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Article

Open Access

Human Ways of Life and Environmental Sustainability: Congo Basin Case Study

Author(s)

Tongele N. Tongele

Full-Text PDF Download XML 791 Views

DOI:10.17265/1934-7359/2021.11.001

Affiliation(s)

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USA

ABSTRACT

The impact of human ways of life on environment is undisputed. Examples include roads and railroads constructions, industrial farming and mining, urban and industrial centers expansions, modification of rivers and lakes to build dams, etc. All these affect natural habitats, environment and the ecosystem. Human ways of life have impacted the physical environment in many ways, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation that result in soil, water and air pollution. The Congo Basin rainforest depletion due to human ways of life has triggered soil and water degradation, caused greenhouse effect by releasing tons of carbon in the atmosphere, and is believed to accelerate climate change. This paper suggests that people’s mindset can be transformed to transform human ways of life into best sustainability means that both improve living conditions and protect living environment. The case study is to illustrate that mindset transformation would enable the populations of the Congo Basin to go from complicity for deforestation to stewardship that uses local resources to improve living conditions while protecting living environment, and thus contributing to planet sustainability.

KEYWORDS

Congo basin, rainforest, deforestation, agriculture, farming, mining, greenhouse, climate change.

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