Diversity of Living Things: Know Thine Enemy, Self

"Many Scientists consider humans as the most invasive species, as humans can greatly change an environment and impact living things that reside there. Are we being stewards of the world? Take a look at an issue in which human intervention has positively or negatively affected the biodiversity of our ecosystems."

Really? I'll be honest with you, I'm not really feeling that question, ya know?
I mean, i could answer it. Unfortunately, it would sound something like this:

Some people are bad, some people are good.
Some do what they want, some do what they should.
so lets all dance around now, 'cause its a song that i'm now singing.
But it's also my Bio Blog, .... (um.) ..You better get the phone, its ringing!

Horrible.

How about something else? I like where this is going, I really do.
I kinda like the look of the letter A. Maybe you could throw a couple of those in there?
And put a little heart or something at the end of it? That would be grand! And let's keep it simple!

"Why do some humans act in a way that is harmful to the environment?" Y

Disco. That sparkles with me. Even if we don't agree with those who negatively affect the biodiversity of our ecosystems, it would be beneficial to walk a mile in their shoes. I must warn you however, because experience has taught that there really is not Good and Evil in this world. The line between is far too faint. Many people get lost along the way.

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So let's start with what we think know, then move on.

Humans act negatively towards the environment because they are greedy or ignorant. It doesnt matter to them how they make their money, and they see the environment as a resource to be used up and discarded. These kinds of people are cruel and malicious. They are faceless and evil, and eat children. What they do is simply the easiest and most cowardly choice of action. They could change if they wanted to, but they refuse.

...Ah, ignorance is indeed an iron curtain. Dont get me wrong, bad guys are bad. But hopefully we'll both learn something from this. So right now, we have a picture of an evil, faceless, tyrannical corporate head-honcho who schemes from high in his office building.

Can we get a picture of that?

Awesome. Now we can tear apart the layers of fiction, exposing the pink, fleshy goodness within.

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Why do some humans act in a way that harms the environment? Well are many reasons for this. I'm sure you guys don't need proof that some humans are greedy or selfish, and pay no heed to the world's distress. There are other reasons why, however, which we fail to see. One on them is that they just don't know it.

YEP. Chances are you would file right in with those chemical waste dumpers, shady fur traders or venezualan logging companies. Sure, you would be filed under "D" for "Didn't Smokey Say This Was Alright?", but harm is harm. I could be nitpicky and talk about how our very existance is a strain on precious resources, but maybe i'm in a state of bliss after watching the season premiere of Star Gate Universe, and I feel that i should give you a break. You Cats are alright. :)

Um..... thanks? I could still use a little more information. Maybe a few more examples?

Example? I thought you'd never ask. Okey Dokey Artichokie!

(rolls eyes)

Like it or not, there are a LOT of household chemicals and substances in our home. Everything from Plastics to Playstations is almost guaranteed to make life hard for SOMETHING (I know, I know, you own an XBOX. Well in addition to housing several kinds of awesomeness, it ALSO has some bad beef with Mother Earth.) So where does it all go? There ARE proper disposal procedures, but most people have no idea what they are. Simply thowing the offending objects out would only be akin to putting them in a whole in the ground. People also seem to have a bizarre tendancy to flush things down the toilet as well! Out of sight, out of mind? Super-NO! Flushing things such as medication down the toilet has become such a problem that various governments have actually invested time and money into making people aware of it. It's actually better for the environment to go popping those pills yourself instead of plopping them in the toilet. Ha. But seriously, don't do it. Not because i like you, but because we have a Drug Disposal Program.

.......Really?

Yup. It's really not so bad if you HAVE been flushing things down the toilet, as long as you know better now.

Um... It's not that. It's.. uh...

oh. OH. Don't worry, I really DO like you guys. Really. You complete me.

:D

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Ok. So that's one down. What else? Well reason two is right here. In one word? Misinformation. There are always two sides to every argument. So the question on everyones mind is always of whom to believe. Does global warming even really exist? Or was it just an irregular, but periodic change in atmosphere and ocean temperature? There is evidence on both sides or this controversy. Most of you know about the reasoning behind why people think Global Warming is actually occuring, and can easily find the information if you don't. So lets try and see what the other side has to say, shall we?

Alright, but I don't think that I will be easily convinced. Global Warming is destroying our world.

Oh, totally. I still like the environment. Bad is bad, right? So now, let's (as Johnny Cash might have said) walk the line.

First of all, I am going to refrain fom referring to scientists who believe in Global Warming as "Eco-Nuts", because that term is quite biased. How about, for simlpicity's sake, we call them "Naturals". Good. I thought you would agree. I shining example of this is David Suzuki. He wants us to reduce our energy output and conserve, doing things such as lowering the thermostat and using more efficient appliances. Why? The energy industry is the lifeblood of our economy. Without it we would essentailly go back to the past, having to work farms and livestock just to survive. So, is this the goal of the Naturals? Well I sure hope not, because the transition would kill millions of people. And why go back to nature anyway? Since the dawn of time, humans have been fighting nature. We are its greatest threat. So what do we gain from going back to it? Only the lifestyle of about 300 years ago. 25 years ago, it was the very same Naturals that said that a new ice age was coming, and now they are saying the exact opposite- that the ice caps will now melt, heralding a very violent and destructive end to mankind. To support their own claims, they have come up with this reasoning:

1) The earth is warming up;

2) Man-made emissions of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, are the cause;

3) This global warming will have a disastrous effect on the future of Mankind and the planet on the whole;

4) The Kyoto Protocol, forcing developed nations to cut back on carbon emissions, will save us from this disaster

Lets look at each, shall we?

