Environmental Issues

Endless human desire is harmful for our planet. While people focus on individual benefits, they ignore everything else on the earth, including the environment we are living. From the sociologists, we learned that human are desire-oriented. We spend so much to trade the most valuable things in our life and our desire encourage us to chase money and make profit from this society. Human is not only trade with other individuals, but they also trade with the nature as well. With the growth over-developed cities and resources digging, we are losing lands for agriculture and natural resources. Instead of consuming the foods and water from the natural earth, we buy organic foods and distill water from profit-making manufactures. Some of scam business people are even produce fake meats or poison foods to customers. When we started to think about the environment protection and human health, it is urgent to make change on our desire. We are making more money, but going far away from the nature. If we dont stop the endless desire, all of us would see the Armageddon.
 Human Desires and the Changes to the Environment

Introduction
The world as we know it is changing. This is caused by human actions and environmental changes, each of which is affecting the other in a significant manner. The relationship between the two entities has to be of peaceful co-existence else one or both of the parties feels the negative impact of the abuse done to it. Mankind has extracted the earths resources for his own end and natures calamities have taken numerous lives and caused devastation to entire cities. It must be realized that both the humans and the environment have a direct impact on each other and we must try to create the best atmosphere to this effect.

The main purpose of this purpose is to identify how the endless human desires have led to the changes in the environment. The paper will discuss the various perspectives and shed light on some facts and figures pertaining to the climate, the resources, human greed and etc. The paper will also discuss the effects of mankinds limitless desires and how when it is left unchecked it can cause harm to everything around it. The main questions which would be analyzed in this paper are who actually controls the resources, what are the scale of the demand and supply of said resources, and which are the most beneficial resources The paper will also answer the questions as to the environmental damages extent caused by the development of our culture and would also shed light on the human food sources, as to how they organically are and how are they adulterated After analyzing these problems and discussing extensively about them, we will actually find out that this paper answers the present day situation of our environment and how mankind, in his endless greed, has corrupted it.

Background of Current Environmental Challenges
There are numerous environmental challenges being observed today, least of which is not the population growth rate. The population growth rate of the world is 1.14 as of 2009 (World Bank - World Development Indicators, 2010). Given this appears as a small percentage, but when taken in the whole picture, it becomes alarming. The current population of the world is 6.5 billion people which is expected to double by 2067, given the current growth rate (Rosenburg, 2009). This increase of people has led to a fear of food shortage as well as of water and utility shortages as well. Feeding such large number of people has become problematic for governments and countries are hiking prices for even the most common commodities on a more regular basis increasing inflation.

Similar concerns lies with the increase in resource consumption. Resources are divided into 2 groups. Renewable and Non-renewable resources Non-renewable resources take millions of years to be created and once they are wholly consumed it is very difficult to bring them back (Petroleum, Gas, Water are examples of non-renewable resources). Renewable resources however are not so concerning since due to their nature they can be replenished and are often good sources for limitless energy generation and similar activities. Consumption of resources is a major concern is worrisome in its own right since it is often unjust as statistics prove that the 20 rich populace consume 76.6 of the resources of the world while the worlds poorest 20 consume simply 1.5 of the worlds resources (Shah, 2008). This inequality adversely affects the distribution of resources and people in the world are often deprived of the most basic resources since they cannot get access to it since it is consumed by others elsewhere.
The Climate has also changed recently with weirder anomalies being observed across the world. The temperatures are fluctuating and increasing number of natural calamities are befalling the world. Over the course of the past 50 years, due to our carbon emissions and greenhouse gases through human activities it has been recorded that the average surface temperature has increased by 0.76oC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2010).

If this goes unchecked, scientists believe that in the worst case scenario the temperature is believed to increase by 6.4oC by the end of this century.

Similarly there are numerous other environmental issues which include improper waste disposal, wastage in resource consumption and increases in the peoples consumption patterns. These all work towards challenging the environment and causing it to develop damaging characteristics.

Current Status of Environmental Protection
In recent years there has been a spike in protectionist activities and there are newer greener and more environmental conscious companies entering the sphere. Following the 70s people began taking an interest into the wasteful and damaging trend of human behavior and the hippy culture of the time proved an extreme reaction to such attitudes. This extreme reaction led to the foundation of the realization of how people had developed behavior patterns which were hurting the earth and recognized the need for people to return back to the basics and try to conduct themselves in a manner more befitting the protection of the planet and its resources.

Even though this was a radical movement and seemed excessive to most people, the thought was rightly directed. It led to the birth of organizations such as Greenpeace and similar themed organizations, which all fought for the protection of the environment and saving of the planets resources (Tree Web Writers).

Besides the active participation of private organizations and non-profit organizations, governments have also begun rewarding initiatives shown towards caring for the environment. Companies which conduct Corporate Social Responsibility activities receive tax exemptions and are allowed to operate more freely and with fewer hindrances. Also, aside from encouraging Environmental activities and making it more appealing to organizations and private parties, government has established its own bodies which act as caretakers and specified organizations meant to provide the governments perspective regarding certain issues. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are examples of such bodies (Environmental Protection Agency).

So in its entirety, when we look at the global situation, we have NGOs, Private organizations, Public Organizations, Governmental bodies, and Clubs and Societies all aimed at protecting the environment and improving it when possible. The media and news also highlight such activities and promote the need for environmental consciousness and people are well aware of their actions and their consequences for the planet.

Relationship between Economy and Resources
A countrys economy is highly dependent on the resources that it has access too. So the strengths of a country rely on its strategic location, its human capital, its resources and its relations with other countries. So since the resources play such a vital role in the promotion and manifesto for a country, the government strives to maximize its resources and tries to extract the most benefit from it as they can in maintaining their power and standing in the global community.

The economy and resources have a positive relationship. As the economy increases and grows, the resources extraction and utilization also increases and grows showing the proportional effect on each other.

Many economists have created their evaluations based on how the resources and economy effect each other and there are differing views regarding the matter. Some economists believe that during times of poor economy, the extraction utilization of the resources increases and countries try to survive by extracting benefits from the resources which are available to them. Then during times of high economy, alternative means are discovered and a country saves its own resources for itself while outsourcing or purchasing resources from other countries to meet its needs. This goes against the previous theory of positive correlation and during times of great economy low dependence on own resources are observed while during times of bad economy the vice versa is seen (Bebbington  Perreault, Dec 2008).

A careful balance needs to be maintained so that there are no mismanagement and resources are not squandered nor are they under-utilized. Spending too many resources is bad but so is not utilizing your resources as your strength as well. That is why a delicate balance is suggested for which the governments need to identify how much they require for their economy to work fine while the resources are not unnecessarily utilized as well.

Money making and Resources
Who controls the Resources
Technically resources are not one persons property but are meant to be used and shared by all. The resources are meant to be used for the benefit for humanity and to this effect it should be everyones responsibility to look after and be responsible for the resources.

However, it is not so simple. In the actual world, resources are owned by Governments mostly, who set limits and act as watchdogs over the resources. Basing this on the argument that to protect the resources from being squandered by various groups of individuals, a body should exist to look after the resources and protect people from their own greed and overconsumption. Therefore in most countries, the government becomes responsible for the resources and it rations out its use and protects it from being unnecessarily used by others. The African government, for example, protects the wildlife and its geographic specific resources from poachers and other predators so that they are not wasted (Bolton, Feb 2008). Similarly, the U.S. has set various bodies just for the sole purpose of protecting the resources from external threats and abusers.

Often times, organizations are also hired and set up to look after specific resources and try to protect them and to manage them so that they do not disappear entirely or become scarce. Examples of this are power generation plants which create electricity and in most countries are privately held by shareholders and board members (Bonsiewich, Jun 2007). These private held organizations also become the legal owners of a share of the resources.

Scale of Demand and Supply
The question of whether the supply is enough to meet the level of demand is a clear indicator of the absence of constraint on peoples part. The demand for certain resources and their availability are often conflicting. This is often due to the fact that most things in demand are not wholly able to be provided due to limited supply. Most resources have a certain limit and cannot be exceeded no matter what be done. For example the total oil reserves are only so much. But the demand for its is objective as every plant and vehicle and machine requires the maximum consumption. Therefore the demand can never be satisfied by the volumes of commodities on this earth.

Considering the supply side we can see that quantities for most goods are fixed and cannot be exceeded. This influences the need for alternative sources and hence the search for alternative resource options are sought. The discovery of solar power and wind power arose from the realization of the helplessness mankind might face if the reserves of petroleum fell.

The scale of demand and supply is subjective then and the observation that should a certain level be met, all the demand would be satisfied is purely hypothetical as demand of mankind can never be so easily fulfilled.

