Name: Karmela Sheryl Malinao Course and Year: BSCHE-4

Class Schedule: MWF (4:30-5:30 PM)

FROM EGOCENTRISM TO ECOCENTRISM The human race has transformed and is continuing to transform the earth drastically in his pursuit of development. Man, in his search out for comfort and luxury, has explored and destroyed the equilibrium of nature and ecosystem resulting to the following environmental problems: 1. Mammal Extinction Twenty five percent of the existing mammals on earth are threatened with extinction. In fact, animals such as the panda, baboon, tarsier, and the Philippine monkey-eating eagle are included in the list of endangered species. Many people fail to realize just how interconnected all species on this planet really are and to realize that the environment is open and interdependent. The extinction of animals is a big problem since every species living and roaming this planet is vital to maintain balance in the worlds food chain. When a predator disappears, the prey will multiply. When prey dies out, the predator will see its ranks decrease as well. 2. The Ocean Dead Zones In oceans around the world, there are eerie areas that are devoid of nearly all life such as in the Gulf of Mexico, where a product of toxic sludge that flows down the Mississippi from farms in the Midwest. These dead zones are characterized by a lack of oxygen which is primarily caused by the excess nitrogen from farm fertilizers, emissions from vehicles, sewage and other toxic chemicals dumped by factories and industries into the bodies of water. At these dead zones where oxygen levels are low, sea animals would die if they stay at these zones. 3. Collapsing Fish Stock The collapse of fish species would have a major impact on the worlds ecosystems since millions of people across the world depend upon fish as a major staple in their diets. Marine systems are still biologically diverse, but catastrophic loss of fish species is close at hand. Twenty-nine percent of the species have been fished so heavily or have been so affected by pollution that theyre down to 10 percent of their previous population levels. If man continues his harsh fishing methods (for example, the use of dynamites to catch a school of fish), it would not be a surprise if there will be a 100% collapse of the fish species for the next century. 4. Destruction of the Rain Forest The World Wildlife Fund concluded this year that agriculture, drought, fire, logging and livestock ranching will cause major damage to 55 percent of the Amazon rain forest in the next 22 years and another 4 percent will see damage due to reduced rainfall, courtesy of global warming. These factors will destroy up to 80 percent of the rain forests wildlife. Losing 60 percent of the rain forest would accelerate global warming and affect rainfall in places as far away as India. Massive destruction to the rain forest would have a domino effect on the rest of the world. The World Wildlife Fund says that the point of no return, from which recovery will be impossible, is only 15 to 25 years away. 5. Loss of Polar Sea Ice Polar sea ice is melting at an unprecedented rate, and it is not showing any signs of slowing down. The melting of the polar sea ice is the most dramatic, startling visual evidence of global warming. British researchers said last week that the thickness of sea ice in the Arctic decreased dramatically last winter for the first time since records began in the early 1990s. The research

Name: Karmela Sheryl Malinao Course and Year: BSCHE-4

Class Schedule: MWF (4:30-5:30 PM)

showed a significant loss in thickness on the northern ice cap after the record loss of ice during the summer of 2007. 6. CO2 Levels in the Atmosphere The aforementioned polar sea ice loss is yet another sinister sign of carbon dioxide levels building up in the atmosphere the main force behind global warming. Greenhouse gas emissions caused by our modern way of life vehicles, power plants, factories, giant livestock farms will bring devastating climate change within decades if they stay at todays levels. Average temperatures could increase by as much as 12 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century if emissions continue to rise, a figure that would easily make the world virtually uninhabitable for humans. A global temperature rise of just 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit would cause a catastrophic domino effect, bringing weather extremes that would result in food and water shortages and destructive floods. The most recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change represents the final nail in the coffin of climate change denial, representing the most authoritative picture to date that global warming is caused by human activity. According to the panel, we must make a swift and significant switch to clean, efficient and renewable energy technologies in order to prevent the worst-case scenario.

