Overconsumption And The Destruction Of The Natural World

Improved Essays
Areas that have been effected by overconsumption and the conflict this has on nature and society

The natural world has fallen victim to the anthropocentric ideal of evolution as the natural world has been overconsumed by society in order for global development. Cronon (1995) states that natures worth is measured and judged by civilisation, claiming that society produces a dualistic world of humans and nature being placed at opposite ends of the spectrum. This ideal is ironic seeing as development cannot be achieved without nature, and nature cannot be sustained and conserved without the protection of society. Cronon (1995) displays the false truths of society as we live in an urbanized world although beliefs are held that our natural home
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During the 1970s and 1980s America commanded for cheap beef which caused a clearance of extensive rainforests in Central America and Brazil, leading to a devastating effect on the ecological environment (IUNC 2006). This example is a small glimpse into the larger picture of the anthropocentric control over the environment and the cleared land demonstrates the effect overconsumption can have on an environment as it would have led to the destruction of many wildlife. The IUNC (2006) states that the top 20% of the wealthiest countries consume a large amount of natural resources. This figure is alarming due to the core countries depleting the earth of its materials instead of formulating ideas to preserve the environment, and if countries worked together they would have a positive impact on the earth’s environment. If society begun to take less of the worlds materials this would also enable Third World countries to develop an economic place within the world market, reaching goals of equity. The global consumer bottleneck displays that the human population will reduce below 10 billion by 2050 although it could be centuries before the world experiences the reduced levels of consumption (IUNC 2006). This raises the question of where the plant’s ecosystem and species will be or whether they will survive the anthropocentric …show more content…
Berkes (2004) discusses community based conservation which would allow society to become part of the environment and allow the idea of simultaneous development and conservation to flourish. This would prevent society from exploiting and overconsuming the habitat in order to suit development needs and would focus on the relationship between human and nature. Berkes (2004) also raises the idea of forest conservation which expresses the emotiveness of the wilderness and displays natures astonishing biodiversity. Forest conservation is a way of planning and maintaining the biodiversity of an area so it can be preserved for future generations. It is these different strategies and perspectives presented by critics that subsidize to the establishment and management of protected areas in the

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