Ecosystem disruption is a rapid change in the species composition of a community that can be traced directly to human activity. In “The Pursuit of Wilderness,” by Paul Brooks, he states,
“We shall never understand the natural environment until we see it as being an organism. Land can be healthy or sick, fertile or barren, rich or poor, lovingly nurtured or bled white. Our present attitudes and laws governing the ownership and use of land represent an abuse of the concept of private property.... Today you can murder land for private profit. You can leave the corpse for all to see and nobody calls the cops.”
His quotation accurately describes the current way land is treated. Due to issues such as global warming, industrialization, pollution, oil spills, over population and deforestation, our environment is suffering greatly. Groups like Green Peace and Earth First, think the environment is naturally beautiful, but is often destroyed by the greed of humanity. They also, like Brooks, believe the environment is a living organism just the same as any human or animal.
Our seas and land are home to an abundance of creatures. These creatures are dependent on their habitat for survival. They adapt and continuously interact with their surroundings. These surroundings are the natural environment. The term natural environment means many things. It’s any landscape such as, soil, water, desert, or mountains that contain living and non-living organisms. The natural atmosphere is being polluted due to human causes.
A pollutant is a substance or form of energy that adversely alters the physical, chemical or biological quality of nature. Some examples of pollution are pesticides, car fumes, trash, oil and chemicals. All of these pollutants are c...
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...cling makes a huge difference. Recycling more plastic, paper and glass creates less waste. Planting trees also helps. They provide more fresh air and give some animals the resources they need. Conserving water is a huge help to the environment. Turning the water off when you brush your teeth or taking shorter showers saves the natural resource. Probably the most helpful change would be riding a bike when possible. Bikes don’t create any fume pollutants like cars do with gasoline. Their eco-friendly and good for health and exercise as well. Little things help too. Picking up litter when you see it and turning of unnecessary lights can make a big difference. Due to issues such as global warming, industrialization, pollution, oil spills, over population, radioactivity and deforestation, our environment is suffering greatly, but with help can be saved little by little.
"How important is a constant intercourse with nature and the contemplation of natural phenomenon to the preservation of moral & intellectual health. The discipline of the schools or of business—can never impart such serenity to the mind. " ~ Henry David Thoreau, May, 1851
It is generally agreed that modern environmentalism begins with ‘A Fable for Tomorrow’, the first chapter in Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962). The fairytale-like opening to the book begins with the words, ‘There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings’, painting a classic pastoral picture where she describes civilization far from modern ills coexisting with nature yet away from the perceived danger of the wild. However pastoral peace swiftly gives way to destruction- 'Then a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change. Some evil spell had settled on the community: mysterious maladies swept the flocks of chickens; the cattle and sheep
He believes that the wilderness has helped form us and that if we allow industrialization to push through the people of our nation will have lost part of themselves; they will have lost the part of themselves that was formed by the wilderness “idea.” Once the forests are destroyed they will have nothing to look back at or to remind them of where they came from or what was, and he argues everyone need to preserve all of what we have now.
In this world, there are some people who love nature, but there are still some people who misuse and destroy natural resources. Many articles have been written on those themes. Among them, Chief Seattle explains how human beings are destroying nature in his “Letter to President Pierce,” whereas Barry Lopez mentions and appreciates the good of nature in the article “Children in the Wood.” Chief Seattle is from Washington and became the chief of his native people from Dewamish and Pacific Northwest tribes in order to supervise his tribes and protect nature (Seattle 648). In contrast, since Barry Lopez is from New York City, he grew up in dense cities that made him a nature lover. In the world, people are destroying natural resources; although, they can find many useful sources from natural resources if preserved properly. Both essays “Letter to President Pierce” and “Children in the Wood” elaborate the benefits of preserving natural resources for the human kind because Seattle mentions possible adverse
“The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it” -Chris Joseph
Leopold, Aldo. “The Land Ethic” in Environmental Ethics edited by David Schmidtz and Elizabeth Willott. Oxford University Press, New York. 2002. p. 27-32.
