Environmental and medical issues

Causes - burning fossil fuels which release CO2 or a natural rise in temperature

Effects

Warm temperature causes ice to melt which will raise the sea levels - some land will be underwater

Hotter areas suffer drought, others suffer excessive rain

Extreme weather causes shortages of food and famine

Animals and plants that can't adapt will die

Solutions

Individual - turn off TV, light when not in room; walk instead of driving; support charities

Government - set laws to reduce energy used and produced; fines for using too much energy

Scientists - research to understand climate change and how to prevent it

Waste that is not recyclable uses space, causes disease and releases chemicals

Pollution in soil (pesticides, radioactive waste) causes poor plant growth

Chemical released into the atmosphere might change the chemical balance of the air

Fertilisers and oil being washed into the sea will cause water pollution which causes animals living there to die

Solutions

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Use renewable energy sources

Anti pollution laws to deter people from polluting

Research how to reduce packaging to create less waste

Renewable - wind, solar, water, fertile land

Never run out - can be replaced naturally or by people

Don't cause pollution

Less reliable so produce less energy and are more expensive

Non renewable - coal, oil, gas

Some can be recycled and are useful for transport and electricity

Once they are used they cannot be replaced

Cause pollution

We are reliant on non renewable sources so they will most likely run out soon

Stewardship - God gave us stewardship over the world so we should look after it

God gave us power over the world so we should have a responsibility to care for the environment and to preserve it for future generations

We should after the earth because it is a gift from God

'love thy neighbour' and Golden rule - we should preserve resources for future generations and share resources equally

Care for animals and plants - they need environment to live, they were created by God

God will judge us on our actions

We are God's stewards so should reduce pollition and preserve resources

We will be judged on our actions so should help the environment

God created the environment so we should protect it

Caring for the environment obeys the mitzvot

Artificial insemination by husband - husband's sperm is medically put into mother's womb

IVF - egg from mother and sperm from father are fertilised in a test tube

Artificial insemination by donor - sperm is taken from a donor and used to fertilise mother's egg

Egg donation - husband's sperm is used to fertilise the egg of a donor

Embryo donation - sperm and egg are both donated

Surrogacy - another woman carries the baby for the couple

Problems

expensive - sometimes more attempts are needed

fertiliity drugs have side effects

donor sperm or egg can cause problems bonding with the child                                                    surrogate might not want to give child away if they bond

For

allows infertile couples to enjoy having children - 'be fruitful and multiply'

acceptable for married couples - more likely to stay committed to each other and to the baby

God gave us the knowledge to be able to produce children artificially

Against

It could be God's plan for the couple not to have children - they could work at a school or volunteer

Children were meant to be produced naturally

Some embryos are destroyed - this is murder

Fertilisation outside womb involves masturbation

Donated sperm, surroagacy is seen as adultery

For

Having children is important

Rabbis teach that we can use medical technology as long as they obey the mitzvot

Egg donation is allowed from Jewish woman

Against

Donor involves adultery

Jewishness is received from mother - surrogacy is not allowed

Issues

Expensive

Who receives transplant - waiting longest, youngest, best match of organ?

Family might feel pressured into donating organs to save others life

Organs from animals - not ethical that they are bred until someone needs the organ

Not enough donors providing organs compared with how many people need organ transplant

Someone could be killed for their organs - to save someone else's life

When is someone considered dead?

For

A body is not needed to go to heaven

Golden Rule, love thy neighbour - saving life

Against

Sanctity of life - 'play God'  by taking organs from one person and giving it to another

Organs were created by God for that specific person - it would be wrong to change his creation

Organs shouldn't be replaced if they are an alcoholic or if they smoke because they have deliberately damaged their organs 

Only allowed from a Jew - affect Jewishness if from non Jew

Organs from dead people is 'playing God'

Organs from living donors are not vital so can obey the mitzvot by preserving life

Paying for organs is exploiting the poor - banned in Tenakh

Sanctity of life - mitzvot

mitzvot - love your neighbour