The importance of environmental safety

¶ … Environmental Safety

In contemporary society, there are several different types of environmental safety and concern of which one should be mindful. If we accept the broader definition of the environment to be the natural environment of our entire planet -- all living and non-living things that exist on earth and the interaction of all living species, then our responsibility is large. We all live on the planet, and we now know that there are relatively few things that occur that are not somehow interconnected. In this broad sense, then the importance of environmental safety is one that allows us to take responsibility for the place in which we live so that it will continue to be appropriately habitable for future generations.

Humans constantly interact with the environment. This interaction affects the quality of life for all people, and often produces health disparities. The United Nation's World Health Organization (WHO) defines the nature of the environment as "all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all their related behaviors" (Preventing Disease Through Healthy Environments, 2006). Looking at the overall view in this manner, we see that environmental health and safety consists of a large number of issues: air quality, water quality and availability, toxins in the environment, building issues, disease and community health, and longevity and quality of life.

Environmental safety is central to maintaining and increasing the quality of life since almost 25% of all global death and disease can be directly attributed to the environment. On every continent, even those with minimal inhabitants, we are seeing more exposure to hazardous substances in the water, soil, air, and foods. There are more technological disasters that impact global society, and more physical hazards in which people are exposed. Much of the world's population does not have potable water and often suffer from abject poverty, hunger and nutritional deficiencies. For those individuals who already have health concerns, the environment poses even more risk (EPA, 2010).

In the 21st century, economic, political and cultural movements that have helped bring the countries of the world closer together. This is called globalism, and refers to the theory that regardless of the geographic, political, or cultural identity of nation states, we are in fact, one world. In fact, the changes in technology and complexities of modern life enhance this idea. This is nowhere as apparent as it is in the idea of environmental safety and health, for actions taken in one part of the world do have a profound effect on other parts of the world. Even in modern, developed nations like the United States, we find mercury from Chinese factories, dust from Saharan Africa and smog from Mexico -- accounting for about 30% of the nation's ozone problems (Watson, 2005).