Environmentalists around the world have recognized the importance of conservation of nature. There is a deep co-relation between environment and economy and the environmentalist around the world play an important role in both, conservation of nature and boosting the economy of the nation.
The dependence of human society on the nature cannot be denied. Environmentalists and environmental professionals work towards sustainability through conservation of nature as well as through minimizing the negative impacts on environment. The two philosophies go hand in hand to better endure the current global issues.
What is conservationism?
The conservation of the nature is a relatively recent issue today, which stared in the early 20th century in response to the global degradation of environment. The issues associated with rapid industrialization and deforestation, led to the idea that in order to sustain economic benefits, the negative impacts on environment must be minimized and the nature has to be restored. The term ‘’conservation of nature” is actually defined as optimal and wise use of the nature and resources from the nature without harming or negatively impacting the nature.
The conservationist will use all the resources of the nature but also put maximum effort to restore the nature as well. For example, if a farmer cut down trees, he also needs to plant more trees to maintain a balance in the nature. This goes with everything. For example if you go hunting or fishing, you will need to make sure that the nature is not disturbed, or more fish or animals are grown, and therefore, the wildlife is restored as we consume the resources.
What is environmentalism?
The movement of the environmentalists began in the early 1960s and 1970s in response to the growing pollution, industrialization, deforestation and massive degradation of the environment around the world. The rapid urbanization was partly responsible for the increasing city based population around the world, increasing dependency on machinery and increasing the carbon emission in air which lead to several environmental troubles around the world, such as global warming, ozone layer depletion, ice cap melting, acid rain, sea level rise, and so on.
Environmentalists VS conservationists
The conservationists will try to protect the nature for the benefits of human beings, and therefore, the basically a conservationist is mostly human centric. This is the basic difference between an environmentalist and a conservationist. A conservationist would plant trees and allow logging of trees, but an environmentalist would protest against deforestation and logging of trees. They would support wildlife and most certainly would not go fishing or hunting in the nature.
The philosophies of environmentalists are largely based on the nature, and not humans. They are also based on certain rules and regulations to preserve the nature because the philosophies of the environmentalists are nature centric, unlike the conservationists who are human, centric in their approach of protecting the nature.
To clarify these philosophies of the environmentalists and conservationists, the environmental professionals network can educate and train anyone wishing to become an environmental professional to address today’s environmental issues and the demands for professionals in this industry.
Ecology and economy
It is widely accepted today that ecology and economy are closely related topics, and one cannot develop the economy without a sustainable ecology. People around the world are increasingly aware of the myriads of problems that the earth is facing today, including the climatic changes, extinction of species and so on. On top of that, we are also facing the peak oil situation, where the maximum amount of oil will be drawn from the mines, and no more fossils will be available to fuel our machines or homes. Many environmentalists are already emphasizing on alternate source of energy. A cleaner and reusable source of energy would address both the sustainability and conservation of energy issues.
Nature & Economic Development
The effect of environment on economic development is very easy to understand. Just think about the medical expenses of a country trying to treat the illnesses related to pollution and other harmful effects of the environment. One way the government could cope with the healthcare costs is to levy taxes on industries that negatively impact the environment, such as factories with high carbon and other harmful gas emission to make up for the loss of fresh air that a country faces, and reducing taxes on eco friendly industries. China can be a great example for such economic growth. On an average, the pollution in china is costing the average people a life expectancy of 5.5 years, which take percentages right off the top of their GDP.
There is a direct co-relation between healthier nature and economic growth, and we can benefit from a cleaner environment if we concentrate our resources and capital into enhancing the benefits of economy through nature. Having a job is important but having a clearer sky is even more important, and therefore, the use of cleaner source of energy is now more relevant than ever.
Ecologists and advanced economic thinking
Ecologists are greatly influencing the common people to reconnect with nature to address current ecological problems. Nature not only heals our minds and bodies, but it also allows us to grow economically. The nature has abundant resources that if we use wisely, can serve us throughout our lives. It is important that no matter what we do, whether we work indoors or outdoors, we are part of the big ecological system that exists in the nature, and our sustainability depends on the sustainability of nature.
Ecology deals with the co-relation and interaction between all the elements of the eco system and it should not be confused with environmentalism. The growing gap between human beings and the nature is often seen as a threat to our very existence by many ecologist and also economists. The current trend of many of the business today is towards conservation of nature and they have recognized the need for using eco-friendly methods of business operations as well as products for sustainability. Now we have a choice. We may choose to use products and services that help to minimize the negative impact on the globe, and work towards sustainability. Consumes around the world is also aware of the benefits of eco-friendly goods and services and sustainable methods of businesses. The new generation of environmentalists is already working towards economic growth, which is not possible without ecological balance and sustainability.
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