FIRST: MAXENE

CHAPTER 11
CARING FOR THE EARTH
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Our planet is incredibly gifted with resources that allow humans to survive. All that we
need in order to survive are gifts from Mother Earth; the air we breathe, the food we eat, the
water we drink and the homes we have to protect ourselves from extreme weather. We must feel
blessed to have a home on such earth. We should have taken care of our planet, yet some - or
unfortunately, most of the people are damaging the earth’s ability to sustain life.

We take so much from the world, every day. The plants, the animals, the air we breathe
are all crucial to our everyday lives. So, why don’t we take better care of the place where we
live? If you think about it, the earth is just one big home. You wouldn’t leave garbage all over
your house or destroy part of it without planning to rebuild it. So, why should people treat the
earth that way, especially when other animals and plants live on it, too? There are numerous
ecological problems - concerns now threaten the destruction of earth’s life support systems.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
Most people take nature for granted, and they don’t care about what they throw onto
the ground, because they don’t think that it will affect them. They think that they can’t change
anything and that even if they try to help the environment, other people are just going to pollute
it and destroy it again. However, not doing anything at all is just as bad as being the one who
causes the pollution in the first place, because it shows others that you know hurting the
environment is bad, but you are too lazy to do anything about it.

The most common environmental concerns are the following:

Air pollution
- Occurs when the air contains gases, fumes, dust or odor in dangerous amounts.

- Air pollution can harm us when it accumulates in the air in high enough
concentrations.
 - People exposed to high enough levels of certain air pollutants may experience:
(1) Irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat (2) Wheezing, coughing, chest tightness,
and breathing difficulties (3) Worsening of existing lung and heart problems, such
as asthma (4) Increased risk of heart attack

- In addition, long-term exposure to air pollution can cause cancer and damage to
the immune, neurological, reproductive, and respiratory systems. In extreme
cases, it can even cause death.

Who’s at risk? Sensitive populations include children, older adults, people who are active
outdoors, and people with heart or lung diseases, such as asthma. If you are sensitive to air
pollution, you need to be aware of steps you can take to protect your health.

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTION:

1. ACID RAIN - Acid rain results when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX)
are emitted into the atmosphere and transported by wind and air currents. In the
environment, acid rain damages trees and causes soils and water bodies to acidify,
making the water unsuitable for some fish and other wildlife. It also speeds the decay of
buildings, statues, and sculptures that are part of our national heritage

2. EUTROPHICATION - is a condition in a water body where high concentrations of

nutrients (such as nitrogen) stimulate blooms of algae, which in turn can cause fish kills
and loss of plant and animal diversity. Although eutrophication is a natural process in
the aging of lakes and some estuaries, human activities can greatly accelerate
eutrophication by increasing the rate at which nutrients enter aquatic ecosystems. Air
emissions of nitrogen oxides from power plants, cars, trucks, and other sources contribute
to the amount of nitrogen entering aquatic ecosystems.

3. HAZE - is caused when sunlight encounters tiny pollution particles in the air. Haze
obscures the clarity, color, texture, and form of what we see. Some haze-causing
pollutants (mostly fine particles) are directly emitted to the atmosphere by sources such
as power plants, industrial facilities, trucks and automobiles, and construction
activities. Others are formed when gases emitted to the air (such as sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen oxides) form particles as they are carried downwind.
 4. OZONE DEPLETION - Ozone is a gas that occurs both at ground-level and in the
Earth's upper atmosphere, known as the stratosphere. At ground level, ozone is a
pollutant that can harm human health. In the stratosphere, however, ozone forms a layer
that protects life on earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. But this
"good" ozone is gradually being destroyed by man-made chemicals referred to as
ozone-depleting substances, including chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons,
and halons. Thinning of the protective ozone layer can cause increased amounts of UV
radiation to reach the Earth, which can lead to more cases of skin cancer, cataracts, and
impaired immune systems. UV can also damage sensitive crops, such as soybeans, and
reduce crop yields.

5. CROP AND FOREST DAMAGE - Air pollution can damage crops and trees in a
variety of ways. Ground-level ozone can lead to reductions in agricultural crop and
commercial forest yields, reduced growth and survivability of tree seedlings, and
increased plant susceptibility to disease, pests and other environmental stresses (such as
harsh weather). As described above, crop and forest damage can also result from acid
rain and from increased UV radiation caused by ozone depletion.

END OF FIRST: MAXENE

SECOND: HONEY
Water pollution
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that polluted water is water whose
composition has been changed to the extent that it is unusable. In other words, it is toxic water
that cannot be drunk or used for essential purposes like agriculture, and which also causes
diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid and poliomyelitis that kill more than 500,000
people worldwide every year.

MAIN WATER POLLUTANTS:

● Bacteria
● Viruses
● Parasites
● Fertilizers
● Pesticides
● Pharmaceutical Products
● Nitrates
● Phosphates
● Plastics
 ● Faecal Waste
● Radioactive Substances

These substances do not always change the colour of the water, meaning that they are often
invisible pollutants. That's why small amounts of water and aquatic organisms are tested to
determine water quality.

