An overview of key concepts in environmental knowledge: From ecology to sustainable development
Keywords:
Biodiversity, Climate change, Ecocentrism, Ecosystem, Environmental awareness
Abstract
As human activities degrade the environment, comprehensive environmental knowledge is vital for sustainability. This paper reviews literature across disciplines to synthesize ecological principles, ethics, environmental threats, and solutions. Major challenges analyzed include climate change, biodiversity declines, pollution, and overexploitation. Conservation approaches like protected areas are examined, along with environmental law and sustainable development integrating economic, social, and ecological dimensions. Implementing sustainability requires transforming awareness, values, and behaviors toward environmental responsibility across society. Findings integrate insights from ecological and social sciences. This interdisciplinary framework informs urgent ethical policies and lifestyle changes to mitigate threats and uphold ecosystem integrity. Despite complex systemic challenges, creative collaboration can integrate human civilization and nature conservation for thriving societies.
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Ekins, P., Simon, S., Deutsch, L., Folke, C., Groot, R., 2003. A framework for the practical application of the concepts of critical natural capital and strong sustainability. Ecological Economics 44, 165–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8009(02)00272-0
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Krishnamoorthy, A., 2021. Two New Discoveries Showing the Human Impact on the Environment. Journal of Undergraduate Life Sciences 15, 5–5. https://doi.org/10.33137/juls.v15i1.35983
Miller, G.T., Spoolman, S., 2010. Environmental Science 13th Edition, 13e ed. Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, Belmont.
Muncke, J., Andersson, A.-M., Backhaus, T., Boucher, J.M., Carney Almroth, B., Castillo Castillo, A., Chevrier, J., Demeneix, B.A., Emmanuel, J.A., Fini, J.-B., Gee, D., Geueke, B., Groh, K., Heindel, J.J., Houlihan, J., Kassotis, C.D., Kwiatkowski, C.F., Lefferts, L.Y., Maffini, M.V., Martin, O.V., Myers, J.P., Nadal, A., Nerin, C., Pelch, K.E., Fernández, S.R., Sargis, R.M., Soto, A.M., Trasande, L., Vandenberg, L.N., Wagner, M., Wu, C., Zoeller, R.T., Scheringer, M., 2020. Impacts of food contact chemicals on human health: a consensus statement. Environmental Health 19, 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-020-0572-5
Odum, E.P., 1993. Dasar-Dasar Ekologi. Gadjah Mada University Press, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Orlando, L.F., DePinto, A.J., Wallace, K.J., 2022. Ecohealth Villages: A Framework for an Ecosystem Approach to Health in Human Settlements. Sustainability 14, 7053. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127053
Parks, B., Gary, W., 2022. Special issue on teaching about the environment, sustainability, and climate change. American Journal of Physics 90, 327. https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0092653
Rahman, M.T., Bukhori, B., 2022. Religious Social Communication for the Conservation of the Riverbank Area. Jurnal Iman dan Spiritualitas 2, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.15575/jis.v2i1.13813
Reichle, D.E., 2020. Chapter 7 - Food chains and trophic level transfers, in: Reichle, D.E. (Ed.), The Global Carbon Cycle and Climate Change. Elsevier, pp. 95–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-820244-9.00007-X
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Santos, E.S.B. dos, Coutinho, D.J.G., 2022. The importance of environmental education a man-nature relationship. Revista Ibero-Americana De Humanidades, Ciências E Educação 8, 423–432. https://doi.org/10.51891/rease.v8i4.4853
Shivanna, K.R., 2020. The Sixth Mass Extinction Crisis and its Impact on Biodiversity and Human Welfare. Reson 25, 93–109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-019-0924-z
Singh Gujral, H., Singh, D.G., 2022. Industrialization and its impact on human health – a critical appraisal. J Stud Res 11. https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v11i4.3037
Suzuki, E., 2019. WDI - World’s population will reach nearly 10 billion by 2050 [WWW Document]. URL https://datatopics.worldbank.org/world-development-indicators/stories/world-population-will-continue-to-grow.html (accessed 3.3.22).
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UNESCO, 1977. Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education. the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Tbilisi.
WCED, 1987. Our Common Future. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
WHO, 2021. Air pollution [WWW Document]. URL https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution (accessed 3.2.22).
Widyaningtyas, P., Liliani, E., 2020. Principles of Environmental Ethics in Indonesian Newspaper Short Stories: An Ecocriticism Study. Presented at the 1st International Conference on Language, Literature, and Arts Education (ICLLAE 2019), Atlantis Press, pp. 375–379. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200804.073
WWF, 2022. 69% average decline in wildlife populations since 1970 [WWW Document]. World Wildlife Fund. URL https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/69-average-decline-in-wildlife-populations-since-1970-says-new-wwf-report (accessed 10.24.22).
