Environment as a basic right
If we look at society from a historical perspective, we realize that protection and preservation of the environment has been integral to the cultural and religious ethos of most human communities. Nature has been venerated by ancient Hindus, Greeks, Native Americans and other religions around the world. They worshipped all forms of nature believing that it emanated the spirit of God. Hinduism declared in its dictum that “the Earth is our mother and we are all her children.”
The ancient Greeks worshipped Gaea or the Earth Goddess. Islamic law regards man as having inherited "all the resources of life and nature" and having certain religious duties to God in using them. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, God gave the earth to his people and their offspring as an everlasting possession, to be cared for and passed on to each generation. The concept of human rights in general emerged after the Second World War, but the right to a healthy environment, as one of those human rights, was never a priority. Today, this right is an emerging concept that is being hotly debated in the human rights arena. A healthy environment is an essential aspect of the right to life, not only for human beings but also for other animals on the planet. Violation, therefore, of the right to healthy environment is potentially a violation of the basic right to life.
Environmental deterioration could eventually endanger life of present and future generations. Therefore, the
Summary
The article “Returning the Gift” that written by Robin Kimmerer has discussed the importance of having our appreciations for nature. The Earth is providing many valuable gifts for us, including fresh air, water, lands and many more natural resources to keep us alive. The author has pointed out that human beings are being greedy, and taking everything for granted. From the author’s perspective, human beings should feel grateful of what we have.
This paper has great ethos, it gives an example of what is to come if we do not care for our environment and people. The paper states, “Once the battle is lost...man can not wonder at nature; his spirit will wither and his sustenance be wasted” (Lyndon B. Johnson).
It brings life to plants while working with the earth, wind, and sun, so why corrupt our Earth. The series of environmental injustice violates the sovereignty of the Diné people, along with
Our environment had been endangered of becoming unsafe, threatening, and even deadly. “The water we drink, the food we eat, the very air that we breathe, are threatened with pollution. Our parks are overcrowded, our seashores overburdened. Green fields and dense forests are disappearing.” Johnson stresses that the health of people and environment is at risk because Americans have allowed for the destruction of nature to get out of hand, and causing both the Earth and human health at risk of becoming an ugly America, due to –as Johnson references- the “Ugly American” (“Great Society”).
To rightfully evolve governance, we must look back on several ideas of jurisprudence that will celebrate diversity and recognize universal law should promote human behaviors that support the ecosystem. The Gaia theory imposes the idea of Earth being a single organism in itself which regulates its own environment and any interruptions to its cycles will cause the devastation of natural Earth. Humanity must reconsider its attempt to separate itself from the natural world and respect the environment and avoid waste or excess. It is importance we recognize or belonging to the ecosystem and become a universal network in order to preserve and protect the planet with depend on for
In the epic poem The Odyssey, Homer portrays Greek gods and goddesses as possessing human qualities and faults. Through their actions and emotions, Homer emphasizes the detrimental effects of lust, envy, wrath, and greed in ancient Grecian society. He also never fails to remind readers of the importance of respect for holy figures because of their powerful abilities to create chaos and wonder". Homer wants to prove that gods and humans share a variety of traits, and the only difference is that god don’t allow these flaws negatively to impact their society. To help further his argument, we can compare Greek gods and goddesses to that of Christianity.
Correspondingly, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights depend on dignity, equality and mutual respect – regardless of your nationality, your religion or your beliefs. Your rights are tied in with being dealt with reasonably and treating others decently, and being able to make on decisions about your own life. These fundamental human rights are: Universal; They have a place with every one of us; They can't be detracted from us, Indivisible and independent Governments should not have the capacity to choose
Jane Goodall, a primatologist, ethologist, and anthropologist, explains that the greatest
risk to our future is lacking enthusiasm and concern about its outcome. Considering Goodall is
extremely environmentally keen, it is more than likely she is emphasizing this towards the future
of the entire ecosystem, including plants and animals, rather than only the future of the human race. She explains that if the human race falls to a deficiency of caring about our environment, it can and will lead to a vast threat to the future of the world’s ecosystem. Often humans forget about the importance of the ecosystem and instead we become caught up in ourselves and our own individual needs. Goodall is stressing that if these egotistical human acts continue to occur, the future of our ecosystem is in jeopardy.
Introduction:
Genetically modified organisms can be defined as organisms in which the DNA has been changed in a way that does not occur naturally by any reproduction procedure. The enviropig is just one of many organisms that they did experiments on to modify it to have specific (needed) outcomes. The reason for genetic modification is to be able to change a product or organism so that it deliver desirable traits.
The enviropig was created to solve the problem of pigs not being able to absorb enough phosphorous from their diet, which then in its turn contributes to the larger factor of pollution.
The inhabitants right to an “environment that is not harmful to their health and well-being” and the right to “ecologically sustainable development” is violated.
Environmental ethics, on the other hand, is the area of applied ethics that discusses, reflects and reasons on normative measures (values, rules, norms, criteria) for dealing with non-human natural entities in a responsible way (Karafyllis 2013, p.292). In particular, it refers to the value that mankind places on protecting, conserving, and efficiently using resources that the earth provides. Simply put, environmental ethics poses the question - what, if any, moral obligation does man have to the preservation and care of the non-human
On a study of the environmental law in India, we find various scenarios starting from the ancient India on preservation of nature.
Ancient India
Environment is considered to be something inherited from one’s ancestors. God’s presence is equated to nature and nature is worshipped extensively in Hindu culture. Divine forces were associated with various forms of nature
The reading assignments for this week has been very educative about the environment and making it a better place for living. In this written assignment, I will examine some of the ethical issues related to population growth and their effect to the environment. Also, I will propose solutions to these problems base on the reading material available for this Unit. But before I continue, I wish to introduce us to environmental ethics and its definition which I think it is very important for us to understand so as to know our role to play in this beautiful planet.
Environmental ethics is the discipline in philosophy that studies the moral relationship of human beings to, and also the value and moral status of, the environment and its non-human contents
Introduction:
Our earth is the most precious gift of the universe. It is the sustenance of ‘nature’ that is the key to the development of the future of mankind. It is the duty and responsibility of each one of us to protect nature. It is here that the understanding of the ‘environment’ comes into the picture. The degradation of our environment is linked with the development process and the ignorance of people about retaining the ecological balance.
