Ecology and society

The main key to sustainable development is the realization that we are all citizens of one earth, dependent on common resources and on one another.

Pollution does not respect political boundaries, and we must now recognize that even small local events can have global consequences. Every event in every part of our world isn’t each person’s own business any longer. Out of a common concern for our shared resources on the earth emerge a common responsibility and a new commitment to cooperate internationally as a global community.

Ecology is defined as the study of interactions in nature at all levels, from an innodividual plant or animal up to the ecosystem. It is usually treated as a "pure" natural science discipline and does not include questions of economics, politics, behaviour, ethics, or culture.

Every year several hundred to several thousand plant and animal species become extinct, most of these in connection with tropical deforestation, because forests play a crucial role in regulating water cycles, local climate, and the balance of CO2 in the atmosphere. The genetic resources lost by extinction have both an economic value for medicine and agriculture and an ecological value because they increase nodiversity in ecosystems and are the basis for future evolution. We face difficult ethical questions about other species right to exist and the subjugation of nature as a basic tenet of industrial society.

The ecological balance of ocean ecosystem is threatened by the petroleum industry; fish farming; fisheries; pollution by industry, agricultural run off and sewage; and depletion of the ozone layer.

It’s clear that the environmental consequences of today's energy policies are potentially catastrophic. Burning fossil fuels is one of the reasons causing greenhouse effect, acid rains and major changes in agroecological zone. To reduce the impact of energy industries on ecology we need to develop renewable energy sources such as biomass, methane, sun, wind, waterfall and wave power; use less energy and get more out of each unit of energy. Also we need to cut down on unnecessary material consumption. But that doesn’t mean that we need to shift to nuclear energy, because it may pose even more serious threat (as Chernobyl accident demonstrated).

The pollution of the atmosphere leads to depletion of ozone layer, causes "greenhouse effect", and acid rains and create photochemical smog.
Since the late nineteenth century, the world's average temperature has increased by about half a degree. This change is attributed to increased concentrations in the atmosphere of "greenhouse gases" — among which is carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane, and nitrous oxides. Their concentrations have increased because of human activities. Photochemical smog, which contains toxic heavy metals and sulfur compounds, irritates and may severely damage forests, crops and the respiratory organs of animals.

Industrial production must become more energy- and resource-efficient and must pollute less. This requires major investments and economic adjustments, which in turn require political commitment to change. Though industrial licensing and pollution control have become stricter, but much remains to be done.
Much success in controlling and eliminating emissions of polluting substances has already been achieved by changes in industrial processes and technology. These include decrease in the use of coal and the installation of greater numbers of dust removal facilities.

Another key to the process of sustainable development is the realization that ecology and economy are interconnected. A new branch of economics called environmental aims to steer development in a more sustainable direction by using various economic tools such as taxes on carbon or other resources, fines levied on polluters, marking of "green" consumer products, and use of incentives to increase recycling of materials, which in turn will help to create more efficient and developed industry.
Protecting ecosystems and the life-support services they provide from destruction and disruption requires a broad outlook. To maintain life-support services overall, each region needs to preserve or restore as much of its natural and modified ecosystems as possible.

Pollution has grown from a local nuisance to a global menace.
All societies should adopt the precautionary principles of minimizing discharges of substances that could be harmful and of ensuring that products and processes are non-polluting. Efforts are needed by governments in all countries, municipalities and public utilities, industries, farmers, and domestic consumers themselves.