8.2: Environment And Medical Issues Flashcards Preview

Religious Studies Unit 8: Religion And Society > 8.2: Environment And Medical Issues > Flashcards

Flashcards in 8.2: Environment And Medical Issues Deck (29)
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1
Q

What are the causes of global warming? (4)

A
  • The greenhouse effect: human activity of burning fossil fuels.
  • Natural climate change: scientists believe the Earth is naturally warming up, CO2 is produced by volcanoes and organisms (nature produces this).
  • Solar activity: High amount of radiation from the sun which is kept from the Earth by clouds- solar winds cause fewer clouds so the sun’s heat reaches the Earth.
  • Human activity- burning of fossil fuels (oil, coal, gas).
  • Natural processes before fossil fuels were discovered.
2
Q

What are the solutions for global warming? (5)

A
  • Alternative means to produce energy (solar power, wind power…) reducing the use of fossil fuels to hydroelectric, electricity, nuclear.
  • Car manufacturers are using alternative ways to power cars, e.g. biodiesel, ethanol, electric batteries.
  • Improved emissions of greenhouse gases by devices.
  • Public transport.
  • Things can be made more efficient.
3
Q

What are the advantages of global warming? (2)

A
  • Increase in industries like tourism.

* Countries become warmer.

4
Q

What are the forms of pollution? (5)

A
  • Acid rain: pH levels are increased by carbon dioxide emissions.
  • Human waste: sewage and rubbish.
  • Eutrophication: pesticides, fertilisers and chemicals on plants and wash away into rivers, algae takes up more oxygen and blocks sunlight out- organisms die and decompose.
  • Radioactive pollution: nuclear waste stored in places.
  • Carbon emissions.
5
Q

What are the disadvantages of global warming? (5)

A
  • The temperature of the Earth increases - ice caps melt, sea levels rise, land is lost.
  • More natural disasters occur such as droughts in hot places.
  • Rainfall increases due to extreme weather.
  • Change in the environment e.g. Southern Mediterranean countries like Spain could become deserts.
  • Some animals and plants die.
6
Q

What are some examples of renewable energy resources? (7)

A
  • Wind power.
  • Solar power.
  • Hydroelectric.
  • Wave/tidal power.
  • Rape seed oil.
  • Sugar cane.
  • Soft woods.
7
Q

What are some examples of non renewable energy resources? (5)

A
  • Oil.
  • Coal.
  • Metals- copper, iron, tin, uranium.
  • Gas.
  • Hard wood.
8
Q

What is lost if oil runs out? (5)

A
  • Cars.
  • Things made of plastic and tarmac (roads).
  • Household goods, cosmetics.
  • Chemical foodstuff (additives, flavourings, preservations).
  • Packaging.
9
Q

What are the solutions for shortage of non renewable/finite resources? (5)

A
  • Renewable resources.
  • Recycling.
  • Biodegradable materials
  • Alternative lifestyles.
  • Different means of energy.
  • Chemicals from plants can be used to make plastics.
10
Q

Why should Christians be stewards of Earth? (11)

A
  • Showing love for neighbours.
  • First chapter of Genesis in the Bible instructs Christians to be stewards.
  • Christians have been made vice-regents (co-rulers of the Earth).
  • Christians should follow the Bible.
  • God cares.
  • Christians should look after God’s creation.
  • In the future heaven will be on Earth.
  • Christians have many responsibilities.
  • To pass on to the next generation.
  • Judgment day- Christians will be judged on behaviour, duties and beliefs.
  • Jesus’ teachings to share the Earth’s resources.
11
Q

How do beliefs about stewardship affect Christian attitudes to the environment? (7)

A
  • Pollution should be reduced- God’s stewards have responsibilities to leave the Earth a better place than they found it.
  • Care for animal and plant life because it is a gift from God .
  • The Earth’s resources should be shared fairly- the quality life in LEDCs (less economically developed countries) should be improved.
  • People will be judged at the end of the world.
  • Human concerns cannot be be ignored when tackling environmental issues. (E.g. Shutting down a factory to reduce pollution leaves workers jobless).
  • Many Christians do celebrate the environment by holding harvest festivals each year when they thank God for the harvest.
  • Conserve the Earth’s natural resources for future generations.
12
Q

How do Islamic teachings about stewardship affect attitudes to the environment? (5)

A
  • Muslims should try and reduce pollution and reserve resources as a responsibility to be God’s khalifahs and to follow the Shar’iah.
  • The Shari’ah and Ummah make Muslims believe that stewardship means a fair sharing of the Earth’s resources.
  • Quality of life should be improved for others (LEDCs).
  • Judgement day- judged on standards of Islamic stewardship. Those you do not look after the Earth have misused God’s gifts and don’t go to heaven.
  • Keep the Earth how God intended it to be.
13
Q

What are the Islamic teachings on stewardship? (6)

A
  • God created Adam as his Khalifah (vice regent) so all Muslims are Kahlifahs.
  • The balance of God’s creation must be looked after by Muslims.
  • Muslims must follow the Islamic law in the Qur’an and Shari’ah.
  • It involves being apart of the Ummah (worldwide community of Muslims).
  • Day of judgement.
  • Tested by God.
14
Q

What are the infertility treatments? (6)

