“Going, Going, Gone.” How far should we be concerned about