Years back, the issue of environmental degradation had been on the headlines. The environment is being disturbed as a result of the large increase in human population, increase in economic growth and lastly, the application resource; depleting and polluting technology.
Human population : Over the years, the world population has multiplied rapidly than ever before, In the 1950’s the world population was estimated to be around 2.5 billion people, In 2005 it was estimated to be around 6.5 billion people and in the year 2040 the world population will be around 9 billion people.
Increased economic growth: It can be defined as the increase in potential productivity of a particular country's economy.
Over the years, man has strived to create an environment in which a system must survive based on the available resources in which will be utilized to grow the economy of a particular geographical location.
The positive impact of economic growth:
Poverty reduction,
Increase in education standards,
Improved living standards,
Improved health facilities,
Improved technology and infrastructure, and The application of resource depleting & Polluting technology: The world's non-renewable resources are being consumed very fast. Due to the rate at which the resources are being consumed, as a result of increased exploration of these natural resources, the environment will then be polluted because of the impact the extraction process has on the earth.
I observed that the above are the major causes of any environmental problem in the World today. We must understand that. In 1972, a study called “THE LIMITS TO GROWTH” by Donella H,Meadows Dennis L, Meadows Jorgen Randers & William. W. Behrens III, warned that humanity will exceed the carrying capacity of the earth if our ways do not change. However, till this point, man has not seen a need for a revolution which will divert and create new ways and alternatives in which humanity can grow her economy with non-renewable resources without causing harm to the earth.
The issue of climate change/ global warming has become a major global issue in the world which has affected and changed the physical environment due to direct or indirect human activities on earth and this has led to the increase of the following
Extinction of some species of animals and plants. e.g., tecopa pupfish etc.
Increase in sun burn/ skin cancer
More drought /desertification
Earthquakes
Tsunamis
Melting glaciers
Extreme weather incidents such as
Ocean acidification.
Greenhouse gasses such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone are present naturally in the atmosphere. The ozone layer helps in the absorption and filtering of ultraviolet radiation coming from the sun, but the increased rate of human activities and the use of harmful environmental chemicals has led to the increased rate of these gasses in the atmosphere which is causing a depletion of the ozone layer.
The Ozone layer is a natural shield region of the earth's stratosphere that absorbs most ultraviolet radiation coming from the sun. The Montreal protocol on substances that depletes the ozone layer is designed to protect the ozone layer. It was agreed on the 16th of September, 1987 and was put into force on the 1st of January, 1989, that the following substances, chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs),halogenoalkanes,carbon tetrachlorid,trichloroethane be banned.
There have been various amendments to the Montreal protocol over the years. The latest was the Kigali amendment which took place on the 15th of October, 2016 in which delegates from all over the world were present at the capital city of Kigali, Rwanda. ( Further reading EIA Kigali amendment to the Montreal protocol final report).
I support the steps taken by United Nation Environment Programme ‘’UNEP’’ on saving the environment in which 70billion tones of carbon dioxide emissions could be avoided by 2050. However, I will recommend that we should not give a temporal solution to this problem, we need to find a
permanent solution in the fight against environmental degradation.
The Earth needs an environmental revolution which will affect all other important revolutions that man has experienced. Just imagine if we keep on reducing the impact of these harmful chemicals without diversifying on our way of life. We will only prolong the disaster of which its effects are inevitable.
For some years humans have started experiencing the effects of her activities on her physical environment e.g desertification, flooding,drought,erosion,earthquake,volcanic eruptions etc.
It is important to note that from the beginning of humanity, man has tried to adapt, survive and amend the environment, and to my understanding, humans are the most intelligent species on earth. Consequently, alterations have been made to the physical environment and we must understand that there is a total need for a sustainable revolution in which man needs to change his ways, source and method of survival and create a more conducive environment
*To grow our economy
*To source/use non-renewable resources
*To advance in technology
This will reduce environmental degradation and global warming to the lowest point.
Geo efficiency concept is conceive from two words, GEO, meaning earth, and EFFICIENCY, meaning accurate. GEO EFFICIENCY CONCEPT, then, is defined as the accurate extent in which non-renewable natural resources can be extracted & utilized without causing major environmental issues on earth.
If the geo efficiency concept (GEC) is adopted, it will help in making the world very conducive for humanity in which some environmental issues can be averted and well managed.
Humanity has to strive to make the environment more advanced and convenient. In so doing, one alters the physical environment due to subsequent activities. Humanity must do everything possible to maintain a conducive environment which will be convenient for generations to come. Therefore, there is a need for diversification in the way we use our non-renewable natural resources.
