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TNT Unit 4.1
TNT Unit 4.1
Lesson 4.1
The Concept of Planetary Networks
Contents
Introduction 1
Learning Objectives 2
Let’s Connect 2
Discover 3
The Concept of Planetary Networks 4
The Earth’s Ecosystem as a Planetary Network 5
The Importance of Maintaining a Healthy Planetary Network 7
The Earth as a Source of Basic Needs 7
The Earth as a Source of Other Human Needs 8
Negative Changes to the Earth’s Planetary Networks 11
Maintaining Planetary Networks: Sustainable Living 12
Wrap-Up 14
Try This! 14
Challenge Yourself 15
Reflect on This 18
Bibliography 19
Unit 4: Planetary Networks
Lesson 4.1
Introduction
The Earth, as the planet of life, is a shelter for different living species and other elements.
Did you know that every living thing is connected to one another? Plants need sunlight to
live, animals need plants to eat, and humans need animals for food and clothing. It is all an
interconnected system.
Every action we do as human beings on the planet also has consequences. For instance,
simply burning waste at home contributes to the heating of earth. Through the years,
massive changes on our planet have been observed: the melting of glaciers, disruptive
weather patterns, and the depletion of forests. These changes started with small actions
done by a great number of people.
In this lesson, we will learn about the concept of planetary networks. We will explore the
concept to understand how living organisms and natural resources are interconnected.
Lastly, we will discover other key concepts related to planetary networks that can help
provide the best solutions to conserve the resources of our planet.
Let’s Connect
Instructions
Read the following article. With a partner, answer the guide questions that follow.
Guide Questions
1. How do human actions affect the lives of other living things on Earth?
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3. What can you do to help ensure a healthy environment for all living things on Earth?
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Discover
Planetary networks refer to the connections between living species and their environment
on Earth. For example, trees in the forest are important as sources of food and shelter for
birds and other animals, as means to retain water to prevent floods, and as elements to
balance an ecosystem. Due to the importance of trees in these aspects, environmental
issues that affect trees also affect a whole range of other living creatures. For this reason,
human beings must be aware of these interconnections and have greater awareness about
planetary networks. We are not the only species living on the planet. Do you ever wonder
how plants, animals, and even bacteria thrive on Earth?
Knowing more about the interconnection among living creatures and the Earth’s elements
will help us, human beings, have a deeper understanding of the processes and changes
occurring on our planet. The more we know about the Earth, the better we can help our
planet.
The Earth’s ecosystem is the best example of a planetary network. All the elements of an
ecosystem coexist and affect each other. An ecosystem is a geographic area that has both
biotic and abiotic features. The biotic aspects of an ecosystem are the living creatures such
as plants, animals, and other organisms, while the abiotic aspects are the non-living things
in the ecosystem such as rocks, the temperature, and humidity.
Every factor depends on and affects one other. For instance, the ecosystem in a tide pool
shows this intricate interconnection. Tide pools are small areas, usually found on the rocky
side of oceans, where water accumulates when the tide goes in. These pools contain
seaweed that use photosynthesis to create their food. In turn, a herbivore mussel, called an
abalone, eats the seaweed. Lastly, humans collect the abalone to make fresh seafood.
A part and parcel of ecosystems is its biodiversity. Biodiversity is the variety of life species,
such as animals, plants, fungi and other microorganisms, in an area. The common measure
of the variety of life species is called species richness or the count of species in an area.
Each of these species and organisms work together in an intricate web to maintain balance
and to support life on the planet. Biodiversity supports everything in nature and provides
humans with different means to survive such as food, clean water, medicine, and shelter.
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We depend heavily on the Earth to keep us alive. This dependence on the Earth is evident
from the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, the spaces we live in, the
resources we use to create, and even to the medicine we must take when we are ill. The
maintenance of a healthy planetary network on Earth is essential for the survival of
humanity.
Damaging the Earth leads to the damaging of human lives. We rely on the health of the
planet for our sustenance. One of the resources that the Earth provides for our survival is
food. Landscapes and seascapes serve as sources of the food that we eat. The ways by
which we manage them has an effect on the variation and quality of food that human
communities consume. It is thus greatly important to effectively manage Earth’s resources.
Other than food and sustenance, the Earth supplies us with the other basic resources we
need to survive such as spaces for shelter, materials for clothing, sunlight for warmth, and
air to breathe. In other words, the Earth provides us with resources for our physiological
needs or biological necessities for the survival of humanity.
The Earth’s environment and its resources are the keys to the survival of all living things
found in the planet. It is only when we get these basic needs that we can start working
toward our higher order needs, such as education, political participation, and art
appreciation.
In order to ensure that all our basic needs are provided for, there is a need to properly
manage the Earth’s natural resources. Natural Resource Management (NRM) is an
interdisciplinary field of study that focuses on the effective utilization of natural resources.
Other than land and water, NRM covers other resources as well, such as air, minerals,
forests, marine life, flora, and fauna. Natural resources provide essential life support,
especially for consumption and construction of needed products for living beings on the
planet. Maintaining balanced ecological processes is encouraged to sustain the supply of a
variety of basic needs.
Without having our physiological needs met, it is nearly impossible to think of our other
needs, such as economic security through employment and other means. Keeping the Earth
healthy thus allows us to have our physiological needs met, and when those needs are met,
it allows us to think of ways to meet our other needs. The Earth and humanity are
interlocked in a planetary network of interdependence that when the Earth is taken care of,
so is humanity.
Other than our basic needs, Earth supplies humanity with many other needs. The planetary
network between plant biodiversity and humans has provided humankind with medicine.
This ever-evolving interaction between the Earth and our scientists has advanced the field of
medicine to the extent that previously incurable diseases are now easily cured. A healthy
planet makes for a healthy people. When we get sick, one of the first things that we think of
doing is to take medicine. From the Earth, we find different resources used to produce the
pharmaceutical medicines that we see in drug stores and herbal medicines that are
natural concoctions for different ailments. Varieties of plants are used in the development
of medicines that keep humans healthy. By caring for the Earth and its plant species, we
take care of ourselves and our communities.
Another human necessity that the Earth provides is input for the economy. The Earth’s
natural resources are used as raw materials to create goods and services that fuel the
economy. The silicone that is used in cellphones is dug up from mines; the paper we use in
school comes from trees; and the oil that we use to power up automobiles comes from
fossils deep under the ocean. In other words, the Earth’s resources make it possible for
economies to function. All of the things we use and see in our daily lives originate from
Earth’s resources. The economy is thus reliant on the planetary network between humans
and the Earth. This is because humans need to make use of the Earth’s resources in order to
create goods and services that keep the economy running.
Lastly, the Earth is also the source of culture. Culture, simply defined, is the way of life of a
group of people. Culture is seen everywhere, and the Earth is the setting for many different
cultural realities. The environment shapes the culture of communities of people. For
instance, people who live near the seaside have different cultural practices from people who
live inland. They have different sources of food and livelihood, thus resulting in different
ways of life. The Earth also provides a setting for cultural events to take place. From political
movements to the flourishing of religions and belief systems, a cultural planetary network is
evident on Earth. The Earth is, in simple terms, where everything in our lives takes place. To
take care of Earth is to ensure that culture has a space to be experienced and enjoyed.
Medicine, raw materials, and culture are only some of the human needs that the Earth’s
resources provide. The more we know about the Earth, the more we can see what it can
offer to humankind and other living species.
One of the most apparent and wide-reaching effects of mismanagement of the Earth’s
planetary networks is global warming. According to NASA, global warming refers to “the
long-term heating of Earth’s climate system due to human activities.” For hundreds of years,
human activities have been causing the Earth’s global temperature to gradually increase. In
the documentary The Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore presents a compelling case on global
warming. He explained how global warming is, in fact, man-made and its effects will be
drastic if we do not act fast.
Other effects of destructive activities on the Earth’s planetary networks include the
endangerment of animals and the scarcity of resources. An example of an endangered
species is the Philippine eagle. The Philippine eagle is now found only in very selected areas
around the country. The main reason why the Philippine eagle is endangered is habitat loss
Aside from loss of habitat, deforestation also means fewer forest resources, leading to
resource scarcity. Beyond this, fewer forests also lead to less fresh air and more landslides
and floods. As we can see, a single human activity has widespread effects on the Earth’s
ecosystem.
The situation of the Philippine eagle and the effects of deforestation are only a few
examples of how man-made destruction to the planet contributes negatively to the Earth’s
planetary networks.
