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Forests And Bio Diversity-Business Ethics-Lecture Notes, Study notes of Business Ethics

This lecture handout is about Business Ethics course. It was provided by Prof. Deepanwita Subbaratnam at Bundelkhand University. Its main points are: Forest, Biodiversity, United, Nations, Environment, Program, Dimensions, Pollution, Resource, Depletion

Typology: Study notes

2011/2012

Uploaded on 08/04/2012

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
$''%'#
 !# #!!##&@#3
##! $  "       
  ##2 ##-H@$ M "NNL.& ##
  ! #&#  ##" #"$ #"
 !#$!##&9#
L!N)NNL"
# ## -4  *# A(   H @" 3.&
*#   # 7 " # #   
"      #     #% !##  $
7&
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A3"        #  !  #  $
-'$ # M#  #  " 3.& ;    #
""  "# #$$
 "!"## #"#$#
#  & 4 " #  !#  ##  # "
!##NNL&!# !
7$#!!&$#E!#
" #L!#!-4*# A(
H@"NNN.&#   $##"
#"!   & " # ! 
#  $ #    ##" #  #
% !&
1( !
$ #  $##  ##!#
 #&$   +!##!#&
M##   #    $   
 &6!# !
 & ' "!##  ## !   !# 
   " " #   #7#&  !! 
"!&
%(
*!##   ?   # $#  
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LESSON 26 FORESTS AND BIODIVERSITY The number of plant and animal species inhabiting the planet is not accurately known. Nearly 2 million species have been identified, but estimates of the number yet to be described range from 10 million to 30 million (United Nations Environment Program, 1995). Ecosystems of all kinds are under pressure worldwide. Coastal and lowland areas, wetlands, native grasslands, and many types of forests and woodlands have been particularly affected or destroyed. While forests decreased by about 5 per cent between 1980 and 1995, the rate of deforestation has been declining slightly (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2000b). Additional threats confront fragile aquatic habitats, including coral reefs and freshwater habitats, which face an array of assaults from dams to land-based pollution to destructive fishing techniques. Over the past 150 years, deforestation has contributed one third of the atmospheric build-up of CO:, and it is a significant factor in the loss of species and critical ecosystem services (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2000). Since the beginnings of agriculture 10,000 years ago, by some estimates, almost half of the earth’s forests have been converted to farms, pastures and other uses, and only one fifth of original forest remains in large, relatively natural ecosystems. Forested areas, including forest plantations as well as natural forests, occupied about one fourth of the world’s land area in 1995. Tropical rain forests are important for the quantity and diversity of life they support. They cover only 7 per cent of the earth’s land area, but contain at least 50 per cent of terrestrial species (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1999b). The influences of forests and biodiversity are global, reaching far beyond national borders, in both space and time. Therefore, international cooperation is essential in order to integrate environmental issues better into global, regional and national decision-making processes. The Dimensions of Pollution and Resource Depletion Environmental damage inevitably threatens the welfare of human beings as well as plants and animals. Threats to the environment come from two sources: pollution and resource depletion. Pollution refers to the undesirable and unintended contamination of the environment by the manufacture or use of commodities. Resource depletion refers to the consumption of finite or scarce resources. In a certain sense, pollution is really a type of resource depletion because contamination of air, water, or land diminishes their beneficial qualities. But for purpose of discussion, we keep the tow issues distinct. Air Pollution Air pollution is not new—it has been with us since the industrial revolution introduced the world to the belching factory smokestack. However, the costs of air pollution increased exponentially as industrialization expanded. Today, air pollutants affect vegetation, decreasing agricultural yields and inflicting losses on the timber industry; they deteriorate exposed construction materials through corrosion, discoloration, and rot; they are hazardous to health _ and life, raising, medical costs and lessening the enjoyment of living; and they thréiegsity.com catastrophic global damage in the form of global warning and destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer.