ENVIRONMENTAL

PRINCIPLES
and LAWS
 WHAT IS
ENVIRONMENT?
 ENVIRONMENT
• Environment is everything that is around us. It can
be living or non-living things. It includes physical,
chemical and other natural forces.

• The environment is something you are very familiar

with. It's everything that makes up our surroundings
and affects our ability to live on the earth the air we
breathe, the water that covers most of the earth's
surface, the plants and animals around us, and much
more.
THE 7 ENVIRONMENTAL
PRINCIPLES
 1.ALL FORMS OF LIFE
ARE IMPORTANT

• All living organisms were created by God to serve

a purpose. These functions should be respected as
they are part of the web of life. Disruption of these
functions may lead to instability or imbalance.
 2.NATURE KNOWS
BEST
• In the environment, there are natural
processes or cycles that maintain
ecological balance, thus, any disruption in
these processes affects the environment.
 3.EVERYTHING IS
CONNECTED TO
EVERYTHING ELSE
• This is exemplified by the ecosystem
which is a unit of the biosphere in
which living and non-living things
interact such as interaction between
non- living factors, between living
factors and between living and non-
living factors.
4. EVERYTHING CHANGES

Since the Earth began, it has been undergoing change.

Changes maybe in linear form, cyclical or random.
Human activities have impacted on natural systems in
several ways such as accelerated siltation due to
erosion, corroding of metals due to pollution and
development of cancer cells because of modern
chemicals.
 5.EVERYTHING MUST GO
SOMEWHERE

There is always a “sink” for everything. When a

piece of paper is thrown away, it disappears from
sight but it does not cease to exist. It ends up
elsewhere. Gases released from smokestacks may
disperse but will end up as a component of the
atmosphere or brought down by rains.

This principle opens up one’s eyes to the need to

turn back from attitudes inherent in a “throw
away” society.
6.OURS IS A FINITE EARTH

Our ancestors studied the environment and

cooperated with it in order to survive. Today,
we have to re-establish that attachment to the
Earth as a closed system which means that all
matter essential to life come from within it and
must be recycled over and over for life to
continue.
7. NATURE IS BEAUTIFUL AND
WE ARE STEWARDS OF GOD’S
CREATION
Among all creatures, humans are the only ones
made in God’s image and has been given the
right to have dominion over all His creation.
Being the most intelligent and gifted with reason,
humans are capable of manipulating creation to
their own advantage. Yet creation exists not to be
ravaged or abused but to be taken care of.
Humans can not exist without nature.
MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL
PROBLEMS
SEVEN ENVIRONMENTAL
SINS
 Air Pollution
 Waste
 Food Consuption
 Development
 Resources
 Water Use
 Over Population