Earth Hour
Turning all lights out to shed light on environmental awareness
For one hour each year, hundreds of millions of people across 152 countries turn off their lights. The message is clear. It is a united call for action; a collective display of a desire to preserve and protect the planet we live on.
Earth Hour represents one of the largest mass participation events in history, and thus highlights a global concern for the environment. The call for humanity to become wary of its natural surroundings is loud and clear, but it raises the question;
WHY DO WE WANT TO PROTECT THE PLANET?
It may seem simple enough; to ensure our own health and survival. We observe a growing need to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle and manage our resources more reasonably in order to preserve our way of living and to maintain our habitat. Around the world, people are starting to notice the effects of climate change in their daily lives; in the south of China where recent storms have killed over 55 people, in Chile where 2/3 of the country is in danger of becoming a desert, and in central Europe where the destruction from the massive flooding this years have cost thousands of people their homes.
WHAT ABOUT THOSE WE SHARE THE PLANET WITH?
Earth Hour focuses on the human implications of the current conditions, but the global sum of Earth’s ecosystems and the creatures within them are affected by these climate changes as well, and to such an acute degree that entire species daily face extinction. The rapid decline in a large number of populations is so devastating that many scientists believe we’re currently experiencing one of the largest mass extinctions in the history of life on Earth.
- Should we consider all living beings when dealing with the environment?
- If so, for what reason?
- Is it because they are of value to us, or is it because all living beings have value in themselves?
These questions, and the discussion of them, constitute the main interests of biocentrism, an area of philosophical ethics which concerns itself with all living beings; and this is the main topic of this website. Biocentrics argue that living beings have value, not just to us by being the food on our tables or providing basis for the newspaper in our hands.
THEY HAVE A VALUE IN THEMSELVES,
like we might regard humans; they have a value even if they aren’t imoprtant to others.
Following this line of thought, the reason we should care about things such as climate change is not because of how it affects humans exclusively, but is also because of how it affects fish, polar bears, frogs, algae, plants, and all the other living beings on our planet. We should protect the planet for the sake of us all, because we all matter.
Through my blog, I will introduce you to the discussions and arguments of biocentrism. Even if you do not agree with its particular view, I believe the knowledge you’ll acquire might make a fruitful addition to your own arguments when discussing climate change, animal rights, and rainforest preservation with your friends and family. It may help you to understand some of the motivations behind the arguments, and possibly give you a clearer view of what you yourself really think and feel about the subject.
This is part of the reason why philosophy is relevant in our daily lives. It helps clarify the assumptions and beliefs we have regarding other people and the world at large, and in turn help us us to a better understanding of life in general.
Pictures
- Earth Hour: Beth Wiki, (CC BY-SA 3.0)
- Polar Bear: Agrant141, (CC BY-SA 3.0)
- Earth: DonkeyHotey (CC BY 2.0)
Environmental ethics 