Which world view do you support and why, Cornucopianism or Environmentalism

Deciding which world view I support is a no-brainer for me. I am aware of many of the environmental concerns facing our world today. I believe that caring for the environment, and making an effort to familiarize myself with environmental issues is a good start to supporting environmentalism.

We as humans are contributing to the rapid altering of the Earths environment. Population growth is one of the major factors contributing to environmental problems. With so many people to support, the Earths natural resources are being depleted. Pollution of the Earths atmosphere is likely contributing to changes in climate. Climate change is very real, and is changing the Earths temperature. “Anthropogenic greenhouse gasses (those due to human activities) have contributed substantially to the observed warming over the past 50 years.”(Wright, pg.7) The temperature rise is attributed to the melting of the Earths polar ice caps. With so much fresh water being added to the worlds oceans, the earths weather patterns are beginning to be disrupted, thereby affecting ecosystems throughout the world. The warming of the worlds oceans adds to the carbon dioxide levels in the world’s oceans, and the Earths atmosphere. This contributes to changes in the alkalinity of the oceans which has a detrimental effect on the Earths coral reefs. Changes in the alkalinity also, “decreases the thickness and integrity of the skeletal structures of plankton organisms that are key to the marine food web and are also responsible for the removal of carbon dioxide from the marine environment.” (http://environment.gov.au/) When our oceans suffer the worlds largest natural food source is endangered. Another issue related to climate change is the growth of the Earth’s desserts and dry places. We can see first hand the affects that drought has on our local lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams.

It is important for us as humans to be aware of our environment. For thousands of years the world’s populations lived in harmony with the Earths abundant resources. It is only over the past 300 years or so that we have contributed to such a transformation of our environment. I dare not speculate that we as humans are the only source contributing to climate change. Furthermore I do not argue that the climate as we know it is only way the earth should be. The earth has been changing for as long as it has been created. There are forces at work behind the changing of the Earth well beyond the scope of my comprehension. However, if we as a human race wish to continue living here on the Earth, we must learn again how to live in harmony with the Earth.We definitely need to stop the abuses of Cornucopianism. The depletion of the Earths resources and use of fossil fuels is destroying the environment we all take for granted. We as societies need to start working together to make changes that will help the environments we live in. We as individuals need to learn what we can do to help the environment; then we need to take action to defend the vital ecosystems we depend so heavily upon.

Works Cited:Wright, Richard T., Environmental Sciencehttp://www.environment.gov.au/soe/2006/publications/drs/indicator/490/index.html