The Ethics of Conserving Depletable Resources

The Ethics of Conserving Depletable Resources

     Conservation refers to the saving or rationing of natural resources for later uses. Conservation, therefore, looks primarily to the future: to the need to limit consumption now to have resources available for tomorrow (Velasquez, 2012). With a big population worldwide, it is very difficult to prevent people from depleting our resources. Time goes so fast and everyone should need to find ways in order to survive everyday living. Most of us tend to ignore the proper use of our resources and how we should conserve it for future generations. The children that our born everyday also has the right for those resources which are only limited so it is just the right thing to be responsible for them. Sustainable development is one way to give justice for our environment and for future generations. Sustainability is the capacity something has to continue to function in the future. Some examples are solar energy, crop rotation, water fixtures, using organic materials like bamboo cloth and other things that stimulate sustainability.

     Resource depletion occurs when all of the natural resources in an area, both renewable and non-renewable have been exhausted. Human beings currently use resources far more quickly than they can be replenished. A good example of resource depletion is the growing use of petroleum, which is a finite resource which takes millions of years to create. At the rate we are using up petroleum we could be facing depletion within the next five generations. With growing population and land degradation we are also facing a situation where the Earth can no longer feed the vast amount of people on the planet (SuperGreenMe, 2008).

If we are not responsible in conserving our resources then the future generations will suffer. If our resources are continuously abused, the time will come when there would be nothing left. I imagine our planet being dark and gray, people will suffer. We should encourage others to be innovators in order to promote sustainable development. We should expand the idea of how our resources should be put in greater use and be conserved at the same time.

Most people don’t care about what happens next, as long as they have benefited from a certain resource. Most companies would not even hesitate to make the best profit out of those resources regardless of the damage that could be done towards our planet and for future generations. Most of us are selfish and self-centred, the way that we don’t care about what others may feel or think from our actions. For too many communities, the costs of depleting resources are far greater than the benefits. The damage that is recklessly accumulated everyday would hurt our environment where the future generations have no idea how they would survive in experiencing the worst from depleted resources. It fuels tragic civil war among the countries, that leads to higher crime rates, facilitating the spread of disease, and threatens indigenous cultures - all while failing to lift local communities out of poverty. Each of us is responsible in contributing for the need of a successful community. As an individual, we could be able to support human lives by doing simple things in order to maintain our resources. Together we can save lives and prevent that emptiness in our planet.