Why is environmental protection important? If you are looking for a clear answer to this question, you are absolutely right here! Since 1994, environmental protection has been enshrined as a German national objective in Article 20a of the Basic Law. Nevertheless, today we humans struggle with countless and self-provoked, ecological challenges, such as climate change, plastic in the oceans or air pollution.
Through our personal behavior, we are every day either a causative part of these problems – or a part of their solution. After all, everyone can start or support measures to preserve our natural environment and protect the air, soil, water, animals and plants. And indeed, there are plenty of motivating benefits and reasons to do so.
Why should we all care about the environment? In this article, I would like to introduce you to my personal motives for committing myself to the protection of our planet through my daily actions. Let's go!
10 Reasons: Why is Environmental Protection so Important?
Unfortunately, our Western society lives in a fundamentally polluting and destroying way at the expense of nature. We are the reason why environmental protection is necessary at all. No other living being on the planet mistreats nature as destructively as we humans do.
But fortunately we are capable of learning and can improve our daily actions, to live more sustainably. Simply use the following reasons to become more aware of why environmental protection is important. They benefits will definitely boost your motivation and energy to stand up for our nature.
1. Environmental Protection is Important Because it Saves Human Lives
World hunger, global warming, increasing natural disasters, dangerous viruses, polluted air, water and soil, pesticide use in the fields, species extinction, crop failures – we must not believe that we are the only living beings on a sick planet to remain healthy. In nature, everything is connected. This has shows us not least the Corona pandemic from which we must learn.
Environmental protection is homeland protection and is so important because it creates livelihoods and doesn't destroy them. It helps to ensure that essential natural resources are permanently available to us.
Notice: Ultimately, ecological problems also lead to flight from one's own homeland. All you need to know about climate or environmental refugees I will gladly explain in the linked article.
2. Environmental Protection is Important Because it Creates New, Sustainable Jobs
Environmental protection is often pushed into the background due to economic interests. Yet it is already an essential part of our economy and, quite incidentally, ensures that it also does well in the long term. Around 2.9 million people in Germany already work in environmental protection. With 6.5 percent of the total workforce, this sector is a major factor in our labor market.₁
And the opportunities for employees and the self-employed continue to increase. This is only logical - after all, you cannot build a sustainable economy on the crumbling pillars of environmentally harmful activity. I am a good example of this myselfI am now able to devote myself full-time to my CareElite environmental protection project.
Why protect the environment? Because it is the future - and can be the only future.
Incidentally, one component of this project is the sustainable job portal - be sure to check it out if you're looking for a career change. There you will find environmentally friendly jobs with real added value for you, nature and our society. Whether you're an eco-farmer, a marketing manager for an animal welfare organization, or an engineer for wind turbines - there's something for everyone.
3. Environmental Protection is Important Because it Conserves (Limited) Natural Resources
The Earth Overload Day is steadily moving a little closer to the beginning of the year. It is the day in the year when we humans have consumed more renewable resources than the earth can reproduce in the entire year. The realization: If all people in the world were so careless with natural resources, we would need 3 earths.₂
For example, we waste natural resourcesby consuming a lot of meat. To produce one kilo of beef, more than 15,000 liters of water are needed for watering, cleaning stalls and growing feed. Added to this are up to 25 kilograms of grain.₃
And to produce one animal calorie, seven plant calories are needed.₄ So if we simply ate the plants ourselves, no one in the world would have to go hungry anymore, for example - despite increasing world population.
Use the following articles to learn more about the reasons why plant-based diets, in particular, are so important for environmental protection:
Tip: What else you can do to conserve natural resources in everyday lifeI'll be happy to explain in the linked blog article.
4. Environmental Protection is Important Because it Protects Animals
Cheap meat in the supermarket is only so cheap because someone else pays the price for us. In addition to the environment and our fellow human beings, in this example it is above all the animals that suffer from our everyday (consumer) behavior.
One, because we lock cows, pigs and dozens of other farm animals in dark, cramped cagesWe fatten them up, impregnate and exploit them, separate them from their children and stuff them full of antibiotics so that they survive these ordeals at all. The Factory farming for our gustatory pleasure is a cruel habit that future generations will look upon with disgust. It is certainly one of the Things that are actually absolutely out of date nowadays.
On the other hand, however, by deprive wild animals of their habitat. This happens, for example, when we cut down rainforests to produce arable land and pasture - or spray insect-killing pesticides on our fields. Yet we are dependent on insects. Around a third of our food would not even exist without the bee, which pollinates plants and makes them grow.₅
Environmental protection is therefore also so important because it protects animals and ultimately ourselves. In addition, we have a ethical responsibility towards other living beings and nature.
Like to use the following, further articleto learn more:
- The best animal welfare organizations
- Do animals have emotions and feelings?
- Stop insect mortality - What everyone can do
- Documentaries about factory farming
- Animal welfare made easy in everyday life
5. Environmental Protection is Important Because it Creates Positive Change
Environmental protection means consideration for other living beings. Not only for animals and plants, but also for other people. By paying attention, discussing, learning from and listening to each other, we improve our life together a little more every day.
World hunger, cruelty to animals or the Water shortage would no longer need to exist today if everyone started with themselves and acted responsibly. But our Society is fortunately constantly changing for the bettereven if it may not always seem that way when we open the newspaper.
Tip: To get a clearer view of the positive changes in the world, I can give you the Book "Factfufulness" highly recommend!