A
  • In-vitro fertilisation: the egg from the woman is fertilised outside of the womb with a husband’s or donor’s sperm and is placed back in the womb.
  • Artificial Insemination by husband (AIH): the husband’s sperm is placed into his wife by mechanical means.
  • Artificial Insemination by Donor (AID): when an anonymous donor sperm is placed into a woman by mechanic means.
  • Egg donation: an egg is donated by another person and is fertilised by IVF and placed into the woman’s womb by mechanical means.
  • Embryo donation: the egg and sperm are both from donors and are fertilised by IVF and placed into the mother’s womb.
  • Surrogacy: when the egg and sperm and fertilised by IVF and the embryo is then placed into another woman’s womb.
15
Q

What are the positive Christian attitudes towards infertility treatments? (7 )

A
  • Genetic diseases prevented.
  • Right to a child.
  • Happiness- the joy of children.
  • God’s instructions to Adam and Eve.
  • Golden rule: ‘do to others as you would have them do to it you’.
  • The egg and sperm are form the mother and father and the baby will be biological offspring.
  • The discarded embryos are not foetuses and the destruction can be justified by the doctrine of the double effect (the intention is to produce children for childless couples and not to kill embryos).
  • It provides a couple with children- one of the purposes of Christian marriage.
16
Q

What are the negative Christian attitudes towards towards infertility treatments? (8)

A
  • Expensive.
  • Designer babies.
  • Multiple births.
  • Side effects.
  • Marriage effected.
  • Mental well being effected.
  • Problems created after.
  • Adoption is encouraged.
17
Q

What are Catholic views on infertility treatment? (4)

A

AGAINST:
•Treating embryos is no way different from abortions- some embryos are discarded.
•AI or surrogacy involves masturbation which is a sin.
•God intended procreation to be apart of the sex act.
•God decides whether people should have children.

18
Q

What are the positive Islamic views on infertility treatment? (3)

A

IVF and AIH are accepted:
•Muslims are expected have a family life.
•The baby will be a biological offspring.
•Life is not taken as discarded embryos are not foetuses.

19
Q

What are the negative Islamic views on fertility treatment? (3)

A
  • Children have a right to know their natural parents; it is essential in Islam.
  • Egg and sperm donation is a form of adultery.
  • Adoption is banned in Islam; egg and sperm donation is very similar.
20
Q

What are the types of organ transplant surgery? (2)

A
  • Organs used from people who have died.

* Organs that are from living donors.

21
Q

How does the ULTRA system work?

A

Unrelated Live Transplant Regulatory Authority:
•In the UK.
•Prevents people from selling their organs.
•Possible law used in other European countries but not the UK: presumed that everyone agrees to be organ donors automatically and can ‘opt out’.
•ULTRA is opposite to this.
•There are not enough organ donors in the UK.

22
Q

Why do Christians agree to transplant surgery? (7)

A
  • Immortality of the soul, the body is not need after death.
  • Those who believe in resurrection believe St Paul’s words that they will be transformed (the body does not need physical organs).
  • Organs should be used to help the living.
  • The body will resurrect and not need organs.
  • Jesus’ teachings: love your neighbour.
  • Golden rule: treat others as you would want to be treated.
  • Objections to paying for organs (exploiting the poor).
23
Q

Why is transplant surgery important? (5)

A
  • Life threatening diseases are cured.
  • Gives people a chance to help others after death.
  • High demand for organs.
  • Lives are saved.
  • Pioneering surgical method that could improve to artificial organs.
24
Q

Why do Christians oppose organs donated by dead people? (4)

A
  • Organs are important parts of the individual created by God.
  • Transplanting organs from the dead into the living is insuring the role of God. Humans cannot act as God.
  • Organs cannot be paid for- it is wrong to take advantage of the poor.
  • Organs that can be used from the living are not vital so it can be used to fulfil Jesus’ teachings of loving your neighbour.
25
Q

Why do Muslims object to transplant surgery? (5)

A
  • Nothing can be removed from the body after death- Shari’ah law teaches.
  • God can only perform transplant acts (Qu’ran states).
  • To act as God is the greatest sin in Islam.
  • Life belongs to God, so he has the right to give and take life (Muslim belief in the sanctity of life)
  • Organs are needed when Muslims are resurrected on judgment day.
26
Q

Why do Muslims agree to transplant surgery? (3)

A
  • In 1995, a new rule (fatrua) was made allowing Muslims to carry donor cards in the UK.
  • Islam aims for good, people should be saved if they are dying.
  • Some Muslim lawyers permit it.
27
Q

Why do Christians object to all types of transplant surgery? (5)

A
  • Transplants disrespect sanctity of life.
  • Transplanting organs is God’s role and cannot be performed by humans.
  • Problems are caused when someone is dead- heart transplants require the heart to be removed and stop beating.
  • Doctors cannot leave children to die.
  • Emotional/moral problems can be caused as a surgeon may have to choose which patient gets the transplant (does a surgeon save the life of an unknown patient when there is a known patient that needs a transplant).
28
Q

What are the solutions to the forms of pollution? (4)

A

•Acid rain- using less fossil fuels and using non-polluting sources, renewable energy.
•Human Waste- recycling, reusing, incinerators and to stop littering.
•Eutrophication- better sewage treatment, less use of phosphates and nitrates, more organic farming.
•Radioactive pollution - Reprocessed 97%,
3% stored.

29
Q

Why are infertility treatments important? (4)

A
  • 12.5% of UK couples have fertility problems.
  • 1.5 million men have fertility problems.
  • It is human nature to want children.
  • People may suffer from depression.