Regardless of some of the differing views between the two authors, both Berry and Turner seem to share the belief that an unchanging natural landscape with which humans can develop a healthy and peaceful relationship is most ideal. The timelessness, calmness, and welcoming aura that nature brings will forever be there for us, as long as we do not destroy it with carelessness and ignorance. Works Cited Baldwin, A. Dwight, Judith De Luce, and Carl Pletsch. Beyond Preservation: Restoring and Inventing Landscapes. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1994.
In his book ‘Small is Beautiful’, E.F. Schumacher contemplated the theory that during our battle with nature, alleged success for humans may in fact have unforeseen consequences, due to the complex relationship that humans and ecosystems possess. In 2005 the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) published a set of prominent reports, which indicated just how reliant humans are on natural ecosystems. They also demonstrated how we are destroying the planet’s biodiversity, along with the ecosystems upon which we depend.
However, some only have this appreciation due to the fact that the nature provides a service to them, usually involving an escape from the busy reality that many deal with constantly. Perceptions of nature include an oasis from the stresses of real life, and for that reason, support the protection of certain pieces of land. In William Cronon’s essay, “The Trouble With Wilderness,” he claims that modern interpretation of wilderness is “quite profoundly a human creation” (Cronan 1). This phrase underscores the notion that humanity created the conception of wilderness as something particularly special and enchanting, and that the definition is not inherent. Even many people who are considered to have valued the environment to the utmost degree were actually acting this way due to their own human-centered uses for the natural world. For example, one of the sole reasons Theodore Roosevelt spearheaded the movement for a National Parks System is not due to his appreciation for the natural world, but because he was an avid hunter (NPS.gov). If urbanization would have continued, without preserving many areas of the United States, the ability to hunt in the United States would be very difficult if not impossible. If humans did not understand wilderness as “the remote corners of the earth,” that supply an “experience of wonder and
When I think of the perfect place, I imagine a cascading waterfall, a vast forest, a stunning mountainside, or a warm sunset on the beach. I look up around me, mesmerized by the vastness of the natural world and breathe in the fresh air. Over the course of my life, I have come to respect the environment and the earth’s natural surroundings in ways that most others do not in the industrialized and technological era of today. I can appreciate the beauty of the Earth and of all the different landscapes and organisms that surround me. The way in which I value and treasure the environment has evolved just as I have. I see the environment as something to be preserved and admired, not destroyed or exploited. My relationship with the environment is
According to World WildLife Fund, many ecosystems around the world are being destroyed, eliminating many plant and animal species that inhabit them (“Pollution”).
Pollution is causing the destruction of environments and habits resulting in many adverse affects. The types of environments that are heavily damaged by pollution is normally freshwater ones. Polluting factors such as untreated sewage, mining waste, acid rain, fertilizers and pesticides
Throughout history, many individuals wish to discover and explain the relationship between nature and society, however, there are many complexities relating to this relationship. The struggle to understand how nature and society are viewed and connected derives from the idea that there are many definitions of what nature is. The Oxford dictionary of Human Geography (2003), explains how nature is difficult to define because it can be used in various contexts as well as throughout different time and spaces. As a result of this, the different understandings of what nature is contributes to how the nature society relationship is shaped by different processes. In order to better understand this relation there are many theorists and philosophers
Humans have many effects on the ecosystem that lower population and communities of other organisms. Although society cannot prevent all actions other people do towards the ecosystem, people can prevent a few in their day to day lives. The ecosystem is very important to human life, as it gives the atmosphere oxygen to breath. Over many years of careful examination, scientists have noticed huge changes in the ecosystem due to human actions, concluding with damaging results. Therefore human actions have many effects on the ecosystem.
Pollution is a massive problem that the earth faces. Pollution is the action or process of making land, water, air, etc…, dirty and not safe or suitable to use. Pollution of air, water, and soil are the most complex issues. Various types of gases and toxins that are released by industries