| | There's really no reason to protect the earth for the earth's sake. No
matter what we do (within reason), our planet will bounce back if and
when we die out. Plants will grow over our abandoned cars and buildings, wildlife will return to major cities, and microbes will eventually evolve to consume plastic and other non-biodegradable substances.
The real reason why we protect the environment is because of us. It's about protecting our habitat. Global warming will never destroy the planet, it has been hotter in the past. It's more about protecting our cities from being flooded and safeguarding currents that keep the places we like to live temperate.
Vegetarianism, for example, has a lot of inconsistancies. What is the
difference between killing a cow and killing a corn plant? Aren't they
both living creatures? You could argue that it's about not hurting
animals, but what about pests? Farmers spray their crops to kill bugs,
people set mice and ant traps to keep them away. Are they any less
alive than a pig or a cow? I've heard the argument that it's not about
not killing animals, but how badly they are mistreated. Then why not
try to reform the industry instead of stopping eating meat all
together. Wouldn't that make much more sense, seeing as large scale
boycotts have never worked? And there's the practice of some vegetarians eating fish but not beef? How does that even make sense? Some people argue that the meat industry significantly contributes to pollution and global warming. In many ways, a farm creates as much pollution as a factory, with pesticides and other hazardous chemicals leaking into the ground water.
On the other hand though, you can go even further and use the same logic to argue about eating
dogs or cats, which is something I would never do. But when it comes down to it, it's all sentimental. We protect the animals that we like having around. You don't see animal rights activists burning mouse traps or bug spray (though it would be cool!). We protect polar bears, strange kinds of owls, and forests because we think they're pretty. We conserve water
because we need it to survive. I don't think fish have much of a problem with dwindling water supplies. We drive hybrid cars because we like smog-free cities, a temperate climate, and to conserve our oil supplies. It's all about protecting our
habitat, and there's nothing wrong with that. Doing these things is good, and socially responsible. But people should admit that it's fundamentally about our own interests rather than spiritual gaia reasoning.
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| | Posted 6/4/2008 4:08 AM - 205 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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