The purpose of this civic issue’s blog is to explore the harmful effects that our exploitation of the environment has on the natural world. Whether it’s as large scale as the depletion of the Amazon Rainforest or as seemingly insignificant as the growing number of landfills, all our actions have impacts on the environment around us. It is only us who can ultimately decide whether we want to save it or help destroy it.
The most heartbreaking part is that the ones who suffer most from out ignorance and sheer cruelty are the other creatures of the planet who we are supposed to live in harmony with. Our greed and insensitivity has led to the destruction of thousands of natural habitats like the coral reefs, rainforests, and arctic tundras as well as the loss of millions of innocent, peaceful, and undeserving lives. It is up to us to prevent the further degeneration of our (and the animals’) only home’s biodiversity.
According to World Wild Life Fund for Nature (http://www.worldwildlife.org), one of the largest non-profit international organizations dedicated to the conservation of biodiverstiy and reduction of the human footprint, 17 species including the Amur Leopard, Black Rhino, and Mountain Gorilla are critically endangered. This means that these species have an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
The Amur Leopard- Critically Endangered
The Black Rhino- Critically Endangered
The Mountain Gorilla- Critically Endangered
Aside from those species that are critically endangered, an additional 48 species are either endangered or highly vulnerable to endangerment.
In addition to dwindling species, our world’s most unique and precious habitats and ecosystems are being exploited for natural resources- so much so that they have virtually been destroyed, along with their peaceful inhabitants. Places like the Amazon (South America) , Southern Chile (South America) , Namibia (Africa), The Congo Basin (Africa), The Coral Triangle (Western Pacific Ocean), and The Galápagos Islands (Pacific Ocean) are just a few examples of the ecosystems that are at high risk.
Despite knowing that these species need our help to be reintroduced into their habitats (which by the way, may or may not still exist- thanks to humans once again), these animals and environments are still poached, hunted, murdered, and destroyed in cold blood for their furs, pelts, ivory, skins, and natural resources. The lucrative nature of these animals in our desensitized, market oriented, and in my opinion, bloody stupid man -made world has become more valuable than a life itself.
It is shocking and utterly shameful to understand this realization. It is my goal to show how fundamentally wrong this notion is as well as galvanize support for not only the WWF but for the promise of restoring biodiversity to our planet once again. Aside from those species that are critically endangered, an additional 48 species are either endangered or highly vulnerable to endangerment.
I plead you to please show your support and take action (https://www.worldwildlife.org/how-to-help) in any way you can. The destruction has to stop. Millions of lives must be saved. If we don’t dutifully uphold our moral responsibility for saving our vanishing world, we are no better than those who are actively destroying our planet every day. By changing small things in our lifestyle (like maybe using reusable water bottles instead of plastic ones, and trying to monitor out water and electricity consumption) and fighting for every life out there, we will make a difference.
I agree with your notions of protecting the environment, but I will play the devil’s advocate in this case. I feel like many people say that it is horrible for the nations that destroy the environment and nations should be held responsible for what they destroy, but for many of the developing nations, that is how they are surviving in the modern economy. The farmers in the amazon are destroying it because that is all they know. Nobody destroys nature out of sheer malice, only out of lack of knowledge and economic need. There needs to be a solution which meets the needs of these communities. This is the only way for us to solve the problem.
Great post to introduce the topic of your blog and set the stage for what you plan on covering this semester. I think wildlife endangerment is one of those topics that is too often set aside and ignored. People tend to continue with their actions until something terrible happens as a result. We don’t seem to understand that when a problem arises, that it should be immediately addressed, not pushed aside until it’s too late to fix it. As caretakers of the Earth, I agree that we need to pay more attention to how our actions impact the environment and the world. While reading your post, a quote by Gandhi entered my mind: “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Humans are not the only animal species dependent on the Earth for survival. We may be able to talk English and think logically, but we are certainly not superior to other species. It’s hard to believe that while our society and ecosystem depend so much on animals, we are so willing to dismiss them. We don’t seem to understand that extinction affects more than one species. We live together as part of an ecosystem, and if one thing goes missing then everything else suffers as well. As Gandhi pointed out, if we do not care for the animals we live with, then we are nothing as a society.