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Use the concept of The Seven Environmental Principles as an
anchor to strengthen your Paglikha workshop sessions

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The key to advocating for the environment and shining light upon issues such as climate
change, is to develop awareness and propel people into action towards environmental
protection and conservation.

What once was lush vegetation has turned into factories or subdivisions. The beautiful
mountains that are home to many flora and fauna have been leveled for mineral extractions.

Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide occur naturally in the
atmosphere. They help regulate the Earth’s temperature. However, human activities like
burning of fossil fuels produce too much of these greenhouse gases which affect how our
atmosphere manages the temperature. This leads to the changing climate that we are
experiencing.

We have placed ourselves as masters over the environment without realizing that this
behavior will soon be our demise.

The following Seven Environmental Principles provide a scope to make us think and reflect
on our actions before it is too late. We are now seeing their effects on the environment.
Climate change has resulted in many threats and risks to life, and we are now in a climate
emergency.The Seven Environmental Principles also provide lenses to look at the emerging
need for an immediate climate action.

We can use the Seven Environmental Principles to calibrate and put a renewed perspective
on how we think about and treat the environment.

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1. Nature knows best
There are natural flows and systems in nature. Take, for example, how the sun enables the
process of photosynthesis for plants to grow. Plants which human beings and animals forage
for food and nutrition. The utilization of minerals through the nutrient cycle of phosphorus,
carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur in the land, air, and water of the earth promotes a certain balance
to maintain a stable life source. The flow of energy from the sun and eventually from one
organism to the other in symbiotic relationships of producers and consumers all prove that
nature has its own way of knowing how to sustain the balance of life.2

This balance of life is maintained efficiently by nature that when a man-made disruption
occurs, the whole ecosystem is bound to collapse, endangering life. For example,
deforestation to convert trees into lumber or the land area into agricultural, residential, or
commercial areas would result in a weaker capacity of the soil to absorb water leading to
flooding and landslides. In addition, it affects the habitat of animals living in the forest which
may affect the entire forest population. In addition, as trees absorb carbon dioxide, the
decrease in forest cover also reduces our carbon sinks, which now leads to an increase in
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which causes climate change.

We need to respect and appreciate the natural Earth systems so that we can limit our impact
to the environment.

The effects of climate change affect the habitat of species and threatens their survival. For
example, intense rainfall and typhoons affects seagrass beds. Because of the disruption
due to sedimentation and erosion, the clarity of water will be reduced which will affect
photosynthesis of the seagrass. Seagrass serve as food and shelter to many organisms like
dugong, green sea turtle, squid, and shrimp. It also absorbs carbon dioxide and generates
oxygen. Seagrass beds serve as nursery areas for juvenile fish. Humankind benefits from
seagrass bed through its economic value for fisheries and tourism and protection from storm
especially from storm surges.
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 2. All forms of life are important
The ecosystem can be likened to a huge jigsaw puzzle with pieces that fit perfectly well to
create a beautiful picture. Taking one piece out will make the jigsaw incomplete and that gap
will affect the whole picture’s beauty and purpose.

Such is the case in our environment. Each living organism is like a piece of a puzzle that
gives us a beautiful picture to look at and that sustains life on earth. One organism, one life
form eliminated from the environment, harms its entirety and will create an indelible mark
that will compromise life as we know it.

We hear about the different endangered species in the Philippines; these are life forms at
the brink of extinction. Other species are already extinct. Their extinction is already causing
cascading effects in the food web, affecting the balance of the ecosystem itself. Their
extinction has negative impacts on our biodiversity.3

As each life form has a role to play on Earth, an extinction of a species would cause an
adverse effect on our biodiversity. The Philippines is considered as a megadiverse region
and a biodiversity hotspot, meaning we have a rich biodiversity but it’s also threatened. We
classify the threats to species as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), Vulnerable
(VU) , and Other Threatened species (OTS).

