one thing that can surely be taken as an important point in the times to come. With the changing times, one can also predict that environmentalists will come up with their own and novel methods which would not only benefit the society but the whole ecosystem which entails within it the animals, plants and the non living creatures (beings) as well. It is not just the fuel usage which is causing the uproar all over the world but there are a lot of similar factors that are playing their negative roles in the whole scheme of the environmental maze. People should be told about the positive aspects of living in a clean and clear environment and thus efforts need to be made to make them realize that cutting down on fuel usage and better enough cycling their way through a distance or even walking would help their own selves as well as the whole environment. Reducing fuel usage is a must since people do not understand that by their using the cars and different vehicles they are directly posing problems for their coming generations and not to forget for their own selves as well. Lowering gas prices is a good sign but it surely should not be taken as something which will hamper the process of bringing positive effects on the environment. The gas prices need to be shuffled every now and then due to the international markets but since this is a purely fiscal situation that we would not like to touch upon, it would be best to cut down on the instruments that accrue to the environment in a very negative manner all the same. Realization has to be made fast in this process and thus people need to cut down on their usage of cars and the industrial concerns have to limit their capacities within certain boundaries as this will definitely lay a positive and new foundation for their own betterment. Last but not the least, reducing fuel usage in cars can also be encouraged by having proper checks within the car engines and to find out whether or not cars have fuel economies in terms of monetary aspects as well as output ratios. It is one thing to be environmentally safe and another to have a close check on the reduction or decrease of fuel expenses and it is only when the two combine that the drivers and owners of the cars and other vehicles will start realizing how the two can go hand in hand and thus benefit the whole environment and also save their coming generations from this hazard that is a sure sign of discomfort for one and all in the present times. To conclude the discussion, reducing fuel usage would eventually help one and all and thus it is the best possible way in which environment could be given something in return to what it gives to 7 billion people living on the face of the earth – scenery full of colors with fresh air in every moment. The Bible instructs all and sundry that those who break principles, whether they understand them or not, will suffer consequences. Evolution and human history show that life forms which oversaturated or over influenced their environment eventually deplete and destroy their support system. We must open our eyes to the results of our actions. We must pay heed to the instructions of the Bible and the lessons of evolution. We must become caretakers of the earth rather than pursuing towards its submission. We must fulfill our niches rather than our ambitions. The Bible tells us that God made us to live in the garden. Evolution tells us that we would not survive without having a place in the scheme of the environment. In 20th century man has developed so much that he is living a very luxurious life with high-end technology coming to his rescue. Indeed world is pretty balanced that despite being the superior to all creatures man has still been dependent on the word nature.’ The biggest example was the tsunami despite of having every latest possible technology; man could not control this disaster. Even the earthquakes which usually happen in different regions of the world have zilch remedy to date. Everything in this world has its own importance and there is absolutely no denying this very fact. Man is slowly waking up from the blindness of his arrogance. One must stop stretching and yawning from this awakening or man will have nothing to wake up to. It may be too late already and thus we must act now to save the burden for tomorrow. References Cherni, J. (2002). Economic Growth versus the Environment: The Politics of Wealth, Health and Air Pollution. Palgrave Foster, J. (1993). "Let Them Eat Pollution": Capitalism and the World Environment. Monthly Review, Vol. 44, January Jenkins, P. (2006). Liberating Word: The Power of the Bible in the Global South. The Christian Century, Vol. 123, July 11 Word Count: 2,527 Read More