Ermina Dz.

Ethics Essay

Biodiversity is a key factor to Mother Nature and everything that resides in it. The word in itself means the many species within our environment. There are millions of species and each and every one of them has a crucial role in the world. These species are interdependent which means changes in one will cause changes in others. The biggest creator of these changes in the past decades has been human kind. Humans being able to use their intelligence, to overcome things that they naturally would not have been able to, have managed to effect almost every other species in the world. This effect came from such things as cars, industrialization and genetic modification. People should put more concern to biodiversity because of the environment, species interdependence and self preservation. It is a known that fact that humans are the species that has made the biggest impact on the environment. People made great advancements until now in bettering their life and making it easier to live. Even though these are benefits to humans they have came with a great counter-effect and that is mostly portrayed in the destruction of the environment. In order to have building, generate electricity and provide transportation, people have managed to change the face of the earth completely. These advances also lead to people living longer lives and a great expansion of the species. Being that resources and land are scarce products it made humans intervene and take over the habitat of other species. People have chopped down rainforests, built cities in valleys, built factories on rivers and lakes and built cars for transportation. Each one of these factors has greatly influenced the environment by killing off and destroying the fundamentals needed to survive for some species. People have destroyed homes, changes the climate thanks to global warming with was produced by carbon emissions and eliminated whole food supplies. The human race has had by far the biggest impact on the environment that in consequence impacts other species. Species have a crucial interdependence on one other. This affect has been made through millions of years of evolution. As it is known there is a food chain in the animal kingdom and once one part is broken the whole chain is in jeopardy. In biodiversity this is presented as if one species goes extinct it would have a dire effect on the rest of the species that depend on it as well. This effect is not only crucial in means of food but on other aspects such as shelter, reproduction and survival. Humans have been able to disrupt this interdependence faster and greater than any other species has ever had. It has been so harsh that it is actually bringing into a new era called Holocene Mass Extinction. This is the sixth mass extinction event in earth’s history (www.eoearth.org). This mass extinction should show people that what they do actually does have consequences on others and that they are not minor by any means. Species need to be preserved in order for the planet to function as it is supposed to and humans are interfering in the process far too greatly. One of the main reasons people should be concerned about biodiversity is because of their own well being. Humans might not notice it but they are actually digging themselves a grave by specialization and preference. In the example of potatoes themselves we can see how humans are enabling themselves. The most common potato currently used in society is the Russet Burbank. It is used because it of its size and its conformability to baking, cooking and frying. This potato is also well known for the famous McDonald’s french fries. Having all of these positive factors behind it most of the farmers in the world and especially in America specialize in growing only this type of potato. The reason this is a bad thing is that in case a wide spread disease that affects this type of potato occurs most of the world would feel a great blow. This occurred in Ireland during the great potato famine because farmers specialized in only once type of potato and once a disease infected the crops they were lost and many suffered. This is not only shown in potatoes but in all other sources of food as well. Genetic modification and specialization can contribute to a destruction of the human species if they do not move toward the process of biodiversity. Humans have done many things to preserve organisms that otherwise would have been extinct a long time ago. Humans have created such things as zoos and national parks; they have found alternative materials to build things and eco friendly solutions to problems. Through the help of science they might be able to reverse the damage they are currently creating. Biodiversity is something that should be a serious concern to people. Even though people have managed to ease their life they have caused major damage to the species around them. People should put more effort in preserving the species rather than destroying them as they have up until now. As you can see by reason mentioned above humans have been on a path of destruction not only to others but themselves as well and something needs to be done for this behavior to change. In the interviews conducted with Nikita and John some very interesting concepts were brought out. One was the concept of survival of the fittest and how the human race is currently the most dominant species and the rest are going extinct because they are weak. That was more of a Darwinistic approach to the problem while the other concept was that the beauty of the earth is being destroyed and one of the main causes for that is the expansion of the human race. The theory about survival of the fittest is pretty intriguing but why would only one species decide the faith of millions and even the whole world. The other concept is very positive but it has to consider that the world will eventually change on its own but humans have accelerated and diversified that change greatly. After the interviews my viewpoint of the situation was not altered in any significant way. I must confess that the survival of the fittest theory had gave me a whole new outlook on the problem that I did not realize before but in the end I do not agree with it because the theory is based on natural selection and not manmade selection.