Yousuf, S., Naqash, N., Singh, R., 2022. Nutrient Cycling: An Approach for Environmental Sustainability, in: Environmental Microbiology: Advanced Research and Multidisciplinary Applications. Bentham Science Publisher, India, pp. 77–104.
Zagonari, F., 2022. Environmental Sustainability, in: Zagonari, F. (Ed.), Environmental Ethics, Sustainability and Decisions: Literature Problems and Suggested Solutions. Springer Nature Switzerland, Cham, pp. 27–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21182-9_3
Ardoin, N.M., Bowers, A.W., Wheaton, M., 2022. Leveraging collective action and environmental literacy to address complex sustainability challenges. Ambio 52, 30–44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-022-01764-6
Azis, A.A., 2022. The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) in Shaping Environmental Policies. Presented at the Universitas Lampung International Conference on Social Sciences (ULICoSS 2021), Atlantis Press, pp. 490–496. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220102.064
Bansard, J., Schröder, M., 2021. The Sustainable Use of Natural Resources: The Governance Challenge. International Institute for Sustainable Development, Winnipeg, Canada.
Boadu, F.O., 2016. Chapter 15 - Environmental Law, in: Boadu, F.O. (Ed.), Agricultural Law and Economics in Sub-Saharan Africa. Academic Press, San Diego, pp. 507–536. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-801771-5.00015-0
Brusseau, M. L., 2019. Chapter 32 - Sustainable Development and Other Solutions to Pollution and Global Change, in: Brusseau, Mark L., Pepper, I.L., Gerba, C.P. (Eds.), Environmental and Pollution Science (Third Edition). Academic Press, pp. 585–603. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814719-1.00032-X
Cahn, R., 1978. Footprints on the planet: a search for an environmental ethic. Universe Books.
Chenoweth, A.R., 2020. The Ethics of Professional Environmental Practice: an Exploratory Study of the Ethical Principles of Practitioners (Griffith thesis). Griffith University. https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/4043
Ekins, P., Simon, S., Deutsch, L., Folke, C., Groot, R., 2003. A framework for the practical application of the concepts of critical natural capital and strong sustainability. Ecological Economics 44, 165–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8009(02)00272-0
EPA, 2013. Possible Exposure Pathways During Emergencies [WWW Document]. URL https://www.epa.gov/emergency-response/possible-exposure-pathways-during-emergencies (accessed 3.3.22).
Ertan, K., 2021. Environmental Ethics: The Necessity of Ethical Approach based on Environment to Social and Natural Sciences: Environmental Ethics. SPAST Abstracts 1.
Fang, W.-T., Hassan, Arba’at, LePage, B.A., 2022. Environmental Ethics: Modelling for Values and Choices, in: Fang, W.-T., Hassan, Arba’at, LePage, B.A. (Eds.), The Living Environmental Education: Sound Science Toward a Cleaner, Safer, and Healthier Future, Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer Nature, Singapore, pp. 151–174. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-4234-1_6
Fisher, E., 2017. Environmental Law: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780198794189.001.0001
Gomes da Silva, F.J., Gouveia, R.M., 2020. Global Population Growth and Industrial Impact on the Environment, in: Gomes da Silva, F.J., Gouveia, R.M. (Eds.), Cleaner Production: Toward a Better Future. Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp. 33–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23165-1_3
Goudie, A.S., 2018. Human Impact on the Natural Environment. John Wiley & Sons.
Hove, G., Rathaha, T., Mugiya, P., 2020. The Impact of Human Activities on the Environment, Case of Mhondongori in Zvishavane, Zimbabwe. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection 8, 330–349. https://doi.org/10.4236/gep.2020.810021
Humaida, N., 2019. The importance of ecocentrism to the level of environmental awareness for sustainable natural resources. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 399, 012131. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/399/1/012131
IPBES, 2019. Global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. IPBES secretariat, Bonn, Germany. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6417333
IPCC, 2018. Global Warming of 1.5 °C - an IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA.
Jain, E., Acharya, D., 2022. Mobile Sensing and Modeling Air Pollution Hotspots in Urban Neighborhoods, in: 2022 IEEE International Conference on Electronics, Computing and Communication Technologies (CONECCT). Presented at the 2022 IEEE International Conference on Electronics, Computing and Communication Technologies (CONECCT), pp. 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1109/CONECCT55679.2022.9865807
Jebari, K., Sandberg, A., 2022. Ecocentrism and Biosphere Life Extension. Sci Eng Ethics 28, 46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-022-00404-2
Karim, A., 2022. Integration of Religious Awareness in Environmental Education. QIJIS (Qudus International Journal of Islamic Studies) 10, 415–442. https://doi.org/10.21043/qijis.v10i2.14404
Karl, T.R., Melillo, J., C. Peterson, T., 2009. Global Climate Change Impacts In The United States.
