Essay Example on Protecting Our Planet: The Need for Sustainability

Introduction

Globally, greater attention has been laid on the environment towards the sustainability of humankind and other living organisms in the biosphere. In order to realize the attainment of millennium development goals among the developing countries, there is a need to ensure that the environment is kept so that it can be sustainable. Without a healthy environment, life cannot exist on its own in a vacuum. Sustainability has more details behind the horizon of combating climate change. People have messed up with the environment in engaging themselves in destructive rather than constructive activities. There are specific solid reasons as to what sustainability literally translates. It means a reduction in the energy to be consumed; it may involve the use of alternative energy sources such as solar panel array. There are specific issues that are not part of the matters acting threats to the global environment, especially in the developing countries in the attainment of sustainability. They have valid reasons as to why it should not be categorized to fit in the category. Many people in developing countries are suffering from malnutrition and other food-related complications.

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Cultural Taboos

Taboos, embedded in different cultures, especially in developing countries, have been seen in the protection of the environment. Their sanctions have helped somewhat in checking the environmental abuse among the local people. In developing countries, it is evident that some communities have kept forests and shrines, which is an approach for environmental protection. It represents the beliefs held by a particular community. Different societies have their taboos, which are unique from one place to another. There are categories of taboos characterized by various features. Failure to stick on the norms of a community is believed to make one on the verge of many negativities. It is a prerequisite tool, which helps in the identification of societal identity at all times. Taboos work within a community engulfed under rituals, marriage, and type of foods to be eaten, hygiene as well as the respect for the dead. It can sometimes be considered embarrassing if not well taken into account. Any person who is known to break the taboo in a particular society is regarded to be a core source of bad luck. It is not a major point to dwell on as a treat to the global environment. It is due to the following reasons; Cultural taboos do vary in all the places worldwide; thus, it should not be taken as a general issue. Some of the taboos that exist in the developing countries give priority to the broad protection of the environment and mitigating the human factors towards damaging the environment.

Secondly, cultural taboos do change because of the exposure to the contemporary world, among other factors. Since change is inevitable, the way people lead their lives is executed in a series of changes whereby lack of caution may result in tremendous consequences. Whatever the belief people used to uphold in the past may not be proportional to the belief that people are yet to stick on to some generations to come. Humans tend to adopt the new approaches each day; as a result, cultural taboos are perceived to be less constructive. Due to the increasing demand jointly in association with low supply patterns, exploitation of resources in a natural set becomes a common practice. Finally, it reaches the extent that nature cannot be sustainable anymore. Lastly, cultural taboos are not scientifically proven; hence, it is biased. There are no experiments to determine the facts, which are attached to the global environment (In Wright et al. 2010). Since taboos naturally exist as restrictions, they cannot be tested scientifically. It is then taken to be total lies that cannot relate in any way with the truth. Cultural taboos also do not nourish the mind in the sense that curiosity is always missing. Therefore, nothing to fuel the mind in looking for appropriate answers to the puzzling circumstance.

Conclusively, the existence of taboos in a community is necessary since it can unify people in protecting the environment. In addition, it promotes a sense of belonging to a particular community. Taboos may also guide the moral behaviors of people and provide a basis for guidance towards the protection of the environment. With the oneness in society, people can combine ideas on how to alleviate poverty and be self-dependent in all dimensions of life. Moreover, taboos are essential in the preservation of cultural heritage as well as the communicational conservations.

