Since the dawn of human existence, nature has been, as poet Emily Dickinson writes in her poem title, "the gentlest mother." The Earth has provided the human race with all of life's necessities, allowing us to prosper as a species, and reach for great heights. However, we repay this nurturing mother by depleting and destroying her, and one day, despite her immense strength, she will no longer be able to tolerate human excess. In the current, consumer driven American culture, value, and purpose is placed foremost on human life. And with climate change becoming an ever-pressing reality in human life, it is imperative to change our thinking. Our belief of our supposed moral superiority over the Earth must end now. The clearest solution to save
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As scientist and environmentalist David Suzuki discusses in a radio discussion while promoting his book Tree: A Life Story, it is as if "we are in a giant car heading toward a brick wall at 100 miles per hour” (Interview – David Suzuki – Tree: A Life Story). In other words, humans have been warned time and time again about the dangers of climate change, yet we still fail to act and remain committed to believing that the Earth is ours to exploit. Suzuki notes an economics class he took, in which a professor informed him that economists consider the biosphere to be an external element outside of the economy, as resources such as water, air, and topsoil are thought to be in endless supply. This anthropocentric thought, is "based on the notion that humans are the most productive...part of the economy", and economists believe that this "economic juggernaut" will be able to sustain itself forever (Interview – David Suzuki – Tree: A Life …show more content…
While many opponents argue that sustainable energy sources are too expensive, it will cost more money in the future to try and recreate Earth’s services, that are now provided for free. For example, as Suzuki notes, a team of academics at the University of Vermont calculated that nature's services, such as filtering air and water and pollinating plants, would cost 33 trillion dollars annually, while all the world's economies, at the time of the 2004 interview, produced only a little over half of that figure. Therefore, by switching human lifestyle from anthropocentrism to ecocentrism, and doing our part to try to limit our consumption and degradation of the environment, it will save money in the long term. Beginning to save the environment now will also ensure our longevity as a species, allowing us to continue to explore and reach new heights and progress further as a
As scientist and environmentalist David Suzuki discusses in a radio discussion while promoting his book Tree: A Life Story, it is as if "we are in a giant car heading toward a brick wall at 100 miles per hour” (Interview – David Suzuki – Tree: A Life Story). In other words, humans have been warned time and time again about the dangers of climate change, yet we still fail to act and remain committed to believing that the Earth is ours to exploit. Suzuki notes an economics class he took, in which a professor informed him that economists consider the biosphere to be an external element outside of the economy, as resources such as water, air, and topsoil are thought to be in endless supply. This anthropocentric thought, is "based on the notion that humans are the most productive...part of the economy", and economists believe that this "economic juggernaut" will be able to sustain itself forever (Interview – David Suzuki – Tree: A Life …show more content…
While many opponents argue that sustainable energy sources are too expensive, it will cost more money in the future to try and recreate Earth’s services, that are now provided for free. For example, as Suzuki notes, a team of academics at the University of Vermont calculated that nature's services, such as filtering air and water and pollinating plants, would cost 33 trillion dollars annually, while all the world's economies, at the time of the 2004 interview, produced only a little over half of that figure. Therefore, by switching human lifestyle from anthropocentrism to ecocentrism, and doing our part to try to limit our consumption and degradation of the environment, it will save money in the long term. Beginning to save the environment now will also ensure our longevity as a species, allowing us to continue to explore and reach new heights and progress further as a