An example of a critically endangered species is the Philippine Bare-backed Fruit Bat

(Dobsonia chapmani). This particular kind of bat can only be found in the Philippines
specifically in Cebu and Negros Islands.4 Although much research is needed to understand
the Philippine Bare-backed Fruit Bat, its primary role is to disperse seeds as their diet
consists of fruits. Currently, it is being threatened by deforestation and human meat

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consumption.5 Another example of a critically endangered species is the Palawan Forest
Turtle (Siebenrockiella leytensis), another endemic species.6 This turtle helps reduce pests
by feeding on golden kuhol and mosquito larvae. They also connect aquatic and terrestrial
environments by bringing in nutrients. They dig tunnels in the riverbank which makes it
fertile. They also help germinate seeds as part of their diet.7 The Palawan Forest Turtle is

threatened by habitat destruction and illegal wildlife trade.8

3. Everything is connected to everything else

Nature is in itself a system where a group or community of organisms interact with each
other. Thus, we refer to it as an “ecosystem.” The relationships among various elements
in nature vary from simple to complex. But, they all
function as one.9

Each element in nature, both living and

nonliving, is bound to form a functional whole.
For example, the tree is host to many other
organisms - ferns, fungi, birds, etc. On the one
hand, plants provide oxygen to animals, while
on the other, animals provide carbon dioxide to
plants.10

There is an interconnectedness among many elements in nature. Human interactions with

nature and the environment sometimes alter these connections and relationships. We have
separated ourselves and put ourselves at the ecosystem’s pinnacle as if we are detached
from this interconnectedness.

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Learn more about biodiversity and climate change through Samot-

Saring Buhay: A Toolkit on Philippine Biodiversity. Go to www.bit.
ly/DepEdCCE to get a copy. You may also scan the QR code to to
go directly to the site.

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 4. Everything Changes
Nothing is more beautiful and rewarding than seeing a plant grow from a tiny little seed to
robust greenery. Or a caterpillar undergoing metamorphosis and
turning itself into a beautiful butterfly. Or how a sperm and an egg
cell come together to form a human being.11

These changes occur naturally and are a testimony to the saying

that nothing is permanent in this world other than change. Change
is indeed part of life, and the environment is host to many of these.
Climate change is not purely a human-induced event but also a
natural one. It is, however, being driven by human activities at an
alarming rate.

Change is part of life. However, the deliberate disregard for the environment has created
harmful changes not only for human beings but other life forms too. For example, building
sites on top of healthy coral reefs as tourist attraction may damage the coral reefs. Aside from
not being a sustainable source of income from tourists, damaged coral reefs will reduce the
population of fishes. It also affects the natural protection against storm surges. Destruction
of marine life would decrease our carbon sink as the ocean absorbs a quarter of the carbon
dioxide we produce. The changing climate which leads to warmer temperatures, increases
ocean acidification which threatens marine life even without human intervention. Let us not

make it more vulnerable.

5. Everything must go somewhere

We must promote the sustainable use and management of our resources. Currently, we
generate so much waste that garbage accumulates everywhere. With the circular economy
approach, the by-products of our consumption can go back to the environment. For example,
food waste may go back to the earth as a decomposed matter to help plants and other

organisms grow.

Such is the order of life on earth - everything has a destination and a place to go to
regenerate its use. For instance, particulate matter in the air is being washed down by rain,
fungi and bacteria aid in the decomposition of organic matter, while biodegradable wastes
decompose and turn into nutrients for the soil. However, our present industrialized setting
has created solid and liquid wastes that are difficult to break down and return back to the
environment.12 It is now difficult to locate where all of these wastes are going. Pollution has

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become a problem in many countries especially in the Philippines. Thus, the Ecological Solid
Waste Management Law (RA 9003) was passed to adopt a systematic, comprehensive and
ecological solid waste management program in the country.

6. Ours is a finite earth

We are currently at the age of massive consumption. We are disregarding the fact that
resources are limited; we operate under economic systems that do not support the finiteness
of our resources on earth.

