Monday, April 2, 2012

Human VS Nature-Article Response (Friday, March 30th, 2012)

Human VS Nature

The article by Dinyar Godrej entitled, “Human VS Nature,” outlines the impact human development and consumption of resources has on the world’s ecosystems and animals. According to the article, nearly 150-200 species of animals become extinct every 24 hours and almost 100,000 species of plants could soon be extinct.

“Human VS Nature” relates to the course because it raises the question of whether innovation and urbanization are positive influences on the world and if they carry greater value than the planet’s natural resources as well as the lives of other organisms. The article also asks the question of whether “destruction at such a scale can be a crime?;” therefore, further relating earth’s diminishing supply of natural resources and the future of coming generations.
After reading the article, I was surprised, not by the content and the author’s perspective of humans causing problems in nature, but by the numerical data which provides trends in the deterioration and extinction of many species. The author portraying the facts relating to the
extinction of animal and plant species made my spine tingle and also influenced me to worry about the future and how continuous urban/industrial development is affecting its sustainability.


Despite World Issues being a course in which students are exposed to social, political and economic issues in the world, it is also a course which brings environmental awareness into perspective as well and gives it as much importance as other issues. Environmental conservation is an idea which should be greatly stressed amongst individuals because sustainability of the environment and existence of species plays a vital role in the survival of
the human race and its sustainability for the future. The fact that the environment and other living organisms are suffering due to industrialization and urbanization can truly impact the world in the future when basic resources are not available due to their extinction.

Urbanization and industrialization has undoubtedly shaped our modern society and has changed the way individuals interact and function. Ever since the industrial revolution, the world has continuously moved forward and has innovated in all areas which include technology, research, and even in issues involving social norms and human rights. In the course we have learned that due to urbanization and development of the world, the chances of the world’s resources not being able to support the growing population have decreased since education is allowing people to attain occupations in urban areas and has influenced them to decrease their family size. Despite the overpopulation in poorer countries, urbanization and industrialization has undeniably maintained the population of developed nations for the last century; however, despite its advantages, it has also created a division between the very rich and the very poor and has negatively impacted the earth’s other living organisms. With the age of new technology, came new jobs and women were given the right to work alongside men in many fields;
therefore, contributed by influencing innovation in many areas. Many developed countries such as Canada, United States and England opened their doors to immigrants from other countries and connected the world as multicultural nations; however, immigration also influences an increase in a country’s population and therefore can stimulate the country’s desire for attaining more natural resources and urbanization. The continuing development of countries acts as a load for the environment which has no representative of its own and various species go extinct as the human race overpowers and neglects them.

I believe that even though the world’s living organisms and environment do not have a representative to stand up and protect them from human destruction, they still have more power over humans in the long term. Since individuals worldwide are not able to conserve the environment, the human race in the coming generations would have a great deal of problems when there aren’t enough resources. All the issues discussed in this course are
interrelated and portray the idea of every action having a positive and negative effect. Despite urbanization and industrialization negatively effecting the environment, it has also positively helped with the development of the human race and has promised a sustainable future; therefore, the course truly outlines the pros and cons of all issues present in the society. In
conclusion, relating back to the course’s message as well as the message present in the article, I believe that individuals should learn how to balance between innovation and preservation in the environment to promise themselves and their successors a sustainable and happy future.




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