Ethical Decisions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethical Decisions - Essay Example The economic and social conditions surrounding us continuously evolve, new technologies are developed, and new products are introduced; above all, the social infrastructure is continuously being built and renovated, and the institutional arrangements concerning education, medicine, culture, and other fields are constantly changing. In the face of these complications, it seems almost impossible to reach a consensus about the intrinsic meaning of sustainabiliy with respect to the natural environment. Nuclear power, atomic weapons, gene engineering, genetically modified food and water pollution will cause great problems for future generations "unable to cope with these threats" (Lomborg 2001, 87). Out duty is to minimize harmful effect of modern technology and progress on our children and save out planet from dying. Our duty to people in the past is to remember their achievements and contribution to science, culture and economy which had a great impact on historical development and curr ent progress. Our duty is to value and keep their information and major achievements. Cultural and scientific heritage of the past should be kept because it impossible to render and reconstruct masterpieces and scientific knowledge. Children remain the prime source of old-age security, allowing many elders who can no longer work to achieve the cultural ideal of sitting by the fire and having food brought to them. 2. There should be a general statement of 'human rights' because all people are equal and should be equally treated in all countries across the world. The place of the individual is important as there is recognition of the normative and legal importance of protecting human rights over states' rights. All people around the world should be fairly treated according to the essential rights of man. The 'global human rights' should include such concepts as freedom, liberty and universal justice. Justice must be approached in practical terms that address the contradictions and complexities of the present-day world. These inquiries find relevance in contexts in which the pursuit of justice is a matter not of an imagined or desired future, but of an all-too-real present replete with dilemmas and risks. The main feature of justice is the pervasive need to find a balance between contradictory pressures. "Each individual aspect needs to be interpreted from the perspective of justice to assess wh ether its promise and performance is to be viewed positively" (Chandler Herman 2002, 51). Liberty and freedom is important because rights entitle people from one countries or social groups to equality with other social group or nationality. People should have universal rights such as freedom of movement, the right to take part in public affairs, directly or through elected representatives; and the right to free choice and practice of religion. Freedom means absence of restrictions and compulsion imposed on a person. The concept of freedom coexisted with the idea of liberty, which in effect relegated most dimensions of justice to the internal relations between state and society. With the separation of church and state that accompanied the rise of the modern state, the notion of freedom assumed a specifically and predominantly secular character that could no longer be interpreted merely as an extension of religious thought. These universal human rights should be introduced on the global scale because all

Biomass Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Biomass Energy - Essay Example For industrial nations it was the main energy source until the early 1900s and, in fact, many developing nations still rely on it to provide for most of their energy needs (Callà ©, et al., 1). This paper discusses the sources of biomass energy, its pros and cons and draws conclusions about its feasibility and economic viability. Biomass refers to the organic matter found in agricultural crops, trees as well as other living-plant material. It is solar energy stored up in organic matter. Carbohydrates and organic compounds formed in growing plant-life make up biomass. In the process of photosynthesis, the sun’s energy converts carbon dioxide into carbohydrates (cellulose, sugars and starches). When living plants die, they decay, the energy stored in carbohydrates is released and carbon dioxide discharged back into the atmosphere. Since the growth of new trees and other plants replenishes the supply, biomass is a renewable source of energy (Oregon.gov, 1). Globally, people use biomass fuel for cooking in households as well as in numerous institutions and cottage industries, food processing industries, metal working industries, weaving industries, tile making and brick industries, bakeries among others. In recent times, people have set up many new plants to provide biomass energy directly through combustion, to produce electricity, or in combined heat and power facilities or ethanol through fermentation (Calle, et al., 2). In the Pacific Northwest, people have used biomass as a source of energy for meeting their needs ever since the region’s earliest occupants burned wood for heat in their campfires (Oregon.gov, 1). Advantages of Using Biomass Energy The most important of the pros of biomass energy is that it is carbon neutral. It does not lead to any net increase in the emissions of carbon dioxide to the environment. Biomass is a constituent of the carbon cycle and as discussed earlier, during photosynthesis, plants absorb carbo n from the atmosphere and once the plant is burnt or decays, the carbon returns into the atmosphere. Since it is a cycle, other plants absorb that carbon again, in such a way that a balance between the amount of carbon that plants extract from the atmosphere and the amount of carbon that biomass fuel releases into the atmosphere is attained. Biomass fuels are therefore clean – they do not lead to the risk of change in global climate (Energyinformative.org, 4). Moreover, as Ghosh explains, the electricity generated by biomass briquettes (substances that produce electricity) is far much cleaner compared to fossil fuel-generated electricity. Another advantage of using biomass energy is that it provides a way of disposing waste materials that would otherwise be environmental hazards (Oregon.gov, 4). Biomass energy is also a renewable and inexhaustible source of energy. The products obtained are bio-fuel and biogas. Electricity and heat are generated during the production of bioma ss energy. The use of biomass energy also helps in the management of solid waste thereby keeping us free from pollution. Daily burning of biological wastes decreases the levels of carbon emitted into the atmosphere. It therefore ensures that there exists an ecological balance of carbon in the environment (Ghosh, 4). Compared to oil and coal, biomass energy is not expensive. They typically cost roughly 33% less than fossil fuels performing the same task. This means that every year, one can spend 33% less on heating his/her home, which amounts to a substantial saving in a period of 10 or 15 years. Moreover, biomass is readily accessible in large quantities all over the globe – there is overabundance of agricultural and organic waste