Our environment

Today’s entry is a lil’ special Blog Action Day edition. This is where lots and lots of bloggers around the world will be writing about a common theme – this year it’s the environment. I may not be a hugely popular blogger, but I thought I’d do my part. Those who frequent this blog would know that occasionally I do write stuff bout the environment. There are lots of other green blogs (some links provided below) that offers lots of tips on going green etc, so I though I’d tackle another approach – really, why should we care about the environment?

Here’s what I learn from my conservation biology class. There is basically two main factors why humans would conserve the environment:
i. economics
ii. aesthethics

The economics factor is mostly for businesses and corporations. What is the cost of conserving the environment vs. utilizing it now? Things like: Should I cut down this hectare of sturdy mature oak trees to make furniture or should I leave it so that the squirrels and birds can continue to play here? Should I turn this area into a logging haven or do I spend a little to turn it into an ecotourism spot where I earn less but over a longer period?

Aesthetics would be more of the regular Joe’s (including me) and green groups’ reason for protecting the environment – protecting the environment for the sake of protecting it. Eg we should protect the environment because it is wrong to destroy nature. Because all life is sacred and shouldn’t be taken away. Because nature is a wonderful work of beauty and it would be terrible to destroy it. Because man shouldn’t be frivolous with God’s gifts to mankind.

Of course this only represents two extreme viewpoints towards conserving the environment. Corporations hate environmental groups, the groups hate the corporations and government while the government has to struggle between both of them. Nowadays more and more people realize that a compromise is needed to achieve some positive results rather than both sides being stubborn. Green groups need to understand that corporations and also communities, need to see tangible benefits to conserving the environment – their job opportunities, profits etc. While corporations and the local community needs to understand that protecting the environment can also bring tangible benefits in the long run such as sustainable jobs like ecotourism, a more stablised microenvironment (local climate), and better quality of air and water. Think about it – parks in cities aren’t just nice to look at – they provide shade, comfort and reduce dust.

But in the end, really, why should we conserve the environment? Aren’t we doing just fine now? Besides, we’ve got lots of things to do – work, family etc? I agree, that all of us have our own commitments. Not all of us can be like Jane Goodall who just upped and spent half her lifetime with the gorillas. But still there are things that we can do – like being aware and pressure our policymakers to go green.

I think this would be similar to asking why should we should care about the killings of innocents in Darfur. Or victims of the tsunami in Aceh. Or the brutal war in Iraq. How can we expect to grow and prosper in our cosy little bubble when there are some many problems afflicting us. We are growing more interconnected that ever, and things that happen there will affect us as well. Another crisis in Iraq, oil prices will spike. More innocents being killed in Darfur – displacements of refugees and spreading of chaos to other countries.

Which is why even though we might be comfortable now, the environmental problems that occur are warnings of a systemic problem. We should be worried that frogs and amphibians have been dying mysteriously for the past few years, since they live mostly in bodies of water and are more sensitive to changes in the environment. We also should be worried that bees have been dying and not returning to their hives for unknown reasons, causing massive losses to farmer who might not be aware that bees provide free pollination services for almonds, flowers and fruits. Or that the Antarctic ice this summer has been melting at an alarming rate. Because though we might not feel the effects right now, all signs are pointing that our environment are breaking down. We need to remember that we need the environment more that it needs us; not to mention that it could actually do much better without us.

Let’s do our part, bit by bit. Because when you think about it, at the end of the day we are not doing it so much for Mother Nature herself but for ourselves and our future generations.

Here are some great links to learn more about our environment and how to go green.

i. Treehugger
ii. We can live green
iii. Digg