Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
fi lm
The Age of Stupid
(2009) that deals in a scientifi cally valid manner
with the coming effects of climate change.
What Can We Conclude from This Information?
The discussion thus far leads us to several conclusions:
1. The environment that humans depend on is being continually
degraded.
2. The cause of the degradation is the desire for unnecessary and func-
tionally useless material wealth.
3. Income above a certain level does not increase happiness.
4. The never-ending desire for more money cannot be satisfi ed.
5. The idea that continued growth is necessary for a nation's survival
and a happy population is false.
6. A reorganization of the way economics operates is the only way to
solve environmental problems.
The Environment and Spirituality
Many people try to be environmentally aware and minimize the size of
their ecological footprint. Some may take shorter showers and install
low-fl ush toilets to conserve water. Others concentrate their efforts on
energy conservation, using energy-saving light bulbs and traveling by
public transportation whenever it is available. Another group feels bur-
dened by the excesses of the agricultural sector of society and buys
organic food produced in a small foodshed. All of these efforts are com-
mendable and worthwhile.
But it is questionable whether such individual efforts can be adopted
nationwide or worldwide without a major overarching philosophical
base accepted by most people. Such a base is provided by religious faith.
The world's religions have many assets to lend to the effort to build
sustainable progress, including moral authority, a long tradition of
ethical teachings, and the political power that comes from having so
many adherents. These are not limited by political viewpoint, age, gender,
or religious denomination. Christians, Jews, and Muslims have the same
philosophical base as far as the environment is concerned (table 11.1).
17
They all believe that the world and everything in it was created by God
and it is blasphemous for humankind to destroy it. It is here for us not
just to use but to care for. If life is sacred, so is the web that sustains it.
People have a duty to be stewards of the earth.