Energy Sources

It translates to the sources where valuable energy can be derived from directly or indirectly. There are usually two types of energy sources, namely renewable and non-renewable sources. Nonrenewable sources of energy are associated with the cause of the environmental impacts. It includes fossil fuels, coal, oil, and nuclear energy. Combustion of these renewable energy sources results in the emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide gas. Nuclear energy, on the other side, does not emit carbon dioxide, but instead, it is highly radioactive. There are many cases where nuclear disasters have been witnessed in history. The most massive nuclear accident took place in Chernobyl, which occurred in 1986. It happened due to human mistakes, but the effect can still be felt up to date. The renewable sources are sourced naturally or from any processes that can be replenished quickly. Natural power has been harnessed to execute various essential activities, such as transportation and heating. Wind as a renewable resource facilitating sailing in the navigating through water bodies. Examples of renewable sources include solar energy, wind, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal. Biomass encompasses the energy from both plants and animals. It contains stored energy from the sun. Plants can harness the energy from the sun through photosynthesis. Animal manure and human sewage can be used in the biogas, which can be burned and utilized as a fuel. Agricultural, as well as the waste materials, can be burned as fuels. The sun has been producing energy for many years, and still, it is being harnessed in a vast range of processes such as the growth of crops as well as drying. Thermal power from the sun can be used in various ways such as heating water to be used in homes and can be used even in greenhouses. Hydropower is the energy embedded in water; turbines are powered by water moving through a controlled system to generate the electricity. The hydroelectric power plants are normally located on the water on a water source. Geothermal energy, on the other side is the energy within the earth. Human beings can use heat-to-heat buildings, and the most common use is the generation of electricity. The wind is being harnessed in the generation of electricity by the use of windmills.

The energy sources cannot be perceived as a treat to the global environment since most people are relying on renewable energy sources in their healthy livelihoods. The renewable sources are safe for the environment, unlike non-renewable, which may result in the emission of harmful substances to the atmosphere. Renewable sources are known as the indispensable partner in the quest against climate change. Climate change is now an iconic issue, which has gotten to the minds of everybody in the entire cosmos. Secondly, the universal energy source in developing countries is known to constitute the solution to the ecology since it helps in the reduction of the greenhouse effect (In Sosa-Nunez et al., .2017). Utilization of the renewable sources of energy for the use of daily human life does not result in the emission of greenhouse gases capable of trapping heat in the atmosphere. Lastly, the energy sources have been scientifically proven to be reliable and thus no probability of causing any harm to creatures in their natural habitats. Renewable sources are known to be naturally a remedy for reducing air pollution at the same time improving public health. Burning of fossil fuels in different spheres of the earth and industrial activities are known to elevate the levels of pollution.

Conclusion

Conclusively, energy sources that sound harmless to the environment should not be used; it helps in combating climate change and the greenhouse effect. Renewable sources of energy cut off unnecessary costs and consequences to both the people in developing nations and the environment. The environment at large is essential; hence, it is a high chance for people to take some precautionary measures in ensuring that the situation is not tainted by pollution. Environmental protection relates to the equal protection of the ozone layer. The ozone layer is blanket protection against ultraviolet radiation from reaching the surface of the earth. Radiations are associated with harmful effects to the humankind since it holds the capacity of causing skin cancers and rapid aging. Environment, if well protected by using renewable energy sources, results in the maintenance of both human and animal food chains. Damage to an invisible ecosystem can produce adverse cascading effects to many since, in an ecosystem, there are significant interdependencies that are vital.

References

Botkin, D. B., Caswell, M. F., Estes, J. E., & Orio, A. A. (2014). Changing the Global Environment: Perspectives on Human Involvement. Saint Louis: Elsevier Science

Campbell, P. J., MacKinnon, A. S., & Stevens, C. (2010). An introduction to global studies.

In Sosa-Nunez, G., & In Atkins, E. (2017). Environment, climate change and international relations.

In Wright, P., In Stern, J., & In Phelan, M. (2012). Core Psychiatry E-Book.

Jahana, S., & United Nations Development Programme, (2016). Human development report 2016: Human development for everyone

Maher, D. (2018). Civil war and uncivil development: Economic globalization and political violence in Colombia and beyond.

Scruton, R., Scruton, R., & ProQuest (Firm). (2012). How to think seriously about the planet: The case for an environmental conservatism. New York: Oxford University Press

Timmer, C. P. (2015). Food security and scarcity: Why ending hunger is so hard. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press