Not only does she play a major role in the U.N.F.C.C.C. to persuade the nations to make changes to the
Not only does she play a major role in the U.N.F.C.C.C. to persuade the nations to make changes to the
Many aspects of the Earth have changed over the years since the start of the industrial revolution and the use of fossil fuels as the major source of energy in the developed nations of the world. Bill McKibben’s book Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet focuses on these changes to the Earth that have been made, how the human population is going to be affected by these changes, and the new paths we have to take with agriculture and technology to survive on the new planet we created that McKibben dubbed Eaarth. The main idea of this book is to persuade the audience and help them understand that “by some measures we started too late, that the planet has changed and it will change more” (page 181) even if we immediately changed our ways…
The history of humanity has always been in relation to evolution and progression. Humans went from one invention to another to lead up to the twenty-first century, doing anything to get humanity ahead. Subsequently, this lead to the environment being sacrificed for the temporary benefit of humans. In Ronald Wright’s book A Short History of Progress the consequences of peoples’ choices are explored and utilized as a warning to change the course humanity is currently taking. Through Wright’s sentiments in his work, Diane Cardwell’s article “Off Long Island, Wind Power Tests the Waters” can be viewed as a representation of the central message of this piece. This is apparent through its discussion of progress in regards to the environment and…
In Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass, she makes a compelling argument for the planet’s sustainability. Through several chapters, she illustrates how, despite how the Earth provides for all of our needs, we do not repay the favour and instead destroy the life it has left. We are not realizing the value of preserving the environment; instead, we are adapting to the thought that the extended use of fossil fuels is typical, climate change is irreversible, environmental pollution is an unfixable problem, endangered species are beyond salvation, and society has become increasingly disconnected to the planet as it once was. Kimmerer articulates this throughout multiple chapters.…
There are so many bad things in this world and the environment is one of them bad things. Our environment will never just go away but it’s definitely needs to change. It’s causing damage to our friends and family, it’s taking away all of our animals, and it’s hurting the world we know around us. If we don’t do something about it, will the world’s population go down because of a great amount of people dying? Will the animals become extinct and no one ever talk about them again? Will the oceans be able to hold their ground and keep producing the oxygen it’s giving us? Throughout this essay, Sandra Steingraber does a great job using ethos, pathos, and logos while talking about the environment and the issues it is causing to the people and the…
This web that Suzuki speaks of has been built up and perfected over millions of years. Every single aspect of nature has found a way to evolve and mold its way of living to depend on every single other aspect. This includes, whether we know it or not, human beings. Gore sees the world from a different, more statistical lens. In his eyes, though we are part of this earth and ecosystem, we are not made up of the elements, but rather are inhabitants of this planet for a short while. He gives the impression that humankind is not actually part of the ecosystem, just an outside force, or separate entity, acting upon it. No matter the perception of our place on the planet, both writers agree on the fact that humans are throwing the balance of the earth off kilter and see us as without a doubt the number one cause of the decline in the biosphere’s diversity and climate change in general. The two men also mutually share the understanding that the detached, shortsighted way of living in which we live today has only recently been adopted by society. Suzuki depicts the way in which our “ancient understanding… has been shattered” (429), while Gore outlines the “new relationship between humankind and the earth” (460) in their respective writings.…
The flora and fauna of the world is delightful to humankind, much like a popsicle might be a delight to an individual. When one considers the rainforests and the deforestation that takes place there in order to support a growing human population, this relates to the consumption of the popsicle. People may neglect to think about the consequences of deforestation or the use of fossil fuels, even though they may be a participant in these processes through their consumption of paper products or devices that need energy. The person consuming the popsicle might also be in denial about the impermanence of the popsicle, or the consequences of consuming it. Russ Crest, an author at Beautiful Decay magazine, says of Myers and Berg’s work; “ Sometimes something must be broken or fractured in order for us to see its value. This may be especially true for our environment. Only when we see the consequences of our actions do we begin to understand our complicity in fracturing it” (Crest). People do not notice the destruction of the environment until awareness is brought to it, either in their real life or in news media. Until then, people take nature for…
Simon L. Lewis and Mark. A. Maslin explore the various reasoning’s behind the proposed epoch of the Anthropocene in “Defining the Anthropocene”. They study the factors that could contribute to the referral of the present as the Anthropocene epoch, such as the periods of time in history in which the “functioning of Earth as a system” (172), has been affected due to human actions. Their goal is to “constrain the number of possible start dates [of the Anthropocene], highlight areas requiring research, and assist in moving towards an evidence based decision” (172). Lewis and Maslin use the persuasive strategies of logos by providing plenty of facts from cited sources in order to provide reasoning based on the background information on human geology. Although these rhetorical strategies are used, they do not provide a concise point on what the authors opinions are, rather simply stating facts and considering both sides of the argument without actually confirming whether they believe the epoch should be established.…
