Republic of the Philippines

CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES

Nabua,Camarines Sur

LECTURE NOTES 2
Sustainability and Human Values

Human Use of the Earth

Environmental sustainability is the responsibility of us humans, to conserve natural resources and protect global
ecosystems to support health and wellbeing, now and in the future. According to Miller, there are three principles
of sustainability: biological diversity (biodiversity), solar energy, and chemical cycling.
Sustainable development is defined as the economic growth that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable development can occur only
within the limits of the environment. Sustainable development encourages us to conserve and enhance our
resource base, by gradually changing the ways in which we develop and use technologies. Countries must be
allowed to meet their basic needs of employment, food, energy, water and sanitation.

Figure 1 Factors of Sustainable Development

Sustainable consumption is defined as the use of goods and services that satisfy basic human needs and improve
the quality of life but that also minimize resource consumption. Some highly developed countries embrace a type
of sustainable consumption called voluntary simplicity, or simple living, is a way of life that rejects the high-
consumption, materialistic lifestyles of consumer cultures and affirms what is often just called 'the simple life' or
'downshifting. Sustainable consumption is also about decoupling economic growth from environmental
degradation, increasing resource efficiency and promoting sustainable lifestyles. Sustainable consumption and
production can also contribute substantially to poverty alleviation and the transition towards low-carbon and
green economies.
Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations or SDGs are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals
designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all". The SDGs were set in 2015
by the United Nations General Assembly and are intended to be achieved by the year 2030. They are included in
a UN Resolution called the 2030 Agenda or what is colloquially known as Agenda 2030.
1. No Poverty – End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. Zero Hunger – End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable
agriculture
3. Good Health and Well-being – Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Quality Education – Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all
5. Gender Equality – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Clean Water and Sanitation – Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation
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7. Affordable Clean Energy – Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all

GE ELECT 2: People and the Earth’s Ecosystem DAVID JOHN B. CANDELARIA

 Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES
Nabua,Camarines Sur

8. Decent Work and Economic Growth – Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth,
full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and
sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
10. Reducing Inequality – Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities – Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and
sustainable
12. Responsible Consumption and Production – Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Climate Action – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
14. Life Below Water – Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable
development
15. Life On Land – Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably
manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions – Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable
development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions
at all levels
17. Partnerships for the Goals – Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global
partnership for sustainable development

Human Values and Environmental Problems

Environmental ethics is a field of applied ethics that considers the moral basis of environmental responsibility.
Environmental ethics examines moral values to determine how humans should relate to the natural
environment. The main competing paradigms are anthropocentrism, physiocentrism (called ecocentrism as well),
and theocentrism.
Environmental Worldviews a worldview based on how the environment works, our place in the environment,
and right and wrong environmental behaviors. There are two extreme environmental worldviews:
• Western worldview - A worldview based on human superiority over nature, the unrestricted use
of natural resources, and economic growth to manage an expanding industrial base.
• Deep ecology worldview - A worldview based on harmony with nature, a spiritual respect for life,
and the belief that humans and all other species have an equal worth.

Figure 2 Comparison of Environmental Worldviews

Principles of Deep Ecology (Naess et. al., 1989)

1. Both human and nonhuman life have intrinsic value. The value of nonhuman life forms is independent
of the usefulness they may have for narrow human purposes.
2. Richness and diversity of life forms contribute to the flourishing of human and nonhuman life on Earth.
3. Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to satisfy vital needs
4. Present human interference with the nonhuman world is excessive, and the situation is rapidly
worsening.
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5. The flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible with a substantial decrease in the human
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population. The flourishing of nonhuman life requires such a decrease.

GE ELECT 2: People and the Earth’s Ecosystem DAVID JOHN B. CANDELARIA

 Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES
Nabua,Camarines Sur

6. Improving human well-being requires economic, technological, and ideological changes.

7. The ideological change is mainly that high quality of life need not be synonymous with high levels of
consumption
8. Those who subscribe to the foregoing points have an obligation to participate in the attempt to
implement the necessary changes.

Environmental Justice

Environmental justice is the right of every citizen, regardless of age, race, gender, social class, or other factor, to
adequate protection from environmental hazards. Environmental justice is a fundamental human right in an
ethical society. A growing environmental justice movement has emerged at the grassroots level. Globally,
environmental justice includes promoting economic development without imposing disproportionate
environmental risks.
In the Philippines, environmental justice is a guaranteed state policy affiliated to Section 16, Article II of
the 1987 Constitution which states that “the State shall protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced
and healthy ecology in accordance with the rhythm and harmony of nature.” The seminal landmark case was
Oposa v. Factoran decided in 1993, in which the petitioners were a group of minors, represented by their parents.
The petitioners filed a class suit for themselves, for others of their generation, and for the succeeding generations
to stop deforestation by asserting that specific permits granted by the Government to license holders to cut trees
in the country’s forests violated the right of citizens to a balanced and healthy environment. This was the first
time globally that future generations were recognized as having standing to bring claims, and the first time that
environmental rights of future generations had been considered and upheld by a country’s apex court, and to
this day serves as a milestone in the process of granting access to justice in environmental matters and upholding
environmental rights.
In addition to a number of other legal cases and policy responses in the years that followed, a notable
landmark was the establishment of new Environmental Courts. Through the lead role of the Supreme Court, a
decision was enacted in 2008 designating 117 trial courts as ‘green courts’ with intended special competency
and jurisdiction to oversee cases concerning the environment

An Overall Plan for Sustainable Living

5 Recommendations for Sustainable Living (Brown, 2006)

1. Eliminate poverty and stabilize the human population.
Failing to confront the problem of poverty makes it impossible to attain global sustainability. To
stay within Earth’s carrying capacity, the maximum population that can be sustained indefinitely,
it will be necessary to reach a stable population and reduce excessive consumption.

2. Protect and restore Earth’s resources.

The world’s forests are being cut, burned, and seriously altered for timber and other products
that the global economy requires. Also, rapid population growth and poverty are putting
pressure on forests. Biological diversity, the number and variety of Earth’s organisms, is declining
at an alarming rate. Humans are part of Earth’s web of life and are entirely dependent on that
web for survival.

3. Provide adequate food for all people.

Food insecurity is the condition in which people live with chronic hunger and malnutrition.
Globally, nearly 800 million people lack access to the food needed for healthy, productive lives.

4. Mitigate climate change.

The enhanced greenhouse effect is the additional warming produced by increased levels of gases
that absorb infrared radiation. An increase in atmospheric CO2, mostly produced when fossil
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fuels are burned and rain forests are destroyed, leads to climate warming. To stabilize climate,

GE ELECT 2: People and the Earth’s Ecosystem DAVID JOHN B. CANDELARIA

 Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES SUR POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES
Nabua,Camarines Sur

we must phase out fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy, increased energy conservation, and
improved energy efficiency, and reduce or reverse deforestation.

5. Design sustainable cities.

The air in cities in the developing world is badly polluted with exhaust from motor vehicles. Illegal
squatter settlements proliferate in cities; the poorest inhabitants build dwellings using whatever
materials they can scavenge. Squatter settlements have the worst water, sewage, and solid
waste problems.

References:
• Berg, Linda R. et. al. (2017) Visualizing Environmental Science
• https://umhelloo.wordpress.com/2015/03/10/biodiversity-solar-power-and-nutrient-cycling-the-three-
principles-of-sustainability/
• https://sphera.com/glossary/what-is-environmental-sustainability/
• https://sdgs.un.org/goals
• http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice

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GE ELECT 2: People and the Earth’s Ecosystem DAVID JOHN B. CANDELARIA