PRINCESS NINFA M.

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1. Cite at least 3 environment crisis due to human and technological developments

As human development progresses with the use of technology, the environment is
also affected in both positive and negative effects. It is prominent in the rise of pollution in
the planet, depletion of resources, and the demise of the environment. Due to humanity’s
desire for a better living, technology had provided significant tools to reduce the hassle in
daily living in terms of work, transportation and other daily necessities. In some of the
product of technological advancement the production of pollutants in both land, air and water
have also become eminent. It was mentioned in the encyclical letter of the pope that “The
specialization which belongs to technology makes it difficult to see the larger picture. The
fragmentation of knowledge proves helpful for concrete applications, and yet it often leads to
a loss of appreciation for the whole, for the relationships between things, and for the broader
horizon, which then becomes irrelevant.” In a sense the focus of technological advancement
is for the betterment of the present living conditions and somehow disregards the side effects
it causes for the future generation. Depletion of resources is connected to technological
development of humanity because humans, supposed to be the stewards of the planet that
was given by the almighty God abused the authority given by him. “instead of carrying out
his role as a cooperator with God in the work of creation, man sets himself up in place of
God and thus ends up provoking a rebellion on the part of nature” this shows that humanity
have placed ourselves in top of all creation disregarding the right of the creation. Humanity
have coexisted with nature for a very long time, using what nature provides but as the days
were gone humans no longer wait for what nature offers but now exploits every single
creation there is without regard, thus produces a conflict with nature. “It is based on the lie
that there is an infinite supply of the earth’s goods, and this leads to the planet being
squeezed dry beyond every limit. It is the false notion that “an infinite quantity of energy and
resources are available, that it is possible to renew them quickly, and that the negative effects
of the exploitation of the natural order can be easily absorbed”. The last environmental crisis
tackled is the overall degradation of nature itself. It was mentioned in the pope’s letter that
“Modern anthropocentrism has paradoxically ended up prizing technical thought over reality,
since “the technological mind sees nature as an insensate order, as a cold body of facts, as a
mere ‘given’, as an object of utility, as raw material to be hammered into useful shape; it
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views the cosmos similarly as a mere ‘space’ into which objects can be thrown with complete
indifference” because nature is perceived as a given for humans to use, abuse in power came
in place. Without proper action towards the preservation of the nature, exploitation happened
and disregard to long term effect of damage became evident in this world. Because humans
are convinced that humanity is the centre of all economic and social life, the responsibility
towards the other things in this world waned.” The fact is that “contemporary man has not
been trained to use power well because our immense technological development has not been
accompanied by a development in human responsibility, values and conscience.” This is
what learning to run before one could walks literally means. Humanity is not ready yet
towards further advancement if problems in the environment are not solved. In order to fix
these problems in environment, humans must live in what the lord had intended us to be, the
stewards of this planet.

2. Share your experience of how the environment molds you as a responsible person.
As a human being born in this generation wherein technological advancements is evident
in every part of the planet, information on what is happening throughout the world regarding
the environment is eminent and accessible, with that the environment have molded me into
becoming a responsible person by making me see that every action and decision made has a
consequence and responsibility being carried in. Due to exploitation of us, humans towards
nature, we now experience the consequence of our action throughout the years. Global
warming, the spread of diseases, unclean waters, depletion of resources and many more now
are evident in the world. This shows that as humans, we must now the responsibility that our
action will carry and its effect not only to us but also towards our brethren and our
environment. As a responsible person, decisions and actions made are always taken into
consideration whether it is necessary, right and just in itself. This helps avoid further
conflicts and ensures better results towards every situation. As humans we make mistakes but
this mistakes must not be repeated again and again, but we must learn from them and fix
ourselves so that we can help not only us, humans but also other creations in this world.