Deforestation and the effects on the environment with philosophical Case Study

Deforestation and the effects on the environment with philosophical theoretical issues - Case Study Example The specific social changes that are responsible for most of the environmental degradation are linked with rapid population growth, the proliferation of national and international trade leading to opening up of more markets due to increased demand and hunger for profits and major changes in land tenure systems that lead to the concentration of land. Traditional mechanisms were aimed at sustainable use of the environment. Since the days of the early man, nature was what guided man (Dharam, 1994). In fact, for the first civilization to exist, they had to adapt to the environment. Much has changed since those days as today, the reverse is true. Human beings no longer seek to adapt to the environment but rather seek for the environment to adapt to their needs. The insatiable need for energy has led to massive deforestation, mining and the use of unclean energy sources. These facts have led to the current infamous conditions generally referred to as global warming that is accelerated by t he emission of greenhouse gases into the environment (Gardiner, 2004). The trend does not seem reversible in the near future as there are very few viable alternatives to those causing harm to the environment and which humans can harness to the same magnitude as the unclean sources. The hunger for more energy is not the sole cause of environmental degradation. On the contrary, social inequalities on the lines of influence, material wealth and gender have been mentioned as part of the contributors to this dangerous trend. Environmental deterioration is not a light matter. In fact, there are numerous numbers of people who bear the blunt for the damage done to the environment. These effects may be manifested in the health, livelihood and well-being of the victims. Pollution and natural resource depletion can be in terms of soil erosion which robs the soil of its mineral contents and renders it infertile hence unable to sustain plants, deforestation which entails the cutting down of the very vegetation that is responsible for the purification of air and formation of rainfall and the depletion of both plant and animal species which inadvertently occasions an imbalance in different ecosystems (Munasinghe, 1993). When these occurrences happen, people are forced to change their ways in a bid to adapting to the new conditions. Consumption and production patterns are affected. The changes that lead people to change their income generating activities, to migrate and reorganize their entire livelihoods ultimately lead to the change in social structures (Vivian & Ghimire, 1990). The transformations usually have a ripple effect on other societies and the result is that more pressure is put on the existing natural resources. For example, a family that is dependent on electrical energy for their domestic usage in rural areas and who experience a dip in their disposable income will be forced to result to more economic sources of energy. This might lead them to adopt firewood an d coal as their primary source of fuel. Naturally, these alternatives are part of the environment and as such, more pressure on the already dwindling natural resources. Discussion Many people simply refer to deforestation as the depletion of forests. The Food and Agriculture Organization which is a department of the United Nations refers to deforestation as â€Å"complete clearing of tree formations (closed or open) and their replacement