Question: Many scientists consider humans as the most invasive species, as humans can greatly change an environment and impact living things that reside there. Are we being stewards of the world? Take a look at an issue in which human intervention has positively or negatively affected the biodiversity of our ecosystems.

According to the Bible, God has entrusted to us the dignity and responsibility of being stewards of the resources and creatures of this planet. When we utilize the minerals, plants, and animals that God has placed at our disposal, we are accountable for the results. In Genesis 1:28-30 God stated our stewardship over all of his creation.

God said, Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Here is the first, “Great Commission”, in the bible or also known as the “Cultural Mandate”. This is God’s intention for the human race, to take care over the world and be responsible for the actions we take. We are not to be subject to creation; we are to hold dominion over it.

With this Biblical aspect in mind, are humans stewards of the earth…

Let us begin with the definition of a steward and what a steward does. According to Dictionary.com as a steward a person who manages another's property or financial affairs; one who administers anything as the agent of another or others. A steward manages the possessions of another. We are all stewards of the resources of the earth but how are we as humans treating this privilege given unto us.

For the first time in human history, we face the crisis of global pollution and wholesale destruction of irreplaceable resources (e.g., the rain forests, gas, and coal). Our need for more has put the earth in such danger because it provides us on a day to day basis. Think about it, the food we eat on our table, the gas we use to get us from our house to school and even the trees we cut down for paper has been provided for us and we take it for granted.

There is an estimate 7 billion people living in our world today, and the numbers just seems to increase each year. What I’ve learn from grade 10 science is, when a population of a species increase it means that they’re prey will decrease. In order words, the more humans inhabiting our world today, the more foods and animals we consume. If those numbers drop, they’re species are at a risk of extinction and the species they feed on will increase because there is no balance in the ecosystem. It’s a simple equation,

More humans = less prey = more pest.

There is a way to calculate how much resources we utilize from a day to day basis, it is called your ecological carbon footprint. It calculates the amount food you consume, garbage you throw out, and ways your transport, etc. to get the total carbon emission you produce. The average Canadian’s carbon footprint is 8.2. It will take approximately 4.2 earths to provide Canadians all the resources they need. Here is a link to calculate your ecological carbon footprint:

http://www.zerofootprintkids.com/kids_home.aspx

In the Bible verse Genesis 1:26-28, God has entrusted us on the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the livestock of earth. How does the human imprint affect the water, air, and land?

Human impact on water:

As we all now that the world is made up of about 70% water, and that means there’s a lot to be affected within the marine ecosystem. Human activities whether we know it or not affects the ocean and the living things within it. Factories, sewage treatment plants, underground mines, oil wells, oil tankers and agriculture are all sources of water pollution. Why? Because we dispose our water with oil and other harmful chemicals into the ocean through pipelines.

Pollution in the water not only contaminates our fresh water and drinking water but also affects the fish that we eat. The chemicals from farms and industrial manufacturing run off into the ocean waters and causes fish to be intoxicated. Thus, fish being exposed to toxins puts them in a risk of extinction. Our means of fishing also affects the food chain within the marine ecosystem. Canadians, fish for more than the amount needed which also causes fish extinction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZtsKB_OOkE&feature=related



Human impact on the air:

The increase manufacturing of cars, use of electricity, and fossil fuels has greatly affected the condition of our air. Air pollution is caused by the burning of fossil fuels and gasoline to run our vehicles and produce electricity. However, it also causes the level of Carbon Dioxide to increase. The increased emissions of CO2, a greenhouse gas could change the climate. A rise of 10C can melt polar ice caps, increase sea levels, and cause severe weathers. Humans are slowly affecting the health of our earth, by polluting the air more and more it is like giving the earth asthma.

Human impact on land:

The increase of human population has affected the forests in our world. The demand for big cities, industrialization, and residential areas has cause humans to cut down trees destroying the homes of millions of species. Deforestation puts a threat to survival of many endangered species. Deforestation is major contributor to global warming, emission of greenhouse gases, and biosphere instability.


In conclusion:

Let’s answer the question, “Are we being stewards of the world?” Indeed we are. Biblically, God entrusted us to take care of the earth and be the stewards. However, are we being good steward? The answer is we are not being good stewards of the earth. It is inevitable to say that our human activities have caused a disruption in the ecosystem.

We are putting our world in danger because of our selfish acts. We know the effects of our activities but yet we are not doing anything to reduce our ecological footprint. We consume and consume but do nothing in return.

I will now leave you with the chorus of the song Send It On by disney, this song conveys the message that we can all do something together to take care of our world.

Send it on
On and on
Just one hand can heal another
Be a part
Reach a heart
Just one spark starts a fire
With one little action the chain reaction
Will never stop
Make it strong
Shine a light and send it on


Works Cited List:

http://www.cleanerandgreener.org/programs/schools/pollution.htm
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-do-humans-affect-the-environment.html
http://www.zerofootprintkids.com/kids_home.aspx
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0803.htm
http://www.lenntech.com/water-pollution-faq.htm