MAIN CAUSES OF WATER POLLUTION:

1. GLOBAL WARMING - is an environmental problem that results from the increased

amounts of greenhouse gases, notable carbon dioxide and methane, in the atmosphere. It
is caused, among others, by the combustion of fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, and the
burning of forests. It is a threat as it causes the death of large numbers of species, reduces
agricultural productivity, and inundated low-lying areas due to the rise in sea levels. The
biggest carbon emitters in the world are the United States, European Union, China,
Russia, Japan, and India. (BBC NEWS, 2005.)

2. DEFORESTATION - Felling forests can exhaust water resources and generate organic
residue which becomes a breeding ground for harmful bacteria. It is responsible for the
deterioration of water quality and supply; devastating floods; air pollution; global
warming; soil erosion and resource shortage.

3. INDUSTRY, AGRICULTURE, AND LIVESTOCK FARMING - chemical dumping

from these sectors are one of the main causes of eutrophication of water.

4. RUBBISH AND FAECAL WATER DUMPING - The UN says that more than 80% of
the world's sewage finds its way into seas and rivers untreated.

5. MARITIME TRAFFIC - Much of the plastic pollution in the ocean comes from fishing
boats, tankers and cargo shipping.

6. FUEL SPILLAGES - The transportation and storage of oil and its derivatives is subject
to leakage that pollutes our water resources.

EFFECTS OF WATER POLLUTION:

1. DESTRUCTION OF BIODIVERSITY - Water pollution depletes aquatic ecosystems

and triggers unbridled proliferation of phytoplankton in lakes — eutrophication —.

2. CONTAMINATION OF FOOD CHAIN - Fishing in polluted waters and the use of

waste water for livestock farming and agriculture can introduce toxins into foods which
are harmful to our health when eaten.

3. LACK OF POTABLE WATER - The UN says that billions of people around the world
have no access to clean water to drink or sanitation, particularly in rural areas.
 4. DISEASES - The WHO estimates that about 2 billion people have no option but to drink
water contaminated by excrement, exposing them to diseases such as cholera, hepatitis A
and dysentery.

5. INFANT MORTALITY - According to the UN, diarrhoeal diseases linked to lack of

hygiene cause the death of about 1,000 children a day worldwide.

Desertification
It pertains to the gradual loss of soil productivity due to human activities and climatic
events like drought and floods. Lost topsoil takes centuries to build up. Human activities that
cause desertification are inappropriate farming practices, overgrazing, and deforestation.
According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the lives of 250 million
people are affected by desertification, and as many as 135 million people may be displaced
by desertification by 2045, making it one of the most severe environmental challenges facing
humanity. Moreover, since 1990, roughly 6 million hectares have been lost to desertification
annually generating an income loss of 42 billion US Dollars. Two obvious consequences of the
problem are food insecurity and the loss of livelihood. The International Fund for Agricultural
Development reported in 2007 that 75% of the poor live in rural areas and are dependent on
agriculture for their survival.

IMPACT OF MILITARY ON THE ENVIRONMENT

The environment has long been at the losing end in times of war. War is an ever-present
force that has the potential to alter the biosphere. Military activity is one of the biggest sources of
environmental damage and one of the largest users of environmental resources. So, how does
war damage the environment before the conflict? During the conflict? And after the conflict?

ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE BEFORE THE CONFLICT

The environmental impacts of wars begin long before they do.

Militaries also need large areas of land and sea, whether for bases and facilities, or for
testing and training. Military lands are believed to cover between 1-6% of the global land
surface. In many cases these are ecologically important areas. While excluding public
development from these areas can benefit biodiversity, the question of whether they could be
better managed as civil protected areas is rarely discussed. Military training creates emissions,
disruption to landscapes and terrestrial and marine habitats, and creates chemical and noise
pollution from the use of weapons, aircraft and vehicles.

Sustaining and renewing military equipment and materiel means ongoing disposal costs,
with implications for the environment. It is not just the most hazardous nuclear and chemical
weapons that create environmental problems throughout their lifecycle. The same is also true for
conventional weapons, particularly where they are disposed of through open burning or
detonation. Historically, vast quantities of surplus munitions were also dumped at sea. For
instance, the world’s armed forces were the single largest polluters on the planet. The
development of the military industry and the testing of weaponry have produced hazardous waste
in scandalous amounts. The IPB reported that the world’s military forces are responsible for the
release of more than two-thirds of CFC-113, a harmful gas, into the ozone layer.

END OF SECOND: HONEY

THIRD: RASDE
ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE DURING THE CONFLICT

The environmental impact of conflicts themselves vary greatly. Some international

armed conflicts may be brief but highly destructive. Some civil wars may last for decades
but be fought at low intensity. Many contemporary conflicts have blurred the lines, lasting
years but with sustained periods of high intensity warfare. Who is fighting, where they’re
fighting and how they’re fighting all strongly influence the environmental impact of a conflict.

