SYMBIOSIS:
Evaluating Earth-man relationship
CONTENT
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 A Glimpse into a Planet's Mirror; The Earth
2. VALUE OF THE EARTH
3. EARTH-MAN RELATIONSHIP
4. SOLUTIONS TO THE DAMAGES DONE TO THE EARTH
5. CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
INTRODUCTION
‘‘…there is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the clear blue skies and cream puff clouds, in the migration of birds, in the ebb and flow of sea tides, in the folded bud ready for pluming; such balance, such chemistry in diversity, tapestry in variety; the greens, blue waves, bleats, bloats, croaks, crows, trumpets, all variegated but integrated as they dance to the rhythm of evolution. There is something infinitely healing in the natural reoccurrences of hope—the assurance that dawn comes after dusk, daylight after night and spring after winter.’’
~ Racheal Carson ~
Take a moment to look at your surroundings wherever you are, the air, soil, trees, people, buildings, floors; let the view sink; absorb it all in and realize that all you are, have and see outside yourself would be floating in the deeps and darkness of outer space, lost or null and void. However, this is not the case because like every other matter, living or non-living, on the surface of the earth you can effortlessly exist, stand, run, eat, sleep, breathe; live a lifetime, lifestyle, culture, religion or profession because of the wonders of the earth. So, don’t you think it is high time you discovered facts about these wonders that make the earth perfectly stable and habitable, learn of the dangers threatening this stability, and appreciate the sacredness of the earth?
A GLIMPSE INTO A PLANET'S MIRROR; THE EARTH
Photograph courtesy Nasa
About four billion years ago, a sequel to the Big bang, whereupon favourable conditions surrounding the formation of the earth at a safe proximity to the sun in the solar system gave room for the manifestations that make the earth the only planet capable of breeding life. From the science of gravity, precipitation and rainfall, sunlight, and photosynthesis, to the gamut of interacting forces that enable the existence and evolution of diverse species in the plant and animal kingdom; a perfect balance like no other in the healthy coexistence of plants and animals in the ecosystem, accommodating a rich variety of wildlife species, forestry, and healthy natural cycles of gases, minerals, and water across geological zones.
Fast-forward to the dawn of the 21st century, industrialization, urbanization, and the gamut of science and technology that has brought with it an unapologetic era of revolution and disorder on the once-existing harmony of nature. The daily inventions and use of fire, and explosives, the release of harmful chemicals, plastics, and toxic gases; events of wars, deforestation, and illegal animal poaching are rapidly upsetting the order of the earth. Did it ever occur to you that up to 1.3 billion tons of waste are produced worldwide each year? That we utilize over 125 trillion litres of water in production and manufacturing industries talk more of the excess in consumption? A report from the Guardian News website estimates that 3 billion people will need somewhere to live by 2050, thus the need for further deforestation, exploitation and depletion of mineral resources, farming of lands, consumption of water and food, and massive expansion of cities, buildings, and industries.
Home to over 10 billion population of the humans race, the earth has been a haven for the birth, growth and development of millions of plant and animal species in the past 200,000 years, Guardian News (2013) reported. Covering over 70% of the earth's surface, the water of the earth has embodied the presence of life, ranging from the growth and development of producers in the ecosystem (plants) to the emanation of food webs in the animal kingdom. These qualities and more make the earth the haven it is to the human population that has evolved into a dominant specie through the wind of time. To further place the security in the earth in perspective, it might interest you to know that were it not for the protection of the shielding fabric of the earth's atmosphere, ozone layer, and magnetic shield, life on earth would be extinct and at the mercy of carcinogens, mutagens like the sun’s ultraviolet rays and radiation or harmful radioactive particles from outer space.
There is no gainsaying that the earth has been a giving planet in all ramifications. All our means of survival and living come from the natural world around us: food, water, medicine, shelter, aesthetics and the natural cycles of climate and nutrients.
IN THE SPIRIT OF THE MAN-EARTH RELATIONSHIP
Racheal Carson throws light on a popular controversy of how man is the inventor of his kryptonite and demise: ‘‘Mankind has gone very far into an artificial world of his creation. He has sought to insulate himself, with steel and concrete, from the realities of earth and water. He is intoxicated with his power, as he goes farther and farther into these experiments and architecture that destroy himself and his world. For this unhappy trend, there might be no remedy, no panacea. But I believe that the more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.’’
The earth has been subject to insults that have marred the stability of life and harmony of earthly resources since the stone age and through the agricultural revolution, the scientific revolution, the industrial revolution and the many civilizations and society-shaping events of the 20th and 21st centuries. These damaging factors range from natural phenomena like erosion, landslides, and earthquakes to artificial works of an explosive, hungry, wealth-thirsty human population, pioneering industrialization and transportation, and exploiting various forms of energy. Since the time of the Bubonic plague, popular literature recognizes the activities of man as a major agent of environmental destruction. Man’s knack to advance the efficiency of science and technology in agriculture and healthcare has created room for disproportional population increases that in turn overdemand on the carrying capacity of the earth resulting in various forms of imminent and eminent:
i. Global warming: The accumulation of CO2, methane and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere causes climate change and can result in a rise in sea levels submerging coastal land, and thereby reducing and harming habitats of animals living by the coast as well as human settlements, explains the National Geographic (2009).
ii. Melting of Greenland Ice shelf and rise in sea levels and in the decades along the way, unprecedented extremes in weather, fires, floods, heatwaves, loss of crops and forests, water stress and catastrophic sea-level rises.
iii. Health and economic crises ranging from the high cost of living, unemployment, water shortage, the spread of diseases, inevitable pandemics, conflicts and wars, malnutrition, famine and starvation. Diarrhoea, respiratory diseases, heart disease and cancer are a few of the many environmental health challenges that continue to threaten our existence and well-being in society. According to the World Health Organization, about 24% of all deaths worldwide are caused by environmental health triggers.
