Balancing between development and environment

There is a need to elevate the quality of debates and arguments on the current hullabaloo, relative to the Chocolate Hills and the proposed new Cebu Capitol Building in Balamban to the level of philosophy or, at the very least, to a dispassionate conversation among mature persons, without committing the fallacies of ad hominem or argumentum ad absurdum. I am not an environmentalist, much less do I pretend to be one. But I am a concerned Filipino who cares for our country and people.

In today's world, which is constantly facing the imminent danger of exacerbated climate change, whenever we cut down a tree or disturb the balance and serenity of the natural habitat of the flora and the fauna we unwittingly disfigure the contour and configuration of mountains and hills. The people who have already suffered from the destructive consequences of a devastated environment certainly have the right to express themselves and voice out their opinions. And the powers-that-be should not be onion-skinned by calling the concerned citizenry some nasty names like pseudo-environmentalists. As a matter of fact, every human being should be mindful of the environment. And no one should be apologizing or be ashamed of our deep concerns.

The Bible teaches us that all of God's creation (including humanity) is interconnected. While we are created in the image and likeness of God, the Bible tells us that we should not exercise our powers in a manner that may wantonly destroy or abuse nature. Instead, we have been given a special responsibility to act on God’s behalf towards nature. The Book of Revelation states that, “The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth”. In other words, God will destroy those who destroy the earth.

The United Nations, the World Health Organization, and the World Economic Forum, as well as other global organizations have warned us about the harsh realities of air pollution, climate change, and water scarcity as some of the biggest threats to human well-being. These shall be followed by drought, food scarcity, hunger, and rising incidence of poverty, which shall lead to social unrest, economic instability, and political turmoil. These are environmental challenges that also intersect with threats to biodiversity. By 2050, the world’s population is projected to be 10 billion. We’ll see accelerated impacts on natural resources that intensify this challenge and others, such as the already-harsh impacts of climate change on both people and nature.

The question of whether we can advance both conservation and human development is the driving force behind new intensive, extensive, and, if you will, in-depth, multi-national studies led by 13 institutions, including The Nature Conservancy and the University of Minnesota. From the outset, the experts stepped back and reexamined the concept of sustainability from the bottom line up to the highest institutions of policy and decision making. As governments build new cities, mountains and forests are being destroyed and the suffering of the people is even made more and more difficult to address.

For the longest time, according to WHO, dire messages and gloomy assumptions about the fate of the planet have lent an air of hopelessness to one of the biggest challenges facing society. Conservationists feel stymied. Businesspeople feel villainized. It would seem then, from the perspective of this column, that people have come to accept the view that preserving the planet and growing the economy are mutually exclusive. There is a need though to examine if this dichotomous view of human needs and conservation is itself the problem.

The world experts are asking: What if advancing conservation and human development is not an either-or proposition? What if we can do better in both? What if we can achieve a balance between building new cities and capitals and nurturing the environment?

Nothing is impossible if we come together and discuss these fundamental things without calling each other names. After all, the planet is our common home and the future is all ours to share.