He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does he prospers. (Psalm 1:3)
Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. (Chronicles 16:33). When you make something you are proud of, it is not in your interests to actively destroy it. Then why do we destroy our earth? God made the trees and all who live in it, we can’t take away his creation. Deforestation is the removal of a forest from land which is then converted to a non-forest use. It is caused due to the increasing international demand for commercial products such as palm oil, soy and wood. This social demand fuels the illegal destruction of forest at an increasingly alarming rate. International religious groups are taking action to protect the world. Currently, approximately half of tropic deforestation is a result of illegal clearing. An ethical issue is a problem that requires society to choose between alternatives that must be evaluated as right or wrong. It is regarded as an ethical issue as the removal of forests has the potential to injure or kill natural habitats and thus animals and nature die for our commercial benefit. Thus, society must decide on a method that is right to address deforestation, including rallies, initiatives and spreading of knowledge. Is our desire for commercial products worth the deaths of innocent animals and ecosystems of which provide us with life?
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Many religious and non-religious groups are coming together in order to discuss the ethical issues associated with deforestation. “There is a dimension to this fight that will require a global, tectonic shift in values”, Norway’s minister of climate and environment stated. June 19th to the 21st saw the heads of various religions, government officials and indigenous leaders come together to launch the Interfaith Rainforest Initative including Sônia Guajajara of Brazil, Joseph Itongwa of Africa and Abdon Nababan of Indonesia. The objective of this collective initiative is to address deforestation, size currently equivalent to Austria’s land mass. They have met to discuss the spiritual and ethical responsibility shared between the religions to protect rainforests, a vital life-support system. The secretary generals of religion for peace stated, “Through multi-religious partnership, the wisdom of each religious tradition can be a resource to help us to cultivate the values and virtues essential for harmonious interactions with each other and our common home, [Earth].” Thus, many groups are contributing to the saving of forests and animals. These spiritual leaders abide by the universal moral absolutism, the idea that moral principles apply to everyone everywhere despite religions, societal groups or personal belief systems. A strength of absolutism includes its clear moral guidance allowing efficient ethical decision making. However, a weakness is that there will always be strong disagreements about which principles are correct and incorrect amongst society. While absolutism provides a universal set of values, each nation greatly differs in morals due to various cultures and religions.
According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation an estimated 18 million acres are lost each year due to deforestation, equivalent too 27 soccer fields. Furthermore, half the world’s tropical forest have already been cleared, contributing to 15 % of greenhouse gas emissions which destroy our ozone layer. Trees are vital to our survival, of which the religious leaders are attempting to convey. Trees absorb the carbon dioxide in the air and through the process of photosynthesis oxygen is produced for us to consume. The removal of trees will eventually impact our clean and safe air.
Survival International is an activist organisation focused on global movement for tribal peoples. “From the Amazon to the Kalahari, from the jungles of India to the Congo rainforest, [they] work in partnership with tribal peoples to protect their lives and land.” This organisation aims to create a society in which everyone protects the land of Indigenous peoples, who greatly value to evolution of their land. Their goal is relating to protecting their community and their shared values.
When presenting arguments, environmental groups argue the impact of deforestation on wide life. For example, deforestation occurs to obtain commercialised products such as palm oil, thus endangering the orangutan species. Another argument includes the possible future impact to the environment as a result of reduced oxygen created as trees produce oxygen from carbon dioxide. Some religious individuals have also argued the need to save these forests as the land is sacred to religious beliefs, “Tropical rainforests occupy a sacred place in many faiths, religions and spiritual traditions.” Hence the main argument by religious bodies contends to be “Conserving rain forest is indeed a part of keeping that balance for the wellbeing of both Nature and Mankind.” However, many bodies argue that deforestation is vital as it produces economic growth. The production of commercially manufactured products at the expense of forests is considered minuscule as society is more important than nature and wildlife.
Currently due to majority of the deforestation occurring is illegally accomplished, ethical decision making does not greatly affect what happens. Those committing the illegal deforestation use nihilism decision making methods; thus, they regard life as empty and meaningless with no rules. These individuals disregard the laws and deny the goodness in life, the overall idea built on pessimism. However, a strength of nihilism includes its provision of a meaningful system for those who see life as absurd. Hence for nihilists, the world revolves around money and the removal of trees for commercial products produces much money. Ethical input has a contribution on the supporters of change, however, has little effect on deforestation. In recent years deforestation only continues to increase despite procedures put in place to ensure ethical practices. This is a weakness of ethics in decision making, despite it being prominent, it fails to initiate change within the environmental issues. An advantage, however, is the ethical issues continue to generate attention which hopefully leads to change in the future.
“The deterioration of that biodiversity compromises the future of the country and of the earth, our common home,” Pope Francis stated due to personally seeing the effects of deforestation in Madagascar, the fourth largest island which has lost 44% of its forest in the last half century. Pope Francis spoke out, labelling deforestation a sin, he further asked Catholics to respect God’s holy creation, “if we destroy creation, creation will destroy us.” When making ethical decisions, Pope Francis uses utilitarianism as a decision-making method, the best decision is the one that is most useful to the people and appears to protect the common good. His decision to protect the forest is the best decision of our society. A strength of this method includes it appears to protect society through the saving of our oxygen source and natural habitats for animals. Furthermore, a weakness of utilitarianism includes it may condone actions such as murder if it were seen to benefit most people. The protection and restoring of forests would achieve 18% of emissions extenuation needed by 2030, 40 scientists, spanning multiple countries stated. Furthermore, Francis spoke to Brazilian bishops, stating the Amazon shouldn’t be “indiscriminately exploited, but rather made into a garden.”
Deforestation is an increasing ethical issue that we need to address. We are actively killing our habitat, this renowned place that we have praised for giving us life. We need to change, we need to save this planet, one tree at a time. “Imagine that trees gave wi-fi, we would be planting trees like crazy and would end deforestation… it’s a pity they only produce the oxygen we breathe to live” (Anonymous)
Religious organisations believe that the cutting down of one tree is the cutting of God. The word of the LORD came to me saying, 'What do you see, Jeremiah?' And I said, 'I see a rod of an almond tree.' Then the LORD said to me, 'You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.' (Jeremiah 1:11-12) Organisations of the world are currently coming together to preserve our strongest life sources. We must change, united as one to stop deforestation and its impacts.
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