Krishnamoorthy, A., 2021. Two New Discoveries Showing the Human Impact on the Environment. Journal of Undergraduate Life Sciences 15, 5–5. https://doi.org/10.33137/juls.v15i1.35983
Miller, G.T., Spoolman, S., 2010. Environmental Science 13th Edition, 13e ed. Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, Belmont.
Muncke, J., Andersson, A.-M., Backhaus, T., Boucher, J.M., Carney Almroth, B., Castillo Castillo, A., Chevrier, J., Demeneix, B.A., Emmanuel, J.A., Fini, J.-B., Gee, D., Geueke, B., Groh, K., Heindel, J.J., Houlihan, J., Kassotis, C.D., Kwiatkowski, C.F., Lefferts, L.Y., Maffini, M.V., Martin, O.V., Myers, J.P., Nadal, A., Nerin, C., Pelch, K.E., Fernández, S.R., Sargis, R.M., Soto, A.M., Trasande, L., Vandenberg, L.N., Wagner, M., Wu, C., Zoeller, R.T., Scheringer, M., 2020. Impacts of food contact chemicals on human health: a consensus statement. Environmental Health 19, 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-020-0572-5
Odum, E.P., 1993. Dasar-Dasar Ekologi. Gadjah Mada University Press, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Orlando, L.F., DePinto, A.J., Wallace, K.J., 2022. Ecohealth Villages: A Framework for an Ecosystem Approach to Health in Human Settlements. Sustainability 14, 7053. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127053
Parks, B., Gary, W., 2022. Special issue on teaching about the environment, sustainability, and climate change. American Journal of Physics 90, 327. https://doi.org/10.1119/5.0092653
Rahman, M.T., Bukhori, B., 2022. Religious Social Communication for the Conservation of the Riverbank Area. Jurnal Iman dan Spiritualitas 2, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.15575/jis.v2i1.13813
Reichle, D.E., 2020. Chapter 7 - Food chains and trophic level transfers, in: Reichle, D.E. (Ed.), The Global Carbon Cycle and Climate Change. Elsevier, pp. 95–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-820244-9.00007-X
Romero, N., Ormeño, B., Simón, L., 2022. Attitudes towards the risks of climate change : contributions from a Chilean exploratory case study. The Central European Review of Economics and Management 6, 7–28. https://doi.org/10.29015/cerem.960
Santos, E.S.B. dos, Coutinho, D.J.G., 2022. The importance of environmental education a man-nature relationship. Revista Ibero-Americana De Humanidades, Ciências E Educação 8, 423–432. https://doi.org/10.51891/rease.v8i4.4853
Shivanna, K.R., 2020. The Sixth Mass Extinction Crisis and its Impact on Biodiversity and Human Welfare. Reson 25, 93–109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-019-0924-z
Singh Gujral, H., Singh, D.G., 2022. Industrialization and its impact on human health – a critical appraisal. J Stud Res 11. https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v11i4.3037
Suzuki, E., 2019. WDI - World’s population will reach nearly 10 billion by 2050 [WWW Document]. URL https://datatopics.worldbank.org/world-development-indicators/stories/world-population-will-continue-to-grow.html (accessed 3.3.22).
Tunçay, T., Başkan, O., Tunçay, T., Başkan, O., 2022. Assessment of Land Degradation Factors, in: Vegetation Dynamics, Changing Ecosystems and Human Responsibility. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.107524
UNESCO, 1977. Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education. the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Tbilisi.
WCED, 1987. Our Common Future. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
WHO, 2021. Air pollution [WWW Document]. URL https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution (accessed 3.2.22).
Widyaningtyas, P., Liliani, E., 2020. Principles of Environmental Ethics in Indonesian Newspaper Short Stories: An Ecocriticism Study. Presented at the 1st International Conference on Language, Literature, and Arts Education (ICLLAE 2019), Atlantis Press, pp. 375–379. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200804.073
WWF, 2022. 69% average decline in wildlife populations since 1970 [WWW Document]. World Wildlife Fund. URL https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/69-average-decline-in-wildlife-populations-since-1970-says-new-wwf-report (accessed 10.24.22).
Yousuf, S., Naqash, N., Singh, R., 2022. Nutrient Cycling: An Approach for Environmental Sustainability, in: Environmental Microbiology: Advanced Research and Multidisciplinary Applications. Bentham Science Publisher, India, pp. 77–104.
Zagonari, F., 2022. Environmental Sustainability, in: Zagonari, F. (Ed.), Environmental Ethics, Sustainability and Decisions: Literature Problems and Suggested Solutions. Springer Nature Switzerland, Cham, pp. 27–58. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21182-9_3
Published
2022-06-30
How to Cite
Humaida, N., & Murniningsih. (2022). An overview of key concepts in environmental knowledge: From ecology to sustainable development. OMNICODE Journal (Omnicompetence Community Developement Journal), 1(2), 90-96. https://doi.org/10.55756/omnicode.v3i1.170
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