For example, high demand for timber has caused massive deforestation, stripping us of
sources of clean air. Oil rigs that have been extracting fossil fuels for the booming industries
and transportation have disregarded the fact that fossil fuels are limited resources. Once
fossil fuels run out, we will be at the brink of collapse because it will take years for it to be
replenished. Our consumption behavior is so overwhelming that it is hard for the environment
to keep up.13

The international research organization, Global Footprint Network, found a very ingenious
way to illustrate the finiteness of the earth by raising awareness on the Earth Overshoot Day.
Simply put, this day marks the date when humanity’s demand for resources and services
exceeds what the earth can regenerate in a year.

“To determine the date of Earth Overshoot Day for each year, Global Footprint Network
calculates the number of days of that year that the Earth’s biocapacity suffices for humanity’s
Ecological Footprint. The remainder of the year corresponds to global overshoot.”14

For 2020, the Earth Overshoot Day fell on August 22. This means that during that year, the
earth’s biocapacity was only able to provide for 235 days out of the total 365. The remaining
number of days from August 23 onwards was an overshoot of how much the earth can fend
for humanity. If we continue living this way, we are surviving on a deficit resource and it
wouldn’t be too long that we won’t be having enough to sustain life on earth.This reality of
having an overshoot in earth’s finite resource is a direct opposite of what the Sustainable
Development Goals aspire to achieve- that is to sustain life on earth for future generations.

Human beings take so much from the environment without considering that it is limited, and
there are still future generations that will depend on it. We have become materialistic and
greedy that we take so much for our own benefit.

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 7. Nature is beautiful, and we are stewards of God’s creation
It is important to establish that we, as human beings, are gifted with intellect and reason not
to dominate the other life forms on earth but to help them flourish. Yet, this has not been the
case. We have evolved ourselves to create dominion over the earth and take everything as our
own. This is the dominance model that has
been the prevailing purview which pushes
forward anthropocentric environmental
ethics. Nature and the environment in this
model assume a utilitarian value for human
beings’ exploitation. Had we known better,
we could have assumed a less threatening
position by recognizing that human beings
have no special position in the ecosystem
but to foster a relationship with the
environment and acknowledging that each organism has its own intrinsic value. This is the
stewardship model which is ecocentric– recognizing that the value of harmony with nature
that is nurturing and caring will be beneficial to all.15 It is unfortunate that dominance rather
than stewardship has been the marching order. Thus, we are left with an environment that
is teetering to extinction.

Some of the world’s great religions call for stewardship of the environment. Among Christians,
the first book in the bible, Genesis, was about the story of creation which emphasizes how
God as the creator has made the earth bountiful and for human beings with the gift of reason
and intelligence to have responsibility to multiply the earth’s bounty. Furthermore, the Catholic
Pope wrote the Laudato Si to reinforce this responsibility as the world is experiencing the
global problem of climate change. The Islamic tradition on the other hand, is strong in their
environmental ethics that promotes relationships founded on (justice) and ihsan (equity)-
upholding the Prophet Muhammad’s message about hurmah which recognizes that all living
creatures are worthy of protection and kind treatment. Also, Buddhism advocates for non-
greed, non-hatred and non-delusion in all human pursuits. While Hinduism on the other
hand holds to a very high esteem the sanctity of life. Only God has absolute sovereignty

over all creatures and human beings have no dominion over them.16

Religious groups value the need for climate action as our role in being stewards of God’s
creation. Pope Francis wrote Laudato Si: Encyclical on Care for Our Common Home in 2015
which stressed climate change as a global problem with grave implications and laments
that the poor (who are least responsible for causing the problem) are disproportionately
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vulnerable to its harmful effects.17 Recently, the Pope criticized the weak response of
governments in confronting the crisis. In the Philippines, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference
of the Philippines is one of the church institutions to divest from coal by adopting renewable
energy in Catholic schools, and diocesan and parish centers, and establishment of ecology
desks in every diocese.18 Muslim leaders adopted the Islamic Declaration on Climate
Change which underscores greenhouse gas emissions reduction and supporting vulnerable
communities. Truly, religion remains a binding force to care for the only planet which can
support life.