The 10000-year old experiment in humans mode-of-living at the expense of nature is failing because human beings have placed the importance of their species above all else that resulted to various problems particularly in the environment (which was mentioned in the earlier discussions). We have considered Earth and its ecosystems (which include the organic and inorganic parts) as mere food suppliers and as sources of our income, valued only when they serve our needs and wants. This type of mentality is egocentric. Between the two concepts: anthropocentrism and ecocentrism, I prefer ecocentrism and support the idea that humans have direct moral duties towards the environment because they are inextricable parts of the environment and are members of a community of interdependent parts. The Ecosphere, in which humans live in, is a web that envelops all organisms and ecosystems, that sustained and gave rise to life in the first place. Every organism and every ecosystem is a full participant. To fully understand this concept, let us consider this analogy: suppose our bodily organs were conscious and deliberative. One might imagine a "selfish kidney" saying, "Look, why should I care about the heart and lungs? I've got my own problems?" to which the heart would respond, "Well, if that's the way you feel, I'll just do my thing without your assistance. Now suppose, instead, that only the kidneys were conscious. Would that make any difference in its "selfish" attitude toward the heart and lungs? Clearly, its "selfishness" would be equally self-defeating. In both cases, the problem is that the kidney would wrongly conceive its "individuality." In the context of a body that is the integrated whole, a "kidney-centered" morality simply makes no sense. It is self-defeating because even if the kidney functions and performs well, the overall stability of the body depends not only in stability of the kidney but to all body organs. This also means that all of the organs in the body should work together and cooperate

Name: Karmela Sheryl Malinao Course and Year: BSCHE-4

Class Schedule: MWF (4:30-5:30 PM)

so that the body can maintain its state of balance (homeostasis). This is also true in our real situation. Humans are organs of the ecosystems. They are just a strand in the biospheric web. As what Mikhail Gorbachev expressed in the Moscow Global Forum on Environment, humanity is part of the biosphere and biosphere is a single whole. The planet's biosphere--the sum of all life on it as well as the sum of all physical prerequisites such as moisture, climate, and others--has created the conditions under which an organism such as the human species could emerge. These conditions provided the conditions in which the human species could survive and develop what we refer to as civilization. If we alter these conditions--this support system--they will change from the way they were when human life became possible. It is not a question of 'if,' but rather of 'how much,' of 'what,' 'where' and-above all--of 'how fast.' Ecological changes must not necessarily and in every case be negative. They are almost always negative, though, when we force changes too quickly. If we dislodge the ecological systems from the state in which they made human life both possible and tolerable, whether consciously or unconsciously, we must expect that over the long term the conditions will become less favorable for our continued survival. The biological survival of the human species could become endangered. The changes in global ecology do not threaten our survival through effects on human metabolism, but rather through negative effects on our surroundings, such as the water supply, climate conditions, or the prevalent UV radiation. Humans live within ecological surroundings and depend on them. Thus, humans must be mindful and be responsible for their actions because any form of negligence on their part such as exploitation of resources and using explosives for fishing can affect natural processes of the ecosystem and threaten their existence and the existence of other life forms as well. There are a lot of benefits that all living creatures can enjoy if the balance in the ecosystem is maintained which are summarized as follows (Shah, 2009): Healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters. Ecosystem services (such as the protection of water resources, soil formation and protection, nutrient storage and recycling, pollution breakdown and absorption, contribution to climate stability, maintenance of ecosystems, and recovery from unpredictable events) Biological resources (Food, Medicinal resources and pharmaceutical drugs, Wood products, Ornamental plants, Breeding stocks, population reservoirs, Diversity in genes, species and ecosystems) Social benefits such as research, education and monitoring, recreation and tourism, and cultural values.

