Chapter 1 – Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability.
Explanations as to why I agree or disagree with each of the following statements, are published in italics:
(a) Humans are superior to other forms of life; Agree: All organisms have to compete for resources, and largely due to our technological advancements, such as guns and chain-saws, we have a clear advantage over other life forms. The domination by humans leads to the daily extinction of approximately 40 to 100 species (Chiras, 2010, p. 57). Although we may be superior in this sense, it does not make us more important.
(b) Humans are in charge of the earth; Agree: “We hold power over the future of the biosphere, the power to destroy or preserve.” (Chiras, 2010, p. 58). This great power necessitates great responsibility; and humans have the responsibility to protect the earth, not conquer it (Miller & Spoolman, 2009, p. 16).
(c) All economic growth is good; Disagree: Fast economic growth can have negative implications for the environment; including the increased exploitation of natural capital and further inequalities in wealth distribution, expediting poverty (Healey, 2008, p. 2). Focus should instead be directed to environmentally sustainable economic growth (Miller & Spoolman, 2009, p. 10).
(d) The value of other forms of life depends only on whether they are useful to us; Agree: As all forms of life are or have the potential to be useful to humans, they are all therefore valuable. Some uses include natural capital, economic ecotourism benefits, genetic information and recreational pleasures (Miller & Spoolman, 2009, p. 99-100).
(e) Because all forms of life eventually become extinct we should not worry about whether our activities cause their premature extinction; Disagree: Premature eradication of organism can be detrimental to future generations, and unfortunately humans have accelerated some species extinction to 32 times its natural rate (Chiras, 2010, p. 58). 99% of Tropical forest flowering plant species are yet to be examined for their medicinal properties, and many will become extinct before this can occur (Miller & Spoolman, 2009, p. 99).
(e) Because all forms of life eventually become extinct we should not worry about whether our activities cause their premature extinction; Disagree: Premature eradication of organism can be detrimental to future generations, and unfortunately humans have accelerated some species extinction to 32 times its natural rate (Chiras, 2010, p. 58). 99% of Tropical forest flowering plant species are yet to be examined for their medicinal properties, and many will become extinct before this can occur (Miller & Spoolman, 2009, p. 99).
(f) All forms of life have an inherent right to exist; Agree: All life has value, therefore an inherent right to exist. Humans are a part of, and completely reliant on nature, therefore should endeavour to care for all life forms (Miller & Spoolman, 2009, p. 333-334).
(g) Nature has an almost unlimited storehouse of resources for human use; Disagree: Many of the resources that nature provides are unlimited, including wind, sun and water flows. However, these are not just for human use, and alone are not enough to sustain life on earth. Other natural resources such as plants, water and soil are also needed, and are not limitless (Miller & Spoolman, 2009, p. 6).
(g) Nature has an almost unlimited storehouse of resources for human use; Disagree: Many of the resources that nature provides are unlimited, including wind, sun and water flows. However, these are not just for human use, and alone are not enough to sustain life on earth. Other natural resources such as plants, water and soil are also needed, and are not limitless (Miller & Spoolman, 2009, p. 6).
(h) Technology can solve our environmental problems; Disagree: There is no single solution to our environmental issues; being flexible and administering a range of cultural and scientific solutions is better than “blind technological optimism” (Miller & Spoolman, 2009, p. 335-336).
References
Healey, J., (2008). Issues in society. The Globalisation Issue. Thirroul, NSW: Spinney Press.
Miller, G. T., & Spoolman, S. E. (2009). Sustaining the earth. (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brookes/Cole.
Chiras, D. (2010). Environmental Science. (8th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
2 Eco-Comments:
Sharon, you have supported your argument for each statement with exceptional information I could not disagree with, especially the quote from part (b). Humans do have the power to destroy or preserve which is why we need to value all forms of life and sustain our environment for now and the future.
Thanks for the great BLOG!
Sharon, in regards to week two's blog about technology solving our envirinmental problems, I agree that there is no single or simple solution to all our environmental issues. But there are ways in which technology can help us reduce the impact we have on the environment. For example, using solar panels and windfarms to meet our energy needs instead of coal driven power stations helps us reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that are pumped into the atmosphere.
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