The Symbiotic Relationship Between Humans and the Earth
Earth and human beings share a unique and symbiotic relationship. As human activities increasingly impact the planet's ecosystems, environmental changes have become prominent, posing threats to sustainability. Discussing global environmental issues involves complexities in science, stakeholder coordination, and lifestyle changes. Understanding human-environment interaction from scientific, socio-economic, and political viewpoints is crucial for addressing these challenges effectively.
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Introduction We all know that the Earth and human beings are unique in more than one sense. To extend it further the relationship between the two is very symbiotic and sensitive as well. The Earth is unique in the solar system in view of it being the only planet that sustains life. Life on Earth has passed many stages of dynamic evolution with human beings representing just the latest stage in this evolutionary process. Ever since the early phases of evolution, human beings have always been at the mercy of nature. But in their endeavour to control nature, they continuously threaten the sustainability of the planet.
Alarming Change in the 20thCentury Our environment is dynamic and it is constantly changing and evolving in response to stimuli. Yet in the 20thcentury, it became apparent that mankind is having an increased effect on the planet s eco-systems and biogeochemical cycles so much so that these activities are now causing environmental change, which is overriding the natural dynamism of the earth. Yet despite the evidence of environmental problems such as loss of biodiversity, land cover changes as evident from satellite imagery, records of climate change; human beings still pursue activities which perpetuate the problems. As the world s population increases and the per capita consumption of natural resources rise, there will be certainly more environmental problems if corrective steps are not taken at the earliest.
Difficulties in Discussion on Environmental Issues This is due to three broad reasons. First, the science of environmental problems is very complex. This is so as we are dealing with many interrelated dynamic systems. Secondly, there are many stakeholders involved in both the causes and solutions to environmental problems. Organizing all of these stakeholders to act in a coordinated manner is difficult. Thirdly, resolving global environmental issues will require changes in our own consumption pattern, which will mean changes in lifestyles. This requires commitment at the personal level which everyone may not like.
Human-environment Interaction Human-environment interaction involves not only the question of resource use per person, but also our ability to understand the science of the environment, our ability to regulate our impact on the environment, our beliefs in the value of the environment and our ability to negotiate solutions at both the local and the global level. An attempt will be made here to discuss global environmental issues from a scientific and socio- economic viewpoint so that they are understood not only as a contested science concerning natural resources, but also as political and social issues. Three important parts must be taken into consideration:
Three Important Parts i. Examination of the historical outline of global environmental issues on the international agenda; ii. Examination of the various senses in which the environment can be said to have become a global issue; and iii. Probing into the global environmental issues in detail.
The Historical Outline The Industrial Revolution was a product of human being s desire to speed up the process of production. Although by the end of the 19thcentury it was clear that the process is causing wide spread damage to the environment the seriousness of the situation was not widely recognized. By the early decades of the 20thcentury pressure from both industrial and agricultural development increased. The atmosphere large cities in Europe and North America was covered with smoke released by the industrial and domestic use of coal as a fuel. Problems peaked in North America in the 1930s when droughts devastated the Great Plains. Soil erosion was rampant. Plains areas became deserts. The socio- economic condition of the USA and Canada was shattered because of the sheer magnitude of the above problems.
The Historical Outline (contd.) By the middle of the century, the environmental cost of serious pollution was beginning to attract broader attention. Air and water pollution received most attention. But land pollution was not discussed much. The issue of land pollution came into limelight with the introduction of pesticides. It was considered to be a revolution in agricultural sciences. Rachel Carson was the first to draw attention to the implications of these chemicals on the environment. The title of her best selling book Silent Spring referred to the silence that fell over the land as birds succumbed to the chemical poisoning caused by the growing use of pesticides.
First Wave in the Modern Environmental Movement It gave the environment movement a major boost and inspired an increasing amount of research over the next two decades into the problem of environmental pollution by chemicals. This is known as the first wave in the modern environmental movement. The wave gathered momentum with the holding of the first conference to draw worldwide public attention to the environmental problems. The conference is popularly known as the Stockholm Conference. This pivotal event in the growth of the global environmental movement was the first occasion on which the political, social and economic problems of the global environment were discussed at an intergovernmental forum with a view to actually taking corrective action.
Stockholm Conference and its Four Results The Stockholm Conference had four major results: i. First, the conference confirmed the trend towards a new emphasis on the human environment. Earlier, environment was usually seen as something not connected to humanity. ii. Second, Stockholm forced a compromise between the different perceptions of the environment held by developed and developing countries. The needs of least developed and developing countries became a key factor now. iii. Third, the presence of so many NGOs at the conference and the role they played marked the beginning of a new and more insistent role for governments and intergovernmental organizations.
Stockholm Conference(contd.) iv. Finally, the most tangible outcome of Stockholm was the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP). Though it had limitations and difficulties it was probably the best form of institution possible under the circumstances. Public pressure forced the political and industrial establishment to reassess its environmental quality. In the mid 1980s there was a major resurgence of environmental problems. It is argued that the resurgence can be attributed to the public backlash against the perceived anti- environmentalism of the Reagan Administration. This phase is known as the second wave in the environmental movement.
The Second Wave The second wave is characterized by a new environmentalism, in which there is a growing awareness of the breadth and complexity of issues. One of the results is that the economic and political components of the issues were now better understood and better addressed than they were in the past. The second wave gave birth to important developments at the international stage. They were the World Commission on Environment and Development (1986), Rio Conference (1992), Kyoto Protocol (1997), and the Johannesburg Summit (2002).
The Brundtland Commission The World Commission on Environment and Development is popularly known as the Brundtland Commission. It firmly combines economy and environment through its promotion of sustainable development. It defines sustainable development as development to be both economically and environmentally sound so that the needs of the world s current population could be met without jeopardizing those of the future generations. The report concluded that environment and development were interrelated and the policy responses were handicapped by the fact that existing institutions tended to be independent, fragmented, too narrowly focused and so tended to address issues such as acid pollution as discrete policy problems.
The Earth Summit Part of the Commission s mandate was to explore new methods of international cooperation that would foster understanding of the concept of sustainable development and allow it to develop further. To that end it promoted a major international conference held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 popularly known as the Earth Summit. The outcomes of Rio can be summarized in five key agreements: i. The Framework Convention on Climate Change: It established the principle that climate change was a serious problem that needed precautionary measures which could not await the resolution of questions about scientific certainty. It also emphasized the role of developed countries in the production of green house gases. The developed countries also agreed to take steps to cut green house gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000.
The Earth Summit (contd.) ii. The Convention on Biological Diversity: Negotiated under the auspices of UNEP, this convention was aimed at preserving global biological diversity through the protection of species and ecosystems. In view of most of the threats experienced in the least developed countries and most biotechnology based in the developed countries a compromise between the needs of the two sides was attempted. iii. Agenda 21: This was an action plan for sustainable development , integrating the goals of environmental protection and economic development, and based on local community and free market principles. A recommendation was made for the creation of a UN Commission on Sustainable Development to oversee the implementation of Agenda 21.
The Earth Summit (contd.) iv. The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development: This consisted of 27 principles guiding action on environment and development. The declaration tried to maintain a balance between the least developed countries and the developed countries. v. The Forest Principle: It emphasized the sovereign right of individual states to exploit forest resources within the general principles of forest protection and management.