As members of a community of interdependent parts, it is mans duty to do the following: 1. Defend and preserve. The originating powers of the Ecosphere are expressed through its resilient geographic ecosystems. Thus, the ecocentric philosophy urges preservation and restoration of natural ecosystems and their component species. Barring planet-destroying collisions with comets and asteroids, Earths evolving inventiveness will continue for millions of years, hampered only where humans have destroyed whole ecosystems by exterminating species or by toxifying sediments, water and air. The permanent darkness of extinction removes strands in the organic

Name: Karmela Sheryl Malinao Course and Year: BSCHE-4

Class Schedule: MWF (4:30-5:30 PM)

web, reducing the beauty of the Earth and the potential for the future emergence of unique ecosystems with companion organisms, some possibly of greater-than-human sensitivity and intelligence. The first rule of intelligent tinkering is to save all the parts (Aldo Leopold - Sand County Almanac). Actions that unmake the stability and health of the Ecosphere and its ecosystems need to be identified and publicly condemned. Among the most destructive of human activities are militarism and its gross expenditures, the mining of toxic materials, the manufacture of biological poisons in all forms, industrial farming, industrial fishing, and industrial forestry. Unless curbed, lethal technologies such as these, justified as necessary for protecting specific human populations, enriching special corporate interests, and satisfying human wants rather than needs, will lead to greater ecological and social disasters. Thus, humans must help in protecting and preserving the natural resources that abound the planet by minimizing human activities that cause imbalance in the ecosystem. Law makers must implement laws that aim to protect the environment and to punish people who violate this law.

2. Reduce human consumption of earth parts. The chief threat to the Ecospheres diversity, beauty and stability is the ever-increasing appropriation of the planets goods for exclusive human uses. Such appropriation and over-use of resources steals the livelihood of other organisms. The selfish homocentric view that humans have the right to all ecosystem components air, land, water, organisms is morally reprehensible. Unlike plants, humans are heterotrophs (other-feeders) and must kill to feed, clothe and shelter ourselves, but this is no license to plunder and exterminate. The accelerating consumption of Earths vital parts is a recipe for destruction of ecodiversity and biodiversity. Wealthy nations armed with powerful technology are the chief offenders, best able to reduce consumption and share with those whose living standards are lowest, but no nation is blameless. 3. Promote ecocentric governance. Homocentric concepts of governance that encourage over-exploitation and destruction of Earths ecosystems must be replaced by those beneficial to the survival and integrity of the Ecosphere and its components. Advocates for the vital structures and functions of the Ecosphere are needed as influential members of governing bodies. Such ecopoliticians, knowledgeable about the processes of Earth and about human ecology, will give voice to the voiceless. In present centers of power, Who speaks for wolf? and Who speaks for temperate rain forest? Such questions have more than metaphorical significance; they reveal the necessity of legally safeguarding the many essential non-human components of the Ecosphere. A body of environmental law that confers legal standing on the Ecospheres vital structures and functions is required. Country by country, ecologically responsible people must be elected or appointed to governing bodies. Appropriate attorney-guardians will act as defendants when ecosystems and their fundamental processes are threatened. Issues will be settled on the basis of preserving ecosystem integrity, not on preserving economic gain.

Name: Karmela Sheryl Malinao Course and Year: BSCHE-4

Class Schedule: MWF (4:30-5:30 PM)

REFERENCES: Mosquin, T. and Rowe, S. (2004) A Manifesto for Earth, Biodiversity,Vol. 5, pp. 3-9. Shah, Anup. Why Is Biodiversity Important? Who Cares?. Global Issues, Updated: 18 Nov. 2009. Accessed: 24 Mar. 2011. <http://www.globalissues.org/article/170/why-is-biodiversityimportant-who-cares> Bone, L. (2011). Environmental Services And Preservation - Every Man's Duty. Retrieved March 25, 2011, from: http://www.articlesbase.com/news-and-society-articles/environmental-servicesand-preservation-every-mans-duty-4165904.html Rogers, S. (2007). 7 Environmental Problems That Are Worse Than We Thought. Retrieved 3 16, 2011, from: http://earthfirst.com/7-environmental-problems-that-are-worse-than-wethought.html http://www.itstheplanet.co.uk/environmental_ethics.html