Exhibition Style Paper First Draft
Jake Robinson
Exhibition style paper 1st draft
10/27/2006
Snyder
It is too late to save the ecosphere from total destruction caused by the globalization of Human civilization. Thanks to the massively destructive juggernaut of civilization, some truly alarming disturbances among the Plant and Animal kingdom are taking place. These disturbances may be difficult for the average person to see on a day to day basis. This is especially true of those living in an urban environment, although there are blatant examples of civilization’s destructive impact on the ecosphere seen virtually everywhere. Civilization has gotten away with its ecocidal killing spree for so long that now there is little, if nothing, that can be done in aid of this mangled planet.
Almost all Humans in society today don’t realize the magnitude of the “footprint” they are leaving behind. As Bob Holmes puts it in “Imagine Earth without People”:
“We are leaving quite a mess behind, ploughed up-Prairies, razed Forests, drained Aquifers, Nuclear waste, chemical pollution…mass extinctions and now the looming spectre of climate change”(1)
These ecological issues are only a few within the cornucopia of Human race induced problems.
The collapse of the world’s oceans and its Flora and Fauna are thanks to people and their massive over-fishing to support the “needs” of an exponentially growing population. The current condition of the oceans can be explained by an idea called “the tragedy of the commons”. Author of A Scientist Audits the Earth, Stuart L. Pimm explains this idea.
“You choose to graze an extra cow on your village’s common; you get the reward for the milk or meat, damage to the common’s pasture is shared by everyone. This is a deal you cannot refuse. The same principles go for the ocean…as long as there are few fishers.”(169)
Countries use “neutral” zones in the world’s oceans to do their heavy fishing with tremendous environmental tolls.
Very little of the planet’s Rainforest still exists today; instead it has been replaced by countless acres of grazing land for livestock. In the article “Rethinking the Global Meat Industry” the author explains that: “In the 1980’s environmentalists in industrial countries blamed McDonalds and other fast-food chains for buying beef raised in what was once lush rainforest in Central and South America.”(37) This quote illustrates the reality that in retrospect all Humans in an industrial society contribute to the downfall of the ecosphere in one way or another. Adding to the destruction can be as simple as eating livestock raised on cleared forests. Whether aware of it or not, every Human has a part in this tragic state of affairs.
The award-winning documentary “The Corporation” outlines major “sociopathic” environmental crimes committed by corporations around the world. In this documentary the “Airplane analogy” is given. It can be summed up as comparing civilization to pioneers in the early days of flight, flapping enormous winged crafts, which were not built according to the earth’s laws of physics and gravity. This is like the less than ecosphere-friendly or symbiotic way in which an overwhelming majority of Humans live their lives. People, like those early pilots, mistake falling for flying or sustaining. Society has been tricked into believing they are continuously airborne, when in reality they are dropping, and fast. Unfortunately, too few have looked down and seen how close to the bottom we really are.
Exhibition style paper 1st draft
10/27/2006
Snyder
It is too late to save the ecosphere from total destruction caused by the globalization of Human civilization. Thanks to the massively destructive juggernaut of civilization, some truly alarming disturbances among the Plant and Animal kingdom are taking place. These disturbances may be difficult for the average person to see on a day to day basis. This is especially true of those living in an urban environment, although there are blatant examples of civilization’s destructive impact on the ecosphere seen virtually everywhere. Civilization has gotten away with its ecocidal killing spree for so long that now there is little, if nothing, that can be done in aid of this mangled planet.
Almost all Humans in society today don’t realize the magnitude of the “footprint” they are leaving behind. As Bob Holmes puts it in “Imagine Earth without People”:
“We are leaving quite a mess behind, ploughed up-Prairies, razed Forests, drained Aquifers, Nuclear waste, chemical pollution…mass extinctions and now the looming spectre of climate change”(1)
These ecological issues are only a few within the cornucopia of Human race induced problems.
The collapse of the world’s oceans and its Flora and Fauna are thanks to people and their massive over-fishing to support the “needs” of an exponentially growing population. The current condition of the oceans can be explained by an idea called “the tragedy of the commons”. Author of A Scientist Audits the Earth, Stuart L. Pimm explains this idea.
“You choose to graze an extra cow on your village’s common; you get the reward for the milk or meat, damage to the common’s pasture is shared by everyone. This is a deal you cannot refuse. The same principles go for the ocean…as long as there are few fishers.”(169)
Countries use “neutral” zones in the world’s oceans to do their heavy fishing with tremendous environmental tolls.
Very little of the planet’s Rainforest still exists today; instead it has been replaced by countless acres of grazing land for livestock. In the article “Rethinking the Global Meat Industry” the author explains that: “In the 1980’s environmentalists in industrial countries blamed McDonalds and other fast-food chains for buying beef raised in what was once lush rainforest in Central and South America.”(37) This quote illustrates the reality that in retrospect all Humans in an industrial society contribute to the downfall of the ecosphere in one way or another. Adding to the destruction can be as simple as eating livestock raised on cleared forests. Whether aware of it or not, every Human has a part in this tragic state of affairs.
The award-winning documentary “The Corporation” outlines major “sociopathic” environmental crimes committed by corporations around the world. In this documentary the “Airplane analogy” is given. It can be summed up as comparing civilization to pioneers in the early days of flight, flapping enormous winged crafts, which were not built according to the earth’s laws of physics and gravity. This is like the less than ecosphere-friendly or symbiotic way in which an overwhelming majority of Humans live their lives. People, like those early pilots, mistake falling for flying or sustaining. Society has been tricked into believing they are continuously airborne, when in reality they are dropping, and fast. Unfortunately, too few have looked down and seen how close to the bottom we really are.
posted by jake | 10:39 AM
|
0 comments
