Our Responsibilities to Future Generations
I believe that we have several responsibilities towards future generations, including sustainable energy sources, managed resources, conservation, and to impart knowledge of environmental sustainability in a widespread way. I believe that must fulfill these obligations for the continuation of the human species survival in the future.
Thinking of future generations is a relatively new concept - even past philosophers did not concern themselves with the concept of the future until fairly recently. History has shown a long background of being disinterested in future generations, and to rectify this I believe that firstly we have to address the issue of the idea of ‘future generations’ as a whole.
…show more content…
Resources is the obvious answer, but what resources exactly? The future is likely to have several technological breakthroughs that may change what resources are needed. If people from 2000 years ago had tried to leave resources for us, they likely would have left very different materials than what we actually use and have a need for today. This problem also means that if we were to constrict uses of materials, we could potentially be robbing them of the materials needed for a technological breakthrough that could make said limited materials obsolete. If someone had restricted resources during the industrial revolution then we possibly could of had a very different set of technology today. Something to also consider is what kind of lives our future generations will be living- we do not know what kind of conditions they will be living in, and even scientific guesses can only go so far (and many predictions about the future have been wrong before). Simply put, we have no way of knowing what kind of environment our future generations will be living in, so we need to consider a wide range of possibilities. It is also of the utmost importance that our future generations have lives that are at a decent living standard, because as Pauli Becchi writes- “The perpetuation of human life on the planet would be pointless if it came at the price …show more content…
Conservation is defined as the saving of resources. The term ‘resources’ can mean several things, but for this particular essay I will be using it to mean the same thing as Diane Hunt talks about in her work, energy and materials- with energy referring to oil, coal, electricity and natural gas - and materials being biological things such as ‘wood, soils and food sources’. It is of the utmost importance that we realise the value and importance of conservation, because if we don’t then our resources can quickly disappear. Hunt raises the point that conservation is often seen directly in contrast with ‘development’, and whilst this is a valid point, it is not particularly true- both are actually resource management concept, with the only difference being the rate at which materials and resources are being used. Development generally conjures images of rapid resource use, but as long as the resources used are being carefully monitored and replenished when applicable there is no reason for development to be opposed by conservationists. It is a fact that we need development as a species to continue thriving and to continue growing. It is also important that we conserve our resources so that we can continue developing, and so that our future generations have the ability to continue developing. By conservation we offer our future generations the same opportunities that we have, and offer
...rs, will last for the foreseeable future. Challenges will always confront us but it is by the way we confront them now that we can see a brighter future. As President Abraham Lincoln said, “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today” (Deseret News, 2013). We have a responsibility to the earth.
One pivotal point regarding the debate on environmental ethics and the course humans should take is regarding future generations. How do the actions we take today impact those who inherit this planet after us? Some people argue that we do not inherit this world from our parents, but rather borrow it from our future children. Regarding the text Sustainability and Responsibility to the Future, several different viewpoints are offered regarding both sides of the ethics of environmentalism.
The Earth has tons of natural beauty, ranging from the peaks of mountains to the deepest ocean trenches, that is being destroyed by mankind due to the high demand of the resources originating from them. Entire forests are chopped down for wood, mountains blown up for their stones, wildlife poached for money. Conservation is the act of preserving and protecting the Earth’s natural resources. During the Progressive Era, some attempts were made to conserve the environment, by people such as Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir and Gifford Pinchot. If no movements for conserving were made, then the country may run out of resources and be forced to run on alternative. There would not be any beautiful national parks to admire. The land would
Members of the Y Generation include those born between the years 1982 and 1994. A generation is known as a group of people born in a particular period who would have experienced similar events or experiences while growing up. There are often negative connotations made against members of the Y Generation, as they are known for being spoilt, overly confident and too dependent on social media and technology. They are the first generation to have grown up with high-definition television, mobile phones, internet and social media. Generation Y are possibly more interested in the environment, caring and community orientated than previous generations. The majority of this generation is now in young adulthood and starting their careers. They make up most of the young singles and couples market and are a very critical group of consumers. Many of the claims made about Generation Y are based on little evidence and contradictory, this report seeks to examine these claims.
One generation can learn many things from another. For instance, they can learn to persevere, have faith. And be generous.
ADDRESSING is an acronym for the different factors that characterize one’s life. It stands for Age and generation, Developmental Disabilities and other disabilities, Religion and spiritual orientation, Ethnicity, Socioeconomic status, Sexual orientation, Indigenous heritage, National origin, and Gender. These factors influence bias that one may face in life, opportunities available, and biases that one may feel towards others.
