Introduction
Humans interact with their environment daily through their routines. According to Rogerian, it is the responsibility of human beings to protect their surroundings using all possible means (Landrigan et al., 2018). He asserts that people should respect, treat, and protect the environment. In recent years, it is evident that the environment has suffered greatly due to the increased industrial revolution, which has had little or no regard for it.
Even though people clearly understand the environmental value to humanity, they still fail to protect it by using it as a dumping ground. The UN secretary recently stated, “People have an immense responsibility to preserve our precious web of life on earth for this generation and those that will follow” (Stahn, 2017). For this reason, human beings must be held accountable for maintaining the required environmental standards to prevent the current and future generations from the miseries resulting from individual reckless morals. Humans’ duty to the environment starts with the notion of humanity, where everyone must play their part in protecting the environment.
Why People Should Preserve the Environment
From a scientific perspective, the environment is crucial to humans, as they interact with it daily. Researchers claim that “Climate change is interfering with ecosystems’ species distribution and general functioning. For the slow-growing species, climate change tends to force them to lag between geographic and species distributions, exposing them to the danger of extinction” (Gostel, 2017).
In this regard, the ecosystem is evidently significant for individual survival on Earth. The planet is claimed to be the only habitable place primarily because of its favorable climate and other factors, such as a desirable gravitational pull and a stable ecosystem. Environmental degradation is detrimental to human survival and impacts the Earth’s overall habitability.
Upholding safe biodiversity helps eradicate common human challenges, such as food insecurity, and reduces vulnerability. Nature contributes to making humankind’s lives meaningful, and in its absence, human existence would lose its meaning. Moreover, people need to have proper knowledge of environmental protection. Without a clean and secure environment, it would be hard for humans to enjoy animals, clean air, and good health.
Human beings can employ various approaches to protect the environment. Although some of these practices may be uncomfortable, relating them to the extreme conformist mindset, a lack of good environmental practices will result in human suffering now and in the future. One standard practice that everyone must adopt is avoiding plastic materials, such as straws and cups. This may seem like a small and ineffective practice without proper analysis, but a lack of plastic avoidance can have a substantial impact on the environment.
Background
Pollution and Human Health
It is evident that every human benefits from the environment, which provides breathable air through plants that absorb carbon dioxide produced by humans. Environmental studies have revealed that from 2016, contamination resulted in more than 940,000 deaths of kids; close to two-thirds of this population were under the age of five (Landrigan et al., 2018). Moreover, plants provide essential nutrients that the human body needs to heal and grow. Plants along most coastal and shoreline areas play a significant role in mitigating hurricanes and floods. This highlights the need for environmental protection to sustain and enhance the benefits that result.
Since the toxic levels of many chemicals are not yet categorized, the impact of chemical pollution as a global challenge remains to be discovered. Therefore, limiting and preventing environmental pollution is necessary to enhance people’s overall health. Research has also shown that the most common diseases affecting humans worldwide are gastrointestinal and respiratory, often caused by air and water pollution. As environmental pollution continues to increase, the likelihood of such infections also increases, underscoring the need for more effective conservation measures.
Pollution and Poverty
First, it is essential to appreciate that environmental issues and poverty are significantly interrelated. As poor people rely mainly on the environment for survival, they tend to be significantly affected by environmental issues. Degradation of the environment leads to increased misery for people experiencing poverty due to the rise of floods, droughts, and other environmental-related catastrophes.
For instance, soil erosion causes a reduction in food production and wood fuel, resulting in inflation that eventually leads to food shortages and hunger. On the other hand, poverty causes people to stress the environment more due to large families, which leads to increased waste disposal. Due to an increasing population, poverty leads to the overexploitation of resources in an attempt to cater to the growing needs.
A lack of knowledge of agricultural practices can also lead to a decline in productivity and crop yield. The Lancet Commission states that pollution is inextricably linked to poverty, threatening the human rights to life, well-being, and health (Landrigan et al., 2018). In this regard, it was established that the highest pollution-related deaths occurred in middle— and low-income countries.
Therefore, governments need to make the necessary arrangements to eradicate poverty. This will help to save citizens from the negative implications of environmental degradation. No meaningful environmental solution can be found without first making efforts to alleviate poverty worldwide. However, it is essential to realize that poverty eradication is a costly endeavor that requires proper funding, implying a heavy tax burden that may be unaffordable for the same citizens.
Christianity and Pollution
Christians must always honor the holy Bible doctrines in all their daily endeavors. The book of Psalms 24:1 states that the Earth and everything in it belong to God (Bible, 2001). Since God created the Earth and all living things on it, Christians are called to show respect and care for everything God has created. Moreover, the book of Mark 12:31 holds that Christians should show their love to their neighbor as they do to themselves (Bible, 2001).
This implies that if one locates a mess in the neighbor’s yard, the person can correct it without permission. If one is suffering from severe breathing problems, people should desist from smoking around to protect their partners’ lives. Additionally, Christians can engage in protecting national parks and reserves for their own sake and for the sake of those who take pleasure in God’s creation. However, most Christians are entirely ignorant of their roles in environmental protection. This highlights the need to incorporate the responsibility of Christians in Environmental preservation into Christian doctrines to educate them on their responsibilities.
Conclusion
Environmental protection remains an important obligation of human beings. People’s responsibility for environmental protection began after humanity developed its understanding and realized that everyone must play an active role in ensuring a non-toxic environment. However, although most people understand the contribution of a good environment to humanity, they still contribute to pollution by dumping. Every step towards environmental preservation brings people closer to the desired, healthier, and new Earth. Although some steps might yield desired outcomes after an extended period, continued practice and patience will finally produce the expected result.
References
Bible, E. S. V. (2001). English Standard Version Bible online.
Gostel, J. (2017). Ethics, Energy, and the Environment: A Proposal to Hold Attorneys to Certain Standards in Protecting Our Planet. Geo. J. Legal Ethics, pp. 30, 819.
Landrigan, P. J., Fuller, R., Acosta, N. J., Adeyi, O., Arnold, R., Baldé, A. B., & Zhong, M. (2018). The Lancet Commission on pollution and health. The Lancet, 391(10119), 462–512.
Stahn, C. (2017). Responsibility to protect: political rhetoric or the emerging legal norm? In Globalization and Common Responsibilities of States (pp. 147–168). Routledge.