The relationship between Human beings and the Natural Environment
The Earth is an extremely complex and fragile network of interconnected systems that have advanced over the last 5 billion years or so. As a result of the big band, Earth emerged as a huge mass of energy and elements from which structured, dynamic systems of solids, liquids, and gasses evolved. Billions of years later, the evolution of the Earth led to the development of conditions that had the ability to foster life. All organisms on this Earth have a common ancestor, whether small or big (Our Role And Relationship With Nature | Environmental Topics And Essays 2020). Everything on the Earth is in one way or another connected to everything. All living organisms have a certain correlation with each other and with the natural environment. Of all the living organisms on Earth, human beings evolved and emerged as the most dominant and became the dominating species on Earth. As we continue to multiply and evolve, our relationship with the natural environment continues to diminish as our rapid success as a species has started to affect the natural order. More often than not, many humans forget that they fully depend on the natural environment. From the clothes we wear, the food we eat, and even the technology we use, all of these are made from materials from the natural environment. Therefore, our lives completely depend on Mother Nature for us to continue existing and thriving on planet Earth. This report is an interview conducted on the respondent’s understanding and relationship to the environment and environmental issues.
In relation to the question on how the respondent interacts with or has interacted with nature, he said that humans generally depend on nature for their survival. Human beings cannot live without the natural environment as this is where they live and obtain all the things they need to ensure their survival. Since a long time ago during the time of the first human beings to live on Earth, the human species has always preferred to live in areas where the natural conditions are favorable, such as the availability of water, favorable climatic conditions, and favorable soils to enable them to grow food and feed their livestock, which is also part of the natural environment. The early humans learned to cultivate the land and grow crops for their food. This was passed on, and up to now, human being depends on land to good all types of food. According to the respondent, he was taught to grow crops by his grandfather, who was a farmer and grew different types of crops for domestic use and for sale to support his family. The knowledge on how to grow crops has been passed on to many people all over the world, and more skills and knowledge on how to grow different types of crops continue to emerge.
The harmful effects that human beings have on the environment has been a major topic of discussion as people continue to pollute the environment and to destroy the natural world through our industrialization and globalization practices that have led to the development of many factories and technologies that emit harmful gasses into the air. As a result, there have been attempts to educate people more on the environment and the importance of taking care of it. The respondent in the interview highlighted that his understanding of the environment and the environmental issue has changed his behavior for the better as he now knows why it is important to ensure that the natural environment is protected to ensure continuity of life on Earth. He understands that human beings cannot do without the natural environment and therefore, his understanding of the environmental issue has led him to become more vigorous in reducing pollution and ensuring that he takes care of the natural environment surrounding him. More to that, he noted that it feels good to live in a clean and safe environment. He is mostly concerned about the continuity of life on Earth as he strongly believes that if the environment is not taken care of, the generations to come might find it difficult to live comfortably on Earth and pass this success to the next generation. If human beings fail to take care of the environment, then the Earth, as we know it, might not exist 100 years to come.
As a huge advocate for environmental protection, the respondent highlighted that he pays close attention to the news behind issues concerning the environment. According to him, the media is not doing much in expressing the severity of the environmental issues related to pollution experienced in almost all parts of the world as more industries continue to develop, and more trees are being cut down to create space for human settlement and expansion. He says that human beings are altering the natural order as they continue to take more from the natural environment and leaving very little or nothing for other species. Today, human beings control as much as 40 percent of the energy available to ensure that life on Earth is sustained (World History For Us All: Questions And Themes: Humans And The Environment 2020). However, the more timber, food, water, and fuel humans take from nature, the less is available to other species. The impact of human beings becomes greater and greater on other animals and plants, on the world’s oceans and other water bodies on the air, and the land.
As human beings continue to carry out their activities on the Earth, environmental change continues to occur as a result of human interference with the natural world. Changes in the environment mean that human beings and other living things on the planet will be negatively affected. According to the respondent, he believes that the coming generations will be affected by these changes. As we continue to exhaust natural resources such as natural oil and clean air, future generations will have limited resources to sustain themselves. Different cultural beliefs practiced by different people influence their relationship with the natural environment. These cultural beliefs influence how they interact with the natural environment. For instance, the respondent comes from a culture that respects the environment and believes that they have a spiritual connection with the natural world.
For this reason, people from his culture do not cut trees, and anyone who cuts down a tree is punished. Other cultural beliefs are connected to the natural environment and as mostly geared towards the conservation and protection of the natural environment. For instance, some African cultures believe that land is holy, and therefore no one should bring harm to it by performing activities that harm it.
As seen, it is impossible to ignore the relationship that exists between human beings and nature. Human beings cannot survive with the natural environment, but nature can survive without human beings in it. It can thrive without human beings as it will be free from human beings’ harmful effects. As the most intelligent and dominant species sharing the natural environment with other species, human beings should become more vibrant in protecting the environment and ensure that all the natural resources are protected to ensure continuity of life on Earth and live in harmony with other species.
Bibliography
Our Role And Relationship With Nature | Environmental Topics And Essays 2020You.Stonybrook.Edu. https://you.stonybrook.edu/environment/sample-page/, accessed March 7 , 2020.
World History For Us All: Questions And Themes: Humans And The Environment 2020Whfua.History.Ucla.Edu. https://whfua.history.ucla.edu/shared/why_humans_environments.php, accessed March 7 , 2020.