Analysis of the Threats Defense Argument

Introduction

Today continued deterioration of the global environment is the dominant threat that the human race face. Every person should be aware of these environmental threats, such as climate change, for collective contribution in eliminating them. Every individual and organization should pay full attention to environmental issues to protect the natural environment. The threats should be addressed based on their severity, and the severe ones should be addressed immediately (Smith, p. 6). The paper explains how cultural taboos and energy sources are less critical to the global environment as compared to the threats I assessed in assignment 3a, which included civil war, poor health of entire populations, lack of educational opportunities, and climate change.

Threat 1: Energy sources

Sources of energy are classified into two, renewable, and non-renewable sources of energy.  Renewable energy is also referred to as clean energy, which comes from natural sources such as solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, geothermal energy, and biomass energy (Balat, p. 144).  Non-renewable sources are limited in supply and cannot be replaced easily by natural means. The supply of non-renewable resources comes from the earth, and they take many years to develop. Examples are fossil fuel, petroleum, coal, natural gas, and nuclear fuels such as uranium.  Excessive use of non-renewable sources leads to emission of greenhouse gas which contributes to climate change, air pollution and water pollution (Balat, p. 143)

Energy sources are less critical as compared to the environmental threats in assignment 3a because of the following reasons.  First critical issues such as climate change have an impact on energy generation. For example, changes in the water cycle affect hydropower generation. Hydropower generation relies on the water cycle, which involves three steps evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. The precipitation determines the amount of water that is available for hydropower generation (Smith, p. 74). Hydropower is clean energy, which means it does not pollute the environment. Warmer temperatures also increase the demand for energy for cooling purposes during summer (Quaschning, p.112). Therefore to use clean energy effectively, climate change issues should be addressed first.

Secondly, there are two sources of energy, renewable and non-renewable sources. Renewable sources of energy, such as solar energy, are environmentally friendly and are easily replaced (Balat, p. 143). People should have a proper understanding of the importance of renewable sources of energy and how non-renewable sources impact the environment. Therefore, a lack of educational opportunities needs to be addressed first. An educated and trained personnel is required for the implementation of renewable sources of energy (Kirwan, p. 76).

Thirdly the effects of energy sources cannot be compared to the effects of civil war. Conflict in different parts of the world has led to the loss of lives, destruction of the environment, spread of diseases, and economic losses, among others. If the country is not stable other activities, including the implementation of renewable sources of energy, will not take place (Balat, p. 162).   

Threat 2: cultural taboos

Taboo is a prohibition of a particular cultural action based on a belief that performing that action endangers the human race. Taboos represent unwritten cultural laws, unlike formal laws like judicial law. Different cultural taboos prevail in different cultures around the world and do not require government intervention for enforcement.  Human being’s perception of the environment is driven by their cultural practices (Nijhawan, p. 8). Most of the taboos are important in resource management, but some do not help. For example, some cultures believe that drought is god’s wish, and nothing should be done against it. However, as much as taboos are important in environmental conservation, their strict adherences have adverse consequences on some populations. Some are discriminatory, especially against women and children. Majority of the taboos such prohibition of exploitation of certain plants and animals improve the conservation efforts in place (Nijhawan, p. 12).

Cultural taboos are less critical as compared to the threats in assignment 3a because of the following reasons.  First, Cultural taboos play a role in the conservation of species and the natural ecosystem. For example, in Africa, before western culture was introduced, the majority of the communities had already put in place resource management based on the complex cultural belief, which included taboos, myths, and totems. They were meant to promote communal wellbeing instead of individual interest. In Nigeria, communities living near Cross River Park have to maintain a sacred forest that has many species of wildlife and indigenous trees. The forest is protected for spiritual reasons, and anyone who violates the taboo is banished (Pungetti, 38).

Secondly, for cultural taboos to be effective in environmental conservation, critical issues such as climate change need to be resolved first. Changes in climate are a result of human activity such as emission of greenhouse gases, which leads to global warming and a rise in sea level, which leads to loss of habitats. With global warming, some species will be extinct because if the earth warms by more 2^oC, the ecosystem will suffer.  Climate change has a direct and indirect impact on species and the environment (Smith, p. 26). Therefore climate change should be addressed first because cultural taboos will have nothing to protect if the natural environment is already depleted due to climate change.

Thirdly, cultural taboos should not be considered a global environmental threat. The majority of the taboos are meant to protect the human race and environment. It only prohibits a person from doing something which is culturally unacceptable. They maintain what already exists rather than destroying it. For example, among the Shona people in Zimbabwe, environmental taboos increase the sustainable use of environmental resources (Nijhawan, p. 12).

Conclusion

 In conclusion, environmental threats are any harmful effects of human activity on the environment. There are different kinds of environmental issues, such as civil war, climate change, cultural taboos, and energy sources, among others that harm the environment. However, these issues have different levels of severity on the environment, and they should be addressed according to how they impact the environment. Some are less critical as compared to others. Cultural taboos are less critical as compared to other issues. It is a traditional means of environmental conservation, and it is common in many parts of the world, especially in Africa and Asia. How human being perceives the environment is driven by their cultural beliefs. Sources of energy are also less critical because to adopt the use of renewable sources, there should be peace, and people should have knowledge of the importance of clean energy, which means climate change and education should be resolved first. Therefore the issues I raised in assignment 3a should be addressed first before sources of energy and cultural taboos.

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Works Cited

Balat, Mustafa. “Usage of Energy Sources and Environmental Problems.” Energy Exploration & Exploitation, vol. 23, no. 2, 2005, pp. 141-167.

Kirwan, D. F. Energy Resources in Science Education: Science and Technology Education and Future Human Needs. Elsevier, 2014.

Nijhawan, Sahil, et al. “Do cultural taboos conserve wildlife?” Proceedings of the 5th European Congress of Conservation Biology, 2018.

Pungetti, Gloria, et al. Sacred Species and Sites: Advances in Biocultural Conservation. Cambridge UP, 2012.

Quaschning, Volker V. Renewable Energy and Climate Change, 2nd Edition. Wiley, 2019.

Smith, Fraser. Environmental Sustainability: Practical Global Applications. CRC P, 2019.