According to Ralph Bicknese, “sustainability is about ecology, economy, and equity.” The
concept of a sustainable lifestyle describes the aim to reduce the demand for using natural
resources. Using eco-friendly and biodegradable materials is the best example of following a
sustainable lifestyle.
Increased awareness about planetary networks and resource depletion can lead more
people to take action. Sustainable living contributes to a positive change in reducing our
carbon footprint or the amount of greenhouse gases an individual releases to the
atmosphere. Simple human actions can cause widespread destruction to planetary
networks, but just the same, small steps can be taken to help maintain these same
networks.
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In Philippine Context
Wrap-Up
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● Planetary networks are the interrelations of different elements and living creatures
in the natural environment on and beyond Earth.
● An ecosystem is a geographic area that has both biotic and abiotic features.
Biodiversity is the variety of living species in a given area. Biodiversity is measured
via species richness or the count of species in a specific area.
● The Earth provides for our physiological needs or biological necessities for survival
such as food, water, and air.
● Natural Resource Management (NRM) is a field of study that focuses on the
effective utilization of natural resources.
● Global warming is the gradual heating of the Earth’s climate system due to human
activities over time. Added to this, the Earth’s planetary networks are negatively
affected by the endangerment of animals and the scarcity of resources.
Sustainability is about reducing the demand for the use of natural resources.
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Try This!
A. True or False. Write true if the statement is correct. Otherwise, write false.
B. Identification. Identify the term or phrase being asked for in each item.
Challenge Yourself
Short-Response Essay. The following are different questions and situations related to the
concept of planetary networks. Write your answer in the space provided. The rubric at the
end of this section will be used to grade your answers.
1. Your village president encourages you to have a “Zero Waste” household. What will
you do to abide by the program of your village?
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2. Think about your actions. How have you positively and negatively impacted the
Earth’s planetary networks?
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3. What negative changes in the Earth’s planetary networks have you noticed around
you?
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Performance Levels
1 2 3 Suggested
Criteria Score
Beginning Proficient Advanced Weight
Proficiency Proficiency
Content Less than half of the More than half of All the answers are
answers are logical the answers are logical and plausible. ×3
and plausible logical and plausible
Completeness Less than half of the More than half of All the items are
×2
items are present. the items are present present.
Language Less than half of the More than half of All the answers are
answers are the answers are grammatically
grammatically correct grammatically correct correct and free ×1
and free from spelling and free from spelling from spelling errors.
errors errors
Reflect on This
Share your personal understanding and concerns about planetary networks on Earth.
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Bibliography
Cohen, Steven. "The Sustainable Lifestyle: Defined and Explained." In The Sustainable City,
39-60. New York: Columbia University Press, 2018.
DeClerck, Fabrice, Hannah Gentle, Line Gordon, and Gina Kennedy. “Healthy People Healthy
Planet: Linking Diets to Food Production Landscapes .” Paper presented at the
EAT/Bioversity/Stockholm Research Centre Write Shop, Biodiversity International, Rome,
Italy, October 7, 2015.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309672317_Healthy_People_Healthy_Plane
t_linking_diets_to_food_production_landscapes
National Geographic Society. “Ecosystem.” National Geographic Society. October 09, 2012.
Accessed November 24, 2020.
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/ecosystem/.
McLeod, Saul. “Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.” Simply Psychology. March 20, 2020. Accessed
November 24, 2020. https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html.
Miller, Brad. “Critically Endangered Philippine Eagle Hangs on Despite Horde of Threats.”
Mongabay. December 24, 2018. Accessed November 24, 2020.
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/12/critically-endangered-philippine-eagle-hangs-o
n-despite-horde-of-threats/#:~:text=Once%20inhabiting%20every%20island%20in,is
%20the%20eagle's%20biggest%20threat.
NASA. “Overview: Weather, Global Warming and Climate Change.” NASA. August 28, 2019.
Accessed November 11, 2020.
https://climate.nasa.gov/resources/global-warming-vs-climate-change/.
Neira, Maria. “Our Lives Depend on a Healthy Planet.” World Health Organization. October
15, 2015. Accessed November 23, 2020.
https://www.who.int/life-course/news/commentaries/healthy-planet/en/.