If military have or did these followings, then:

1. High intensity conflicts require and consume vast quantities of fuel, leading to massive
CO2 emissions and contributing to climate change.
2. Large scale vehicle movements can lead to widespread physical damage to sensitive
landscapes and geodiversity, as can the intensive use of explosive ordnance.
3. The use of explosive weapons in urban areas creates vast quantities of debris and
rubble, which can cause air and soil pollution.
4. The loss of energy supplies can have reverberating effects that are detrimental to the
environment, shutting down treatment plants or pumping systems, or can lead to the use
of more polluting fuels or domestic generators.
5. Land mines, cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war can restrict
access to agricultural land and pollute soils and water sources with metals and toxic
energetic materials.
6. Wrecked or damaged ships, submarines and offshore oil infrastructure can cause
marine pollution.
7. Deforestation often increases during conflicts. Much of the time this is due to
overharvesting by communities who are suddenly reliant on wood and charcoal for fuel
and heating.

ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE AFTER CONFLICT

 It is rare these days for conflicts to conclude cleanly with a peace agreement and a
ceasefire. Low level conflict and insecurity can continue for long periods. In this respect many of
the forms of harm that occur during conflicts are also applicable to this phase, particularly in its
early stages.

In the immediate aftermath of conflicts, states and international actors may be faced with
immediate legacies, such as vast quantities of rubble and debris. If managed poorly, for example
through informal dumping, disposal can create new environmental risks. There have been
instances where the looting of industrial sites has exposed communities to pollutants, and many
of the environmentally harmful coping strategies that people used to survive during conflicts
may continue well beyond their end.

The presence of military forces can extend well into the post-conflict phase. The
operation and ultimate closure or handover of bases are associated with pollution issues,
particularly where the host nation may be unable to enforce environmental standards. The use of
practices like (1) burn pits has exposed military personnel and communities to hazardous
pollution, leaving veterans with ongoing health problems. The (2) post-conflict clearance of
landmines and explosive remnants of war can lead to soil degradation and localised pollution,
and negative changes in land use when areas are released back to communities.

The damage that conflicts do to environmental governance can have implications for
environmental protection for years. This can set back progress on issues as diverse as
pollution control, resource and protected area management, climate change adaptation and
biodiversity protection. Finally, the environmental costs of recovery may be significant.
Massive urban rebuilding projects can require huge volumes of resources.

The Brundtland Report of 1987 suggests a link between militarization and environmental
stress. It proposes that environmental stress is both cause and effect of conflict adding that
the danger of armed conflicts will increase as resources become scarcer. It also posits that
armed conflicts create obstacles to sustainable development. A sustainable environment is one
that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.

CARING FOR THE COMMONS

Caring for the Commons: Using Psychological Ownership to Enhance Stewardship
Behavior for Public Goods aims to help solve the “tragedy of the commons,” the idea that when
goods or resources are shared by many owners they are subject to abuse or neglect.

Sadly, the tragedy of the commons can be seen in many public spaces, such as
cemeteries, public housing, fishing areas, and beaches, and has contributed to a number of
environmental challenges. One commonly cited environmental issue includes ocean pollution.
Because ocean waters are shared by many different nations no single authority has the
power to pass laws that protect the entire ocean. Instead, nations manage and protect ocean
resources along their coastlines, leaving the much larger shared waters vulnerable to
contamination.

What may be equally important is a message about the need to save ourselves from
repeating the kind of decisions and actions that brought us to the environmental crisis in the
first place. In the framing of this message, we might critique a theory proposed by Garrett Hardin
in an essay, “The Tragedy of the Commons.”

“The commons” -- as Hardin used the term -- refers to a shared pool of resources. In
Hardin’s parable, the commons was a pasture where people grazed their privately-owned
animals to sustain their livelihood. This system of having a pasture open to everyone in the
community worked fine until each herdsman, acting independently, sought to maximize his own
gain by adding to their herd. The result was that each animal added to the original total
degraded the commons a small amount. While this degradation was slight relative to the gain
in wealth for the individual owners, the overall effect of adding animals to the pasture
resulted in destruction of the commons. Thus, the tragedy.

As humans, we have self-actualizing and spiritual needs as well as material needs.

Psychologists tell us that one critical component of self-actualization – or of achieving our
potential as humans – is being concerned about more than our own self-interest, including
being concerned about future generations. We aren’t born with such a concern, but it can
develop over time.

Caring for the commons – that is, all the elements of the Earth – can help us as
individuals and as a society to develop a sense of ourselves as nurturers and as people who care.
Accepting and acting on this sense of who we are can promote a more peaceful way of living –
with self, with others, and with the natural world.

END OF THIRD: RASDE

References:
https://www.mass.gov/doc/health-environmental-effects-of-air-pollution/download#:~:text=Air%
20 pollution%20can%20 damage%20crops,(such%20as%20harsh%20 weather).
https://www.teenink.com/hot_topics/environment/article/20380/Taking-Better-Care-of-the-Earth
https://www.epa.gov/acidrain/what-acid-rain
https://www.iberdrola.com/sustainability/water-pollution
https://ceobs.org/how-does-war-damage-the-environment/
https://www.nyit.edu/box/features/caring_for_the_commons
https://www.onthecommons.org/magazine/care-of-of-the-commons-care-of-the-soul