GREEN LECTURE SERIES:
Date: 1/4/2010
TOPIC- 001-
What do you understand by the term environment? Is there any need to protect the environment?
SHORT LECTURE DELIVERED BY FabianChukwuemekaNworah-LL.B, BL (NIG.), LL.M (England), Solicitor Supreme Court England and Wales and Director-General, African Green Foundation International Inc.
According to J Barry, Environmental and Social Theory (London: Routledge, 1999) P.11-13, the term environment is a difficult term to define since it is generally considered to be a phrase which has no singular definition as it is a relational concept. However, several attempts have been made to provide some workable definition of the environment.
In England and Wales, s.1 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 provides that the environment consists of all or any of the following media, namely air, water and land; and the medium of air includes the air within buildings and the air within other natural or man-made structures above or below ground.
My understanding of the term “environment” is that environment includes everything in the world but me. This explanation may sound ridiculous but to me this actually the easiest way to understand the meaning of the term environment. The term environment covers both land, seas, ocean, seabed, subsoil, mountains, buildings, air, space and everything apart from you.
The above explanations relating to the environment are intended to give an idea of what the environment is all about and the how important it is to protect the environment. If we can understand that the term environment is everything but us, then we can understand the need for environmental values and the development of environmental laws for effective environmental protection.
The term “value” is a subjective phrase. Value is often measured by the usefulness or desirability of something. Therefore environmental values according to Stuart Bell & Donald McGillivray, Environmental Law, 6th Ed. at P.46 are what people believe to be important about the environment and what should be the priorities for environmental policy and ultimately environmental law.
Our environment is very important and needs adequate protection because our environment is central to our existence and values in life.
Today, protecting the environment poses a big challenge to the world as regards combating all kinds of problemssuch as pollution, climate change, waste disposal and others. Based on the challenges to our environment the United Nations, regional governments, various countries and institutions are now poised to develop environmental laws, principles, and policy instruments to protect the environment.
Various approaches are now being considered at both local and international levels to discuss and further the course of environmental protection.
The above efforts show the importance of our environment and the need to protect it. The environment is the source of our livelihood and sustenance. The importance of the environment to human beings, plants and animals cannot be over-emphasized. Therefore, all hands must be on deck to protect the environment.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Environmental Law Sixth edition, Stuart Bell & Donald McGillivray
- Environment and Law, D. Wilkinson ( London: Routledge, 2002)
- Environment and Social Theory (London: Routledge, 1999)
- A. Markham, A Brief History of Pollution (London: Earthscan, 1994)