Course Code: CORE8

Course Title: INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN

PERSON
Course Type: CORE
Pre-requisite: NONE
Co-requisite: NONE
Quarter: 1st
Course Topic: THE HUMAN PERSON IN HIS/HER ENVIRONMENT
Module: #4 Week: 7-8
Course Subtopic: Approaches To Understanding Relationship of the
Human Person with the Environment
The Central Role of the Human Person in Addressing
Environmental Problems
Course Description: An initiation to the activity and process of
Philosophical reflection as a search for synoptic
vision of life. Topics to be discussed include the
human experiences of embodiment, being in the
world with others and the environment, freedom,
intersubjectivity, sociality, being unto death.
Course Outcomes (COs) and Relationship to Student Outcomes
Course Outcomes SO
After completing the course, the student must a b c d
be able to:
3. Demonstrate the virtues of prudence and D D I R
frugality towards his/her environment.
* Level: I- Introduced, R- Reinforced, D- Demonstrated

THE HUMAN PERSON IN HIS/HER ENVIRONMENT

APPROACHES TO UNDERSTANDING RELATIONSHIP OF THE HUMAN

PERSON WITH THE ENVIRONMENT
By: The Open University (2016)

Our environment means our physical surroundings and the characteristics of

the place in which we live. It also refers to the wider natural world of land, sea
and atmosphere. Humans have been interacting with their environment since
people first walked the Earth. For example, humans have been cutting down
forests to clear land to grow crops for centuries and by doing so we have
altered the environment. Conversely, the environment affects us in many
different ways as well. A simple example is the way we change our clothes in
response to cold or hot weather. In this section we will introduce some of the
ways in which humans influence their environment and how the environment
influences us, both positively and negatively.

A good climate, accessible clean water, fertile soil, etc. are aspects of the
physical environment that enable people to live and thrive. However, harsh
environments, such as a very hot climate, limited water and infertile land,
make it more difficult for people to survive. We are also affected by major
environmental events such as earthquakes, floods and drought that damage
homes, property and agriculture. These can lead to the displacement of people
and can cause injury, loss of life and destruction of livelihoods. They can also

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damage water sources and pipelines, causing water contamination and
spreading waterborne diseases. In Study Session 10 you will learn more about
the effects of floods and droughts.

Our relationship with the environment changed with industrialisation, which

began in the 18th century in the UK, shortly followed by elsewhere in Europe
and North America, and then spreading across the world. Prior to
industrialisation, the impacts of human activity were not very significant
because the technologies used were not capable of modifying the environment
on a large scale. People at that time lived in agricultural societies using hand
tools and simple technologies with limited environmental impact (Figure 1.1).
Industrialisation has allowed for a greater exploitation of resources. For
example, we now use powerful chainsaws to cut down trees and industrially
produced chemical fertilisers and pesticides for crop production. These changes
have rapidly increased the human impact on the environment.

The links between human activity and the environment are complex and
varied, but can be grouped into two main types of activity:
 use of natural resources such as land, food, water, soils, minerals, plants
and animals
 production of wastes from a range of activities including agriculture,
industry and mining, as well as wastes from our own bodies.

Natural Resources
We use many different types of natural resources in our daily lives. We depend
on food and water for survival and we need energy for many different purposes,
from domestic cooking through to major industrial processes. Our clothes,
transport, buildings, tools and all other items we use require many different
resources for their production. Our need for resources is vast and it is growing
as the population increases and consumption per person increases with socio-
economic progress. Depletion of natural resources by extraction and
exploitation is especially of concern for non-renewable resources.

 Renewable and non-renewable resources

The resources we use can be classified as renewable or non-renewable.
The basic difference between the two is the rate at which they are
regenerated back into a usable form, relative to the rate at which they
are used by humans.
a. Non-renewable resources cannot be replenished by natural
means as quickly as the rate at which they are consumed. They
include minerals and fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas, which
are formed over millions of years by natural processes from
decayed plants and animals.
b. Renewable resources are constantly available or regenerated over
short timescales by natural processes. Some renewable resources,
such as solar energy, are not modified or used up by humans.
Others, such as water, are altered when we use them and can be

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 over-exploited or damaged such that the resource is no longer
available for use.

Production of waste and pollutants

Following on from our use of natural resources, it is inevitable that wastes are
produced. For the WASH sector, the most important of these is our own bodily
wastes. The impacts of open defecation and inadequate sanitation on human
health and on the wider environment are profound. Waterborne diseases are
caused by pathogens (disease-causing agents) in water and food that have been
contaminated by the wastes from infected people. Preventing this connection
between human wastes and the intake of contaminated water is the primary
goal of WASH services.