1) Global tempurature reached its peak at about the 1940's and declied slighty in the decade after. Since the last 50 years, however, it has not changed significantly, although there has been considerable variation due to El Nino. Prior to the 1940's, global tempurate has been on the rise for about 300 years.

2) The cause for the increase in Global Tempurate is due to changes in the amount of radiation given off by the sun. This has been verified scientifically over 100 years ago.

3) A slightly higher global tempurature would be beneifical. Since the end of the last Ice Age, the global temperature has usually been higher than it is today. There have also been past periods of global warming. around 8000 B.C to 4000 B.C. there was a long period of warm tempuratues. this was called the Neolithic Climatic Optimum (and not the Neolithic Climatic Disaster). There was also a period around 1000 A.D. which was also characterized by a global warming, which was called the Medieval Climatic Optimum. To put it very blunty... Cold = Bad. Heat = Good. Having to wait at the bus stop each morning really drives this point home, as I am sure some of you do on a regular basis.

4) "Even if fully implemented, Kyoto will have a minimal effect on atmospheric accumulations of carbon dioxide." According to climate models made by the Naturals themselves, the Kyoto operation would only lower the global tempuratre by about 0.1 Celsius.

Wow. I didn't know about all this. i must say that I am surprised, but it will take some time for me to digest all of this in order to have a personal opinion.

That's cool. Can you feel the line between "Good" and "Bad" becoming more obscure? Two sides to every story, unfortunately. The worst part is that everyone thinks that they are right, and most of the time they are willing to fight for their cause. That is how wars are started. But hey, I am glad you are here to examine the opposite side of the coin in order to find the whole truth. Here is something else to think about while you do that:

James Hansen was the first person to discover Global Warming. He is also the one who brought his findings to the scientific community. Hansen has since revoked his original claims, saying that CO2 is NOT the real culprit. He now says that methane emissions, mostly caused by rice patty belches and cow flatulence are the problem. Maybe they are, or maybe Hansen doesnt have a clue what he is talking about, and never did.

Wow. I Honestly had no idea. Now I don't know WHAT to believe.

Dont worry about it; I am honestly a little confuzzled aswell. Maybe you should take some time out to research the topic on your own, then form a conclusion. Either way, I would like you to take part in my survey at your convenience. Let's keep going: I am almost done!

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My final reason for why people act in a way that harms the environment is -get ready for this- because they have no other option!

Heh. That's right. these people may even be aware that what they are doing is wrong, but the only two courses of action are 'live by any means necessary' or 'die'. It's kinda like P diddy's "Vote or Die" campaign, but without all the swearing.

Um.... ok. I don't really know what that is, but I know what you mean.

Hehe. Well don't worry. I only expect about 1 in 50 to understand THAT particular reference. Anyway, I am talking about peoples who hunt for food, and have done so since before any recorded history. People who have lived off the land for countless lifetimes, who are now being told that their way of life is detremental to the environment (largely due to the folley of others). I know this is pretty far flung from the bustling streets on a metropolitan city, but the environment is a singular entity. Take the indiginious peoples of Africa for example. All of a sudden Hunting/Gathering has sprouted a set of tenets on what is good and what is bad. You can hunt some animals, but not others -but food is scarce and you never know where your next meal will come from. So what do these people do? Why, they do what they always have: they survive. So we point our fingers, and denounce them as horrible and thoughtless. Are the really so bad, though?

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So who is to decide what is right and wrong. Remember that line we talked about earlier? Can you even still see it? Or has it faded away entirely between the furrowing lines and creases of all our own expressions of hate and sorrow -each reciprocating, locked in a violent and endless waltz like two vicious lovers.
...Or like when you're trying to settle a bet with your Sri Lankan/British (somehow) friend and he asks you to flip a coin. You totally call heads and he is all like "tails!!", but then the coin gets stuck vertically in a crack in the floor, then you're both like "what the hell! We gotta try that again" but then the world totally implodes because of the sheer impossibleness of such an outcome, rocketing us into the fifth dimension where Spock has a goatee, people are yellow and have 3 fingers and a thumb on each hand, Two and a Half Men is actually interesting, Fonzie is trying to win a demolition derbie on Pinky's behalf, and there is someone who is somehow getting all my obscure pop culture references. Yea, like either of those examples.

So i hope you all learned something, because I know I sure did. I can honestly say that i had to second-guess how many people i harm when i where mismatched colours outside (the answer is still none :D). In a better world, everyone is as confused and agitated as we are. And after all is said and done, aren't we all asking the same question: Just WHO IS John Galt?

Heh?


-S.A.C. Out.
Peace.

Wait.. what?

Sources:
http://www.medicationdisposal.utah.gov/
http://www.nodrugsdownthedrain.org/
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/
http://www.quebecoislibre.org/001014-11.htm
http://www.bushmeat.org/


Picture Sources (in order of appearance):
http://mooksec.wordpress.com/
http://www.paintinghere.com/
http://ecobarons.files.wordpress.com/
http://www.treehugger.com/
http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m3/mar2008/1/7/CCE18B09-D45A-2922-5BA8B40DCD2267A3.jpg
http://www.cinemalogue.com/