Existential Issues on the Sustainability of the Environment

Abstract

Man is said to be the centre of the universe. He gives meaning to existence as well as exploits the whole of existence for his own personal sustainability and the survival of his species. Beyond this, man has continued to exploit matter in his quest for the accumulation of capital and increment in the standard of living. This ruthless quest for the exploitation of nature has threatened the very sustainability of the earth itself. Should man continue in his compulsive quest for the exploitation of nature for the sake of mobility on the totem pole of his society? Can the earth itself be saved? Who sets the norms on what to exploit and what not to exploit in the environment? Is there any moral justification in denying developing countries the very means post-industrial nations who call the shots today used to attain their affluence? These existential questions are what this work is set to determine. The work critically analyses the issues in contention as well as proffers possible solutions to the environmental imbroglio in which the modern man is mired.