I don’t see a need for us to start making plans of resettling on another planet because of the fear that planet earth may not be convenient for settlement in years to come. If we do that, we will only be using our own hands to create a bigger problem for coming generations. We should focus on finding everlasting solutions that will solve environmental issues.
This is the time we need to come together irrespective of our colour,tribe,tradition,language or religion to save the world. Everyday, I hear about the world's environmental conferences going on in various locations, but no one is saying the truth about achieving a sustainable environment(are you sure?). Humanity must put away greed and personal interest to achieve this environment. We are all guilty of being greedy and bringing our race first before any other person and that’s the major problem we are having in the world today. Everybody wants to be the apex of the world. We all want to be the most powerful Nation in the world and we tend to depend on the non-renewable resources in achieving this. We keep on deceiving ourselves by amending environmental protocol and saying that we can not do without some of these things. I do not believe that. what I believe is that someone out there has not started thinking outside the box.
We need to be united as one, in which everybody will be equal in respective of colour,tribe,religion because that is the first step in solving environmental issues. When two or more people agree, there will always be progress.
This is the time that we should start seeing ourselves as a Nation and we must start thinking about the impact of our activities on the environment before our personal interest, ‘’WHAT IS RICHES AND POWER WITHOUT A CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT’’ if we continue with these activities? Civilization will fail because there will be a disaster that will be felt by the world, its already happening but we can’t see it due to greed and zeal for power, we all want to grow our economy, advance in technology without considering the environment.
We are all guilty because we have been taking from the environment without giving back, and the only way in which we can give back to the environment is for us to change our ways and method of extracting non- renewable natural resources.
Geo efficiency concept is concerned about the protection, management of non-renewable natural resources. If adopted, it will help humanity to distribute, manage and diversify it non-renewable natural resources, in which will help making the environment sustainable for both the present and future generations.
Geo efficiency concept is divided into 3 concept which I will be discussing about the different approaches in which humanity can adopt to make the world a better place.
GEO EFFIENCY CONCEPT 1
GEO EFFIENCY CONCEPT 2
GEO EFFIENCY CONCEPT 3
1. GEC 1: this concept is in support with only the exploration and extraction of other external bodies outside the earth except the sun & moon, other external entities can be extracted e.g.mars,Jupiter, asteroids etc. The resources got will be distributed equally among Nations in which agriculture will be the major natural activity on earth.
Note:Nations can recycle minerals already extracted from the earth to aid this concept.
If this method is adopted, it will reduce the occurrence of natural disaster and environmental pollutions.
2. GEC 2: This concept is proposing a system that will rotate the period in which natural resources can be extracted among continents in the world e.g. North America, Africa, Central Asia & Asia will be given a period of 30years to extract it non-renewable resources vice-versa for South America, Europe, Middle East & Australia, In which agriculture will be generally done on earth.
If this method is adopted, it will allow the hemisphere of that region that wouldn't be involved in extraction of natural resources to recover from any environmental degrading issues within the given years.
3. GEC 3: This concept is the combination of GEC 1 and GEC 2 in which we will get our non renewable resources from external bodies and at the same time, we will rotate the extraction of the resources on earth among geographical locations e.g. when South America, Europe, Middle East & Australia are extracting from earth, North America, Africa, Central Asia and Asia will be extracting from external bodies vice-versa, in which agriculture will be generally done on earth.
RECOMMENDATIONS
*Oil producing Nations should start producing other non-environmental degrading products from crude oil.
* All institutions that deal with the production of any environmental harmful chemicals should look for an alternative that is more to man conducive environment.
*All companies that deal with the production of machine that uses fossil fuel, should start producing machines that use renewable energy e.g. solar power, wind power, biomass etc.
*The United Nations environmental programme should support the concept of zero-energy bio refrigerator proposed by Yuriy Dmitriev, which will stop the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the production of coolants and refrigerators, which is the cause of holes in the stratosphere
*The UNEP should set up a research team that will find out other means in which development can be achieved without causing environmental issues.
*All countries should start diversifying for alternative means of growing its economy than depending on it natural resources .
* The UNEP should create a time frame in which this revolution can be ascertained and must be implemented in the world i.e all Nations must achieve sustainability before the end of 2097.
I will conclude by saying ‘’OMNES UNUM IN DOMINO’’ meaning WE ARE ALL ONE IN THE LORD
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©OJ Thorpe blog
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