It is a very daunting question that looms over many Americans. “What does our future hold?” is the frequently asked question. When people are faced with this question, there is a lot of uncertainty. Many people do not know how to answer. Despite what many might think, America 's future is well known across hundreds of nations all over the world. America 's future has actually been a question people have asked since the beginning of this great nation and has a very important meaning in the lives of many. There are many factors that will affect the United States future. These factors include culture and education, economy, resource management, politics, and protection of freedoms. In this paper, I will give each factor a grade in terms on future
Graduating high school had to be the biggest accomplishment of my life until reality hit me, then I realized I had way more to think about if I thought I could get through life like a got through high school. Working every day and going to college is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, but I’m labeled as lazy because I complain that I’m tired from working a whole week and going to class three times a week. Generation Y also known as the Me, Me, Me generation is accused often of being the laziest generation but this is false. Majority of Y generation is actually very hard working, older generations cannot seem to look past our narcissism which makes it hard for them to work with us I’m assuming, but we get the job done and work for what we need and for what we want. So that brings me back to how are we the laziest generation; the answer
People should all take the environment more seriously and protect the future for those to come. It’s our responsibility to ensure that the children to come may enjoy all of earth’s beauty, and not through old issues of [National Geographic’s].
Many people assume that the environment is not in danger. They believe that as technology advances, we do not need to worry about renewing natural resources, recycling, and finding new ways to produce energy. They state that one person in the world does not make a large difference. In reality, each individual's contribution greatly affects our environment. Our natural resources are slowly disappearing, and we must work together to save them and the Earth from ruin.
Gen Z makes up a society in which people are more accepting, and a person is judged more for their character and integrity than their sexual preferences or the color of their skin. Further, they have seen and can learn from the mistakes of past generations to reconstruct the future. Lastly, they have been provided the tools to solve the world’s biggest problems. Because they have this capability to impact the world, it is each member of Generation Z’s responsibility to use these advantages to provide a future worthy of generations to
The generation that I was born into can sometimes be easily misunderstood by those in earlier generations. The individuals in my generation get thrown many different labels such as those that Rosie Evans (n.d.) listed in her article, “Millennials, Generation Y, the Lost Generation, boomerang kids, the Peter Pan generation…” and more. This can impact us as a whole because some will begin to live by the labels, in some cases that can be negative but in others it may be beneficial. Many people in this generation believe that they can’t reach their full potential due to labels and prejudgment, while there are others believe nothing can hold them back. When we get labeled all together that is also what may drive some to try to stand out from the
We all belong to the same world and all of us have the same responsibilities towards the world and its environment. This fact might be hard to digest, but if we continue to pollute the Earth at the current rate, all of the world’s ocean waters will become one-hundred-thirty percent acidic. This means that the ocean will be unable to sustain most of its marine life and only a few creatures will be able to survive in the water. A big population of people think that they do not or have few responsibilities towards the environment. People think that the governor of a country should take steps to help the environment. They leave it to scientists since they have the technology to prevent pollution, or that is what most people think. There are more responsibilities to the world each individual has than most of realize. The amount of negligence and ignorance of humans towards the Earth is taking a heavy toll.
Is it right that future generations, who have committed no crimes, be forced to live in a contaminated environment with freshwater depletion, polluted air, global warming and biodiversity reduction just because our present generation has caused the damage? Should our future children be ensured an ecologically healthy environment? I think they should. I strongly believe that protecting the environment is extremely important. We are all part of the environment; Earth is what we all share in common. It is our home and we are obliged to preserve it. As someone who is aware, who cares and who is concerned, I’d like to help you understand why protecting our environment is vital. I believe that protecting the environment is essential for healthy living, in creating a healthful environment for our future generation and last but not least, the Earth is our one and only home.
Everyone says this generation is the future, the people and the citizens of tomorrow’s society. Except if this generation is not educated to grow and progress with the planet and learn how to help it, there will be no “next generation”; the earth simply will not be able to sustain our life forms. This is why science education is important to the future of our lives and our planet. Where if not for the innovation of science and its cures, we would still be living in the Dark Ages where the simple flu would have killed a family, and smallpox and other diseases caused epidemics and panics. Every day science classes are educating kids on the basics and the higher levels of science. Out of all these kids a few are bound to become doctors and research biologist that will help cure cancer, the planet of harmful pollutions, and more. One might say that science was the one that started the pollution in the first place, but as you can see, it has started to help fix the damage it has caused. Also, science education (although thought impractical by some) surrounds our everyday life and is need to understand some of nature’s simplest things. This is why science education is so important in the 21st century.