Even among indigenous peoples, harmony with the environment and the relationship with
nature is highly regarded. Philippine folk groups who practice traditional cultures regard
nature and the environment as sacred and awe-inspiring.19 The Ikalaans of Northern Luzon,
for instance, have fought to preserve their environment and natural habitat until today. Having
control of their ancestral domain in the 1970s, they have maintained to preserve and develop
their forests for livelihood and for the protection of wildlife.20 In 2017, indigenous peoples
(IPs) communities (the Maeng and Banao in Abra, the Agta of General Nakar in Quezon,
the Ayta of Maporac, Zambales, the Buhid Mangyan in Mts. Iglit-Baco in Mindoro and the
Menuvu of Pangantucan in Mt. Kalatungan) together with non-government organizations,
government agencies and international organizations came together to launch the Indigenous
Peoples and Local Communities Conserved Areas and Territories (ICCAs) Project aimed at
protecting the landscape and seascape ecosystems located in the IPs ancestral domains;
considered to be their sacred spaces and ritual grounds. The conservation effort empowered
the indigenous peoples to enforce leadership and stewardship in preserving the natural
resources necessary for their communities’ sustenance of life; allowing them to have full
control, surveillance and enforcement. A total of 154,868 hectares were covered by the
project, an impressive achievement of 130% of the set target to cover vital terrestrial sites
and ancestral waters. (Global Environment Facility 2019)

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For more information on climate change, please check the
annex, page 115 on !"##"$#%!&&'&(%)$%*+",-.&%*/-$#&

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%&'($
1. The Seven Environmental Principles are core messages articulated by the Miriam College
Environmental Studies Institute’s advocacy unit called Miriam-P.E.A.C.E. (Public Education and Awareness
Campaign for Environment). They use these principles to introduce basic environmental ethics in the
Philippine context. Miriam-P.E.A.C.E borrowed, expanded, and contextualized some of these principles from
American environmentalist Barry Commoner’s “Four Laws of Ecology.” (2003).

2. A. P. Galang, D. P. T. Reyes, E. L. Dela Cruz, M. T. M. Oliva, L. C. Pinpin, S. R. Mesina, and M.

R. G. Wood, Seven Lenses or environmental principles as if Adults mattered, The Bookmark, Inc. 2003, 3-11.

3. Galang, et al., Seven Lenses, 25-29.

4. Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, Updated National List of threatened

Philippine Fauna and their Categories, DENR Administrative Order 2019-09, Manila.

5. Asian Species Action Partnership, Philippine Bare-backed Fruit Bat Dobsonia chapmani.
https://www.speciesonthebrink.org/species/philippine-bare-backed-fruit-bat/

6. M. Wayner. Dobsonia chapmani: Negros naked-backed fruit bat. Animal Diversity Web. 2013.
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dobsonia_chapmani/

7. Turtle Conservancy, Palawan Forest Turtle (Siebenrockiella Leytensis). https://www.

turtleconservancy.org/programs/palawan#:~:text=The%20Turtle%20Conservancy%20is%20
working,Forest%20Turtle%20in%20the%20Philippines.

8. C. A. Formoso, Single hatchling brings hope to “Palawan forest turtle” conservation, Philippine
News Agency, 2018. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1042202#:~:text=Since%20the%20Palawan %20
forest%20turtles,and%20make%20it%20more%20fertile.

9. Galang, et al., Seven Lenses, 48-49.

10. Galang, et al., 50-51.

11. Galang, et al., 67-84.

12. Galang, et al., 88-90.

13. Galang, et al., 110-115.

14. Global Footprint Network 2021.

15. Galang, et al., 144-145.

16. Galang, et al., 136-142.

17. P. Francis, and S. McDonagh, On Care for Our Common Home, Laudato Si: The Encyclical of
Pope Francis on the Environment with Commentary by Sean McDonagh, New York: Orbis Books, 2016.

18. Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Green group lauds church divestment from
coal, CBCP News, 2019. https://cbcpnews.net/cbcpnews/green-grouplauds-church-divestment-from-coal/.

19. Galang, et al., Seven Lenses, 41.

20. Galang, et al., 145-146.

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