In a modern world human beings are essentially running out of resources. It is often heard that evidence of environmental damage being created by humanity is inconclusive. It is not a subject often discussed within modern media and until recently, a majority of the population remained unaware to the growing issues currently challenging the Earth. This ecological crisis could persuasively be blamed upon the rapidly advancing world of technology, however anthropogenic studies, (MacKenzie, D. 1999), along side growing environmental evidence show mankind has not evolved at the same speed of these new found technologies, hence is technology to blame for our ecological crisis or is mankind? Do these machines now control individual lives and are human beings becoming slave to the very technologies they have created? This thesis will explore these questions within developing nations and argue that it is not technology at fault for the Earth's increasing temperature's and environmental damage, rather western societies ideology that mankind is unable to survive without it, (technology).…
In Planet of Slums, Davis discusses the roots of slums in relation to urban poverty in the post-modern era as well as its social, political, economical and ecological consequences. This essay might ring a bell to many as a duplication of the famous UN-HABITAT’s report in 2003 on the challenge of slums; however in my opinion, what Davis is attempting to do here is an exploration to the roots of urban poverty on a global scale rather than within local state governance, and also with references to the historical context instead of current conditions. Chapter four of this reading basically looks into the approaches taken in tackling with slums as an urban problem over the past decades. The essay presents itself in a rather despairing manner, identifying…
Over the course of history, humans have had a huge impact on the environment ranging from climatic changes, endangerment of certain species, and pollution of planet Earth. The drive of society to improve the standards of living have resulted in technological advances that to a certain extent have simplified our life; however, the toll it has brought upon Earth is intolerable. Veronica Perez Rodriguez & Kirk Anderson and Hazel Delcourt have addressed the issue on how our predecessors actions have affected them and our life on the long run. Through the practices of archeology, paleoecology, and paleoethnobotany our understanding of present environmental changes have allowed us to understand the desire of our ancestors to aim for such changes.…
Although a lot of effects have manifested in today’s time, there’s only a little effort exerted to lessen these harms. First, critics pointed out that the nature is an ever-evolving entity. As it is ever-evolving, whatever we do to it – may it be good or bad – actually doesn’t have any bearing because it is destined to change the nature that we once knew. Another thing that critics pointed out was that humans are part and parcel of nature itself. Critics say we are one with nature. If this is the case, it is possible for ourselves to be blamed for whatever experiences nature we have and we can be held liable because we are nature.…
Humanity has immensely impacted the environment both in negative and positive ways. In order to grasp the ecological crisis our Earth is experiencing we must revisit the way humans have viewed our relationship with through technological, religious and scientific lenses. The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis, an article published in the journal Science in 1967 and written by Lynn White Jr, looks back through the history and the ways in which “all forms of life modify their context” (The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis, White, Lynn…
With increasing prevalence of environmental issues on a global scale, controversy has risen from whether ‘we’ as humanitarians are taking responsibility for our actions. A transcript of Professor Chris Lee’s speech at the 2010 International Biodiversity Conference asserts that, ‘the time to talk is over,’ and that now “is the time for serious action” to be taken towards making amends for the environmental damage and economical imbalance in society today. Lee contends that we must re-establish fundamental goals for the future, and to ultimately “safeguard the variety of life on earth: biodiversity.” Accompanying images, a ‘2010’ header and an image of the earth in a human’s palms highlight the importance and vulnerability of earth’s future, supporting Lee’s overarching message. The issue of ignoring biodiversity is complicated primarily by the broader implications of disparate power, which is reflected by the “continuing pattern of inequitable and untenable growth on a global scale.”…
oGoudie, A., Heather V., (1997). The Earth Transformed: An Introduction to Human Impacts on the Environment, Oxford, U.K.: Blackwell Publishers…
Man is an integral part of the environment, yet he is the arch-enemy of it. For centuries man has been thriving on its generosity. But in his quest to make life very simpler and more luxurious,, he has turned a blind eye to the damage caused to the environment. Our greed to get the most out of everything has made us contemptuously neglect the environment, although we all know that our very existence depends on it. A careful analysis of why there are imbalances in the environment will highlight numerous mistakes and aberrations on our parts. After doing so, I reason that there are certain traits in us that have led to the present situation.…