Most Beneficial Resources
Petroleum is currently the most sought after resource and for that various wars and operations have been conducted in recent years. The U.S. in its search for a permanent fuel source invaded Iraq and Afghanistan and has spent billions of dollars to that effect (Leder  Shapiro, Volume 36, Issue 8). The countries which are in possession of oil fields and petroleum sources are ones which are financial strong and can influence global decisions easily.

Another commodity which is gaining importance globally is fresh water. Many Asian countries and African countries have minimal access to pure water and have to either purchase it from other countries or they must set up expensive processing plants to convert sea water or other water sources into drinkable water. Since water is such a commodity that you cannot live without it, it has become sought after more and more by various governments in the central and eastern part of the world.

One other resource which is growing in its worth is gold. It is a rare metal and was once the mode of currency. However, with the entrance of paper money, the governments discarded gold as a currency form and then it became restricted to jewelry and decorative ornaments. However, in light of recent political situations and the reserves of dollars being held by China, the U.S. government is trying to bring gold back as the primary conversion medium. Since it has the largest gold reserves in the world (World Gold Holdings, 2009) the government is trying to bring gold back as the major currency exchequer.

Endless Human Desires
Development of Culture vs. Environmental Damage
Culture is shifting rapidly worldwide and there is no longer key identifiable cultures as the intermingling of cultures has led to a melting pot of numerous cultures varying slightly based on religions and geographic peculiarities. The development of culture has led to anti-biblical thoughts and the movie 2012 brought out how the cultural differences and environmental damage complemented each other to a certain extent (Smith, 2010).

The cultural values being propagated and beliefs which are commonly held by people today seem to ignore the end of times and feel that no matter what actions they do now, they will have no repercussions in the future. Hence, the blatant disregard for nature and the environment is commonly seen today as people abuse the environment in their own selfish quests. The environmental damage is not taken seriously and when disasters strike, only then people begin taking notice of their surrounding and reflecting on their actions. Even though the 2012 apocalypse is inaccurate (Solare, 2009), it does seem that something of such a level would make people realize to stop and take notice of their worldly actions.

Food Content- Do we know what we are eating
Thanks to the advancement of science and technology, we have revolutionized nearly every aspect of our life. One such field which has seen intense advancements is the agricultural sector. The improvements in fertilizers, insecticides and seeds have led to greater percentage yields per hectare and more appealing products. Unlike organic food which has zero chemical additives and are grown purely from natural sources, fruits and vegetables found in grocery stores have been produced through all manner of chemical additives and processing to make them look more appealing and display certain qualities (seedless watermelons, etc.) (Spevack).

Aside from the fact that our fruits and vegetables are being produced with the help of insecticides and pesticides which are very dangerous on their own (Cropper, 2004), the other junk food and fast food that we intake are also damaging to our internal system and the environment as well. The production of most of the food items involves frying and similar processes which reduce the health factor and make the food a potential risk to our body by increasing our cholesterol or increasing the chances of obesity and in turn heart attacks. The preservatives and additives added to these food items introduce toxins into our systems which may cause lasting damage (Gaby, 2009). Even though flavorings do not cause any lasting damage, the food additives do (Idea Connection).

New Endless Sources to meet our needs
The movie Avatar introduced a foreseeable future where mankind has exhausted its own resources and has had to resort to invading other areas and occupying their resources for their own consumption. This concept is not as alien as we have seen something similar happen in the Iraq War and previous other wars where countries have tried to take over other countries for the sake of occupying their resources. Human beings would rather acquire anothers resources than wisely use his own. The concept of Avatar should give us some fear as to what would be the fate of future generations as they would not have an alternative planet to take over since till date, only Earth has shown signs of life and no planet in our solar system can support human life.

The concept of having an endless source may seem ideal for most people but realistically speaking, even if such a source existed, it would only lead to further abuse of the existing resources and people would still be misusing what they have.

Conclusion
Even though there is a lot of hue and cry for the protection of the environment, realistically speaking, the situation is quite deplorable. Human beings have not skipped any chance to abuse nature and extract any resource that the planet has to offer. The most developed countries are expected to show the most concern, yet studies show that these countries are the worst offenders and contribute to the most pollution and waste to the planet as compared to developing nations which have smaller industries and in margins of scale are not so harmful. Countries such as the United States and China tread over environment protection laws whenever they get the chance and their governments are strong enough to do as they please.

If people do not realize the damage that they are causing this planet, and rather than finding newer sources try to curb their excessive needs and desires and plan for the future, there is a chance that the society would survive for a longer period and mother nature may not react as furiously as she does so now with hurricanes and floods and earthquakes.