6. Environmental Protection is Important Because it Fights the Ecological Problems of Our Time
Positive change naturally also relates to the biggest environmental problems of our time, which we People themselves caused have. We discharge wastewater from factories into the rivers whose water we need to irrigate fields and drink. And to produce one liter of cow's milk, we simultaneously produce 3 liters of antibiotic- and manure containing nitrates₆ with which we overfertilize our fields.
Whether in the fight against Soil erosion, the water shortage, the Plastic waste in the environment or climate change: environmental protection is also so important because through our careless behavior we We are sawing away at the branch on which we are actually so happy to sit.
7. Environmental Protection is Important to Prevent Natural Disasters
Storms, droughts or floods are steadily increasing. Worldwide, the number of Climate-related extreme weather and natural disasters tripled since 1980.₇ They destroy entire livelihoods and, not least, jeopardize our lasting food security.
So environmental protection is also so important to protect people and to have food and water available in the long term. The more we place ourselves above nature, the more frequently and severely natural disasters will strike us in the future. We must understand that we are only a part of nature and not nature itself.
What is actually the Difference between weather and climate? In the linked blog article, I have taken a closer look at both definitions. Feel free to have a look.
8. Environmental Protection is Important Because it is Respectful and Smart
"Environmental protection is not masculine" I once heard. So is it manly to destroy the environment? Of course it isn't. It's neither masculine nor feminine. Environmental protection is simply smart and underlines a forward-looking, compassionate and respectful characterwho follows his or her own moral compass.
Those who value Mother Nature show that they appreciate her importance for our future and our own descendants. Last but not least, environmental protection also serves to preserve cultural values and the enjoyment of unique, natural beauty.
9. Environmental Protection is Important Because it is Fun and Serves Our Development
We hike in the mountains, bike through the forests, swim in lakes, sunbathe on the beach and enjoy the majestic sight of whales jumping in the sea -. we love nature! Through direct or indirect Environmental degradation paradoxically, we deprive ourselves of the very things we long for.
"It's too much effort to live sustainably" is unfortunately one of those excuses I often hear. Mostly from the people who believe that you can only be one of two things: either "eco-friendly" or "polluting. In the process, the company's own Environmental awareness a continuous development process with the most diverse levels of environmentally conscious behavior.
Every rain starts with a drop. And once you yourself have started and realizes how easy it is to make a big impact for the preservation of our planet, also catches the Environmental protection in everyday life to be really fun. Be it the Plastic waste prevention or the regular Cycling.
10. Environmental Protection is Important Because We are All Role Models for Future Generations
Why else is environmental protection important? If you are not yet convinced of the importance of protecting our natureyou should be after this reason at the latest.
Environmental protection means taking responsibility. Responsibility for you - but of course also for your children and grandchildren, who may or must stay on this planet much longer than you. Whether this will be pleasure or horror, you decide for yourself.
Tip: Be sure to check out my detailed post Environmental protection with children in which you learn how to promote the nature awareness of your offspring in a playful way.
Environmental Protection is Important Because We Only Have One Planet
Environmental protection means to protect our earth and to change our negative influence on this wonderful planet positively in the short and long term. This is our moral responsibility - also towards future generations.
"Ultimately humanity is one, and this small planet is our only home. If we're to protect this home of ours, each of us needs to experience a vivid sense of universal altruism and compassion."
Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama (more at Environmental Protection and Sustainability Quotes)
You have just learned some good reasons for environmental protection. If you want to make your everyday life more environmentally friendly in the future after all this - perhaps new - information, I would like to share with you the following further articles to the heart:
- Waste prevention for beginners
- Living more climate friendly - The best tips
- The biggest environmental sins in everyday life
- Stop world hunger - tips for your everyday life
- Sustainable cooking - it's that easy!
Do you have any questions about the article or can you think of other benefits of environmental protection? Then feel free to write me a comment. Personally, it was really good for me to once again become aware of my own motives for an environmentally friendly everyday life with this article.
Stay sustainable,
PS: Also with my Book "Sustainable living for beginners I would like to give you a lot more tips for a more environmentally conscious everyday life. Have fun reading!
References:
₁ Federal Environment Agency: Employment and Environmental Protection (as of May 25, 2023), available at https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/daten/umwelt-wirtschaft/beschaeftigung-umweltschutz. [28.09.2023].
₂ Germanwatch e.V.: Earth Overload Day (as of July 22, 2019), available at https://www.germanwatch.org/de/overshoot. [28.09.2023].
₃ Federal Environment Agency): Hidden Water (as of 03/22/2017), available at https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/themen/verstecktes-wasser. [28.09.2023].
₄ Federal Environment Agency: Climate-friendly diet - meat-reduced, vegetarian or vegan (as of 25.07.2023), available at https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/umwelttipps-fuer-den-alltag/essen-trinken/klima-umweltfreundliche-ernaehrung#gewusst-wie. [28.09.2023].
₅ SCHWARTAUER WERKE GmbH & Co. KGaA: The influence of bees on our daily nutrition, available at http://www.bee-careful.com/de/initiative/der-einfluss-von-bienen-auf-unsere-taegliche-ernae. [28.09.2023].
₆ PETA Deutschland e.V.: (2018): Manure pollutes drinking water and increases water costs (as of February 2018), available at https://www.peta.de/guelle. [28.09.2023].
₇ National Geographic: 7 facts about climate change. https://www.nationalgeographic.de/7-fakten-zum-klimawandel. [28.09.2023].