SOLUTIONS TO THE DAMAGES DONE TO THE EARTH
Our impact on the environment is a mirror of what we get out of it. Exposing the natural environment to radiation, harmful chemicals, pollution, increasing heat waves, severe weather events, uncontrolled bush burning, wildlife poaching and wildlife extinction, etc, attract negative health and socioeconomic crises that build like a food chain wherein humans are inevitably culprits and victims-- perpetrators of their detriment.
Ever wondered what the narrative would be if we did things differently? If we educated ourselves on the dangers of environmental degradation enough to realize the mutualistic relationship we share with the earth; if we consciously created awareness of the massive human population growth, overconsumption, and wealth expansion that is disproportional with the available earthly resources; if we became aware of our excessive materialism and epicureanism in time, noticing that as our numbers continue to grow, we continue to increase our need for more water, more food, more land, more transport, more industries and more energy without checking what our climate has to offer; if we became lifestyle-and-culture-oriented on every level to live to manage earthly resources that are irreplaceable by consuming less—less food, less energy, less stuff, fewer cars, cotton T-shirts, laptops, mobile phone upgrades; if environmental conservative measures and policies were backed up by radical government action.
The ultimatum is to control the outrageous population growth rate but suggesting not to have children would be ridiculous. However, we cannot continue the current reproduction rate. Passively living by traditional family planning and contraception or early sex education is not enough to significantly cut down on the large scale. Among others, active and drastic measures promoting the practice of family planning in religious and cultural spaces that justify polygamous procreation and child marriages, legalizing abortion, and mobilizing and incentivizing the 2030 sustainable development goals show better prospects.
Stephen Emmott best captured the scenario in his paper titled Ten Billion ‘‘If we discovered tomorrow that there was an asteroid on a collision course with Earth and – because physics is a fairly simple science – we were able to calculate that it was going to hit Earth on 3 June 2072, and we knew that its impact was going to wipe out 70% of all life on Earth, governments worldwide would marshal the entire planet into unprecedented action. Every scientist, engineer, university and business would be enlisted: half to find a way of stopping it, the other half to find a way for our species to survive and rebuild if the first option proved unsuccessful. We are in almost precisely that situation now, except that there isn't a specific date and there isn't an asteroid. The problem is us. Is it the seven billion (current population), nearing 10 billion or the estimated 28 billion (at the end of the century) population of people on earth that will break the earth’s support threshold? I think we've already gone past it.’’
He further argued sarcastically that despite the existential threat posed to the earth, physicists consider the experiment at Cern to be the biggest and most important milestone event on Earth investing over €8bn to discover evidence of a supposed particle (the Higgs boson) that will explain mass and validate the standard model of particle physics.
At this juncture, one may question the relevance of science in the life of man because of its destructive role in the natural environment. However, science and technology have been man’s revolutionary and evolutionary instruments since the beginning of time. Therefore, the blame for damage is determined by the right or wrong ethical and moral use of the instrument, and not on the instrument in question. Therefore as long s this narrative is concerned, the blame for environmental degradation rightly falls on man's wrong use of the instrument of science and technology, and as the test of time shows, the right use of science and technology continues to positively contribute to the growth of society.
Recycle, renew and rebirth is the message of this paper. Other sustainable sources of energy should be explored to reduce the burden on irrecoverable earthly resources. Recycling is yet another active approach that will enable the environment to recuperate after long and exhaustive periods of mining mineral resources and reduce the burden of waste on it. Every step towards helping and supporting the environment counts. Everyone's involvement is necessary, from kids to adults, to help produce a better environment for many generations to come.
CONCLUSION
A wise man once said that when all the trees are cut down, rivers dried and animals poached to extinction, man will not be able to eat money. Must we continue to populate, pollute, and profane the earth, underperforming in the very wisdom and intelligence that crowns us an advanced specie? Knowing the dangers we pose to the stability and function of the earth is the first port of call to correct already existing environmental errs, prevent further damage and mobilize future sustainable development goals to improve and maintain a healthy earth.
REFERENCES
Stephen Emmott (30th June 2013), Humans: the real threat to life on earth; The Guardian News Website of the Year. Retrieved 10th May 2022 from the website: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jun/30/stephen-emmott-ten-billion
Shahid, Robert, David U, et al (1999); Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning: Maintaining Natural Life Support Processes; The Ecological Society of America
Ann M. Simmons (3 April 2016); Word’s Trash Crisis; Los Angeles Times. Sourced 10th May 2022 from https://www.latimes.com/world/global-development/la-fg-global-trash-20160422-20160421-snap-htmlstory.html
Michael GreshKo (nd); Planet Earth; The National Geographic https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/earth