BIODIVERSITY AND THE HEALTHY SOCIETY

There was a growing awareness of how all living things are related to each other, an idea called
biodiversity.
BIODIVERSITY and ECOSYSTEM - Biodiversity refers to the variety of life, including the number of
species, life forms, genetic types, and habitat and biomes ( which are characteristic groupings of plant
and animal species found in a particular climate ).
Ecosystems entail all the living things in a particular area as well as the non-living things with which
they interact, such as air, soil, water, and sunlight.
Biodiversity and Ecosystem produce a rich array of benefits that people depend on, including
fisheries, drinking water, fertile soils for growing crops, climate regulation, inspiration and aesthetic
and cultural values. - Thus, if we fail to keep the process of taking care of the ecosystem, it is us who
are actually putting our lives at risk
CHANGES in BIODIVERSITY - A change in biodiversity could have erratic effects not only in a
wildlife or marine life but also in human beings.
THREATS to BIODIVERSITY availability in the diet.
Major Threats to Biodiversity - Intensified and enhanced food production of
crop varieties and cropping
- 1. Habitat loss and destruction
patterns affect biodiversity and thus impact
- 2. Alterations in ecosystem composition
global nutritional status and
- 3. Over-exploitation
human health
- 4. Pollution and contamination
ENVIRONMENT-RELATED ILLNESSES
- 5. Global climate change
- Human illnesses that are related to
CONSEQUENCES of BIODIVERSITY LOSS environment include Parkinson’s

- 1. Economic Cost of Lost Biodiversity disease, heart diseases, cancer, chronic

- 2. Reduced Food Security
- 3. Increased Contact with Disease
- 4. More Unpredictable Weather
- 5. Loss of Livelihoods
- 6. Losing Sight of Nature
NUTRITIONAL IMPACT of BIODIVERSITY
- According to the World Health Organization,
biodiversity is a vital element
of a human being’s nutrition because of its
influence to food production.
- Biodiversity is a major factor that contributes
to sustainable food
production for human beings.
- A society or a population must have access to
a sufficient variety of
nutritious food as it is a determinant of their
health as human beings.
- Nutrition and biodiversity are linked at many
levels; the ecosystem, with
food production as an ecosystem services.
- Nutritional composition between foods and
among varieties/ cultivars/
breeds of the same food can differ
dramatically, affecting micronutrient
obstructive pulmonary disease,
asthma, diabetes, obesity, occupational
injuries, dysentery, arthritis,
malaria, and depression.
- According to experts, climate change could
have a serious impact on
human health and could deteriorate farming
systems and reduce
nutrients in some food.
- Relationships between human health and the
environment raise many
ethical, social, and legal dilemmas by forcing
people to choose among
competing values.
- When drafting and implementing
environmental health regulations, it is
important to consider vulnerable
subpopulations.
Vulnerable subpopulation is a group with an
increased susceptibility to
the adverse effects of an environment risk
factor, due to their age, genetics,
health status, or some other condition.
- Various public health strategies pit the right of testing, isolation and quarantine, and disease
individuals against the surveillance
good society, such as mandatory treatment,
vaccination, or diagnostic

ASPECTS OF GENE THERAPY

What is Gene Therapy – An approach of treating diseases by either modifying the expressions of an
individual’s gene or correction of abnormal genes.
The BASIC PROCESS of GENE THERAPY
Several approaches to gene therapy:
1. Replacing a Mutated gene that causes disease with a healthy copy of the gene. 2. Inactivating or
“knocking out”, a mutated gene that is functioning improperly.
3. Introducing a new gene into the body to help fight the disease.
TWO TYPES of GENE THERAPY
1. Somatic Gene Therapy – involves the manipulation of genes in cells that will be helpful to the
patient but not inherited to the next
generation.
2. Germ-line Gene Therapy – involves the genetic modification of germ cells or the origin cells that
will pass the change on the next generation.
THE BIOETHICS of GENE THERAPY
The STEM CELL GENE THERAPY Stem cells are mother cells that have the potential to become any
type of cell in the body. One of the main characteristics of stem cells is their ability to self-renew or
multiply while maintaining the potential to develop into other types of cells.
Two Sources of Stem Cells:
1. Embryonic Stem Cells - are derived from a four- or five-day-old human embryo that is in the
blastocyst phase of development
2. Somatic stem cells – are cells that exist throughout the body after embryonic development and
are found inside of different types of tissues.
THE BIOETHICS of GENE THERAPY
ETHICAL ISSUES
1. How can “good” and “bad” uses of gene therapy be distinguished?
2. Who decides which traits are normal and which constitute a disability or disorder?
3. Will the high costs of gene therapy make it available only to the
wealthy?
4. Could the widespread use of gene therapy make society less
accepting of people who are different?
5. Should people be allowed to use gene therapy to enhance basic
human traits such as height, intelligence, or athletic ability?
CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change refers to the change in the environmental conditions of the earth. This happens due
to many internal and external factors, and the persistent anthropogenic changes in the composition of
the atmosphere or in land use.
CAUSES of CLIMATE CHANGE
1. NATURAL FACTORS
2. ARTIFICIAL FACTORS
Natural Factors
1. Volcanic Eruptions
- Volcanic eruption is one of the natural causes of climate change. It
emits different natural aerosols like carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide,
salt crystals, volcanic ashes or dust, and even microorganisms like
bacteria and viruses.
2. Earth Orbital Changes
- The earth makes one full orbit around the sun each year. It is tilted
At an angle of 23.50 to the perpendicular plane of its orbital path.
3. Forest Fire
- A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible
vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area.
Artificial Factors
Human Activities
There is a strong evidence that the climate change over the last halfcentury has been caused largely
by human activity, such as the burning of fossil fuels, and including agriculture and deforestation.
1. Deforestation
- When human remove or clear large areas of forest lands and related
ecosystems for non-forest use.
2. Burning of fossil fuels
- Burning of fossil fuel is a hidden cause of global warming. Fossil fuels are being used as one of the
major energy resources for industrial and domestic usage.
EFFECTS of CLIMATE CHANGE on SOCIETY
1. Heavy Rainfall across the Globe
2. Global Warming
3. Increase in sea level which results in flooding and erosion of coastal and
low lying areas.
4. Extreme Drought
5. Decline in Crop Productivity
6. Ecosystems are Changing
Summary /Generalization:
Climate change is a worldwide issue that we have to face. Climate change
is referred as statistically significant climate variation persisting for an extended
period of time. The continuous climate change could bring drastic effects to living
and non-living forms on earth.
Climate change is brought by several factors like natural processes and
persistent human activities. Global warming is one of the major effects of climate
change. Global warming threatens all life forms on earth. It has drastic effects
on water availability, food source, health tissues, land use, and ecosystem.