Industry, agriculture and energy production all generate wastes that can
pollute air, water and soil. Pollution means the introduction into the
environment of substances liable to cause harm to humans and other living
organisms. For example, the leather industry produces large amounts of liquid
wastes from the tanning process. These wastes contain organic materials such
as fat from the hides and toxic (poisonous) chemicals including some human
carcinogens (cancer-causing agents). Another example is the release of so-
called greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide,
which contribute to human-induced climate change.

Figure 1.8 Human–environment interaction and the generation of waste and

pollutants.

Figure 1.8 summarizes the interactions between ‘human activities’ and ‘the
environment’. The green arrow indicates the waste generated as a product of
this interaction. The red arrows indicate the negative effect on both the
environment and humans if the waste is not properly managed.

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 TECHNOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
By: The Open University (2016)

Technologies have transformed transport, industry, communications and our

lives at home and work. For instance, gadgets such as mobile phones,
computers, televisions, microwave ovens and refrigerators have improved living
standards for those people who can afford them. Technology can also improve
the quality of our environment. For example, energy can be generated from
renewable sources such as wind and solar power, which reduces our reliance
on non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels, and also helps to reduce
the release of polluting gases to the atmosphere.

Another example of the benefits from technology is the highly advanced eco-
friendly wastewater treatment plant at the St. George Brewery in Addis Ababa.
This plant recovers nutrients and waste water from the brewery that would
otherwise be released into the environment. This type of technology can help to
alleviate the problem of water shortage, prevent surface water pollution and
protect the environment.

When electronic equipment or gadgets get old or stop working they are often
thrown away. This type of electronic waste is referred to as e-waste. E-wastes
pose a huge challenge to the environment because they contain toxic
substances such as cadmium and lead from batteries, which leach out and
pollute rivers and groundwater. (Leaching means the substances seep out or
are washed out by rain into the soil below.) Toxic substances may get into the
soil, making it unfit for agriculture. Copper from wiring is valuable for
recycling, but if wiring is burned, it produces very hazardous air pollution.

E-waste is becoming a major problem in many African countries, including

Ethiopia, where the use of electrical equipment has increased sharply with the
rising number of people on higher incomes. According to a United Nations
University report, there are about 4300 tonnes of non-functioning computers,
televisions, mobile phones and refrigerators in Ethiopia, mostly in the ten
largest cities (Manhart et al., 2013).

As there is no proper e-waste management system in Ethiopia, some e-wastes

are disposed of together with other household wastes or dumped in an
uncontrolled way that may cause huge environmental problems. Figure 1.9
shows open solid waste disposal sites in Addis Ababa and Bahir Dar close to
residential areas. All types of waste, including hazardous waste like heavy
metals, are discarded here without any treatment, so toxins can seep into the
soil and groundwater. (Hazardous waste is any waste that contains material
that is potentially harmful, for example, toxic, infectious, corrosive, explosive or
flammable materials.)

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 ACTIVITY 4:
MY ENVIRONMENTAL PLEDGE

Instructions: Write down your pledge for the environment.

Name: _____________________________ Grade &Section: ________________

I _______________________________________________ promise to conserve

he environment’s resources and reduce my waste, and pledge to take
the following actions in my life to help protect our environment:

____________________________________ _____________________
Printed Name Over Signature Date

THE CENTRAL ROLE OF THE HUMAN PERSON IN ADDRESSING

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 ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
By: Deutsche Welle (2016)

1. Air pollution and climate change

Problem: Overloading of the atmosphere and of ocean waters with carbon.
Atmospheric CO2 absorbs and re-emits infrared-wavelength radiation,
leading to warmer air, soils, and ocean surface waters - which is good: The
planet would be frozen solid without this.Unfortunately, there's now too
much carbon in the air. Burning of fossil fuels, deforestation for agriculture,
and industrial activities have pushed up atmospheric CO2 concentrations
from 280 parts per million (ppm) 200 years ago, to about 400 ppm today.
That's an unprecedented rise, in both size and speed. The result: climate
disruption. Carbon overloading is only one form of air pollution caused by
burning coal, oil, gas and wood. The World Health Organization recently
estimated that one in nine deaths in 2012 were attributable to diseases
caused by carcinogens and other poisons in polluted air.

Solutions: Replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. Reforestation. Reduce

emissions from agriculture. Change industrial processes. The good news is
that clean energy is abundant - it just needs to be harvested. Many say
a 100 percent renewable-energy future is feasible with existing technology
now. But the bad news is that even though renewable energy infrastructure
- solar panels, wind turbines, energy storage and distribution systems - are
already widespread, and getting cheaper and more efficient all the time,
experts say we're not applying them quickly enough to prevent catastrophic
climate disruption. Barriers in policy and finance remain to be overcome.

2. Deforestation
Problem: Species-rich wild forests are being destroyed, especially in the
tropics, often to make way for cattle ranching, soybean or palm oil
plantations, or other agricultural monocultures. Today, about 30 percent of
the planet's land area is covered by forests - which is about half as much as
before agriculture got started around 11,000 years ago. About 7.3 million
hectares (18 million acres) of forest are destroyed each year, mostly in the
tropics. Tropical forests used to cover about 15 percent of the planet's land
area; they're now down to 6 or 7 percent. Much of this remainder has been
degraded by logging or burning. Not only do natural forests act as
biodiversity reserves, they are also carbon sinks, keeping carbon out of the
atmosphere and oceans.
Solutions: Conserve of what's left of natural forests, and restore degraded
areas by replanting with native tree species. This requires strong governance
- but many tropical countries are still developing, with increasing
populations, uneven rule-of-law, and widespread cronyism and bribery
when it comes to allocating land use.

3. Species extinction.
Problem: On land, wild animals are being hunted to extinction for
bushmeat, ivory, or "medicinal" products. At sea, huge industrial fishing
boats equipped with bottom-trawling or purse-seine nets clean out entire
fish populations. The loss and destruction of habitat are also major factors
contributing to a wave of extinction - unprecedented in that it is caused by a
single species: humans. The IUCN's Red List of threatened and endangered
species continues to grow. Not only do species inherently deserve to exist,
they also provide products and "services" essential to human survival.
Think bees and their pollinating prowess - necessary for growing food.

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 Solutions: Concerted efforts need to be made to prevent further loss of
biodiversity. Protecting and restoring habitats is one side of this - protecting
against poaching and wildlife trade is another. This should be done in
partnership with locals, so that wildlife conservation is in their social and
economic interest.

4. Soil degradation
Problem: Overgrazing, monoculture planting, erosion, soil compaction,
overexposure to pollutants, land-use conversion - there's a long list of ways
that soils are being damaged. About 12 million hectares of farmland a year
get seriously degraded, according to UN estimates.
Solutions: A wide range of soil conservation and restoration techniques
exist, from no-till agriculture to crop rotation to water-retention through
terrace-building. Given that food security depends on keeping soils in good
condition, we're likely master this challenge in the long run. Whether this
will be done in a way equitable to all people around the globe, remains an
open question.

5. Overpopulation
Problem: Human population continues to grow rapidly worldwide.
Humanity entered the 20th century with 1.6 billion people; right now, we're
about 7.5 billion. Estimates put us at nearly 10 billion by 2050. Growing
global populations, combined with growing affluence, is putting ever greater
pressure on essential natural resources, like water. Most of the growth is
happening on the African continent, and in southern and eastern Asia.
Solutions: Experience has shown that when women are empowered to
control their own reproduction, and gain access to education and basic
social services, the average number of births per woman drops
precipitously.

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 SELF-ASSESMENT

Encircle
your
Answer

FORM
Read each statement and check ( ) the box that reflects your work today.

Name: Date:
Section:
Strongly
Disagree Agree
Agree

1. I found this work interesting.

2. I make a strong effort.
3. I am proud of the results.
4. I understood all the instructions.
5. I followed all the steps.
6. I learned something new.
7. I feel ready for the next assignment.
www.ldatschool.ca/executive-function/self-assessment/

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 PERFORMACE-BASED ASSESSMENT 2
Action Plan: Addressing Environmental Problems

Instructions: Create an Action Plan: Addressing Environmental

Problems.

Name: _____________________________ Grade &Section: ________________

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Reference Book:
Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person
 Brenda Corpuz, Diwa Learning System Inc. 2016,
 Jose Romero Joven & Ramonito Canete Perez, Books Atbp.
Publishing Corporation
 Brenda B. Corpuz, BSE, MAEd, Phd et.al. OBE Publishing

Online Reference:
 The Open University (2016), Study Session 1 Human Interactions with
the Environment
Retrieved from: www.open.edu › openlearncreate › mod › oucontent › view
 Deutsche Welle (2016), Five of the world's biggest environmental
problems
Retrieved from: https://www.dw.com/en/five-of-the-worlds-biggest-
environmental-problems/a-35915705

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