I think that together the
readings by Shiva and Leopold relate thoroughly to the society of the United
States. First, let me start out by saying we need biodiversity. Biodiversity relates
to everyone, including me, since it satisfies basic necessities in everyday
life like food, drinking water, fuel, shelter, and medicine. Shiva even
mentions that "All the needs of two-thirds of the world's people are met
by biodiversity" (Shiva). Much of the world's population still uses plants
and animals as a primary source of medicine, and in the United States alone,
about 57 percent of the 150 most prescribed drugs have their origins in
biodiversity.
Biodiversity
is also important because it sustains healthy ecosystems. You may be asking, why
should I care about sustaining healthy ecosystems? Well, ecosystems offer to us
pollination, seed dispersal, climate regulation, water purification, nutrient
cycling, and control of agricultural pests. Many flowering plants depend on animals
for pollination, and 30 percent of crops in the United States depend on pollinators
single-handedly. “Biodiversity has rescued our food security from the risks of
genetic uniformity” even though we rely on just eight mere crops to provide 75
percent of the United States’ food supply (Shiva).
The
United States, surprisingly, is far richer as well as further diverse in both species
and ecosystems than anticipated; seeing that we have over 200,000 species originated
from here yet, in spite of this, 500 of those species are becoming extinct or
are missing. Furthermore, the United States contains a large amount of the
world's forests, grasslands, and vegetation, however, 60 percent of that have
been lost.
Leopold
dives right into what a land ethic is and, in short, it is basically the “rules
of the land” or more importantly how we should treat the land. We, here in the
United States, see the land as merely fattening up a pig for slaughter so that
we can make a profit rather than caring and treating the pig as a pet. Even Leopold
says "Land use ethics are still governed wholly by economic self-interest"
and I think that is especially true for the United States (Leopold). We are
more concerned with getting the most bang for our buck, that we fail to realize
the damage in the products we purchase have on the environment.
I
will sometimes find myself swinging by any Walmart or Target and buying the
cheapest most convenient items that I can and honestly I am not really thinking
about where my money is truly going or how the merchandise was made, so long as
I get my stuff. I want to break away from partaking in an agronomy, the work of
producing and using plants solely for food and fuel, and start focusing on what
products will help create a safer, more preserved and more sustainable Earth.
References
Leopold, Aldo. "The
Land Ethic." A Sand County Almanac. New York: Oxford UP, 1987. 58 77. Print.
Shiva, Vandana.
"What Is Biodiversity and Why Is It So Important?" Tomorrow's
Biodiversity. London: Thames &
Hudson, 2000. 38-57. Print.
We are all connected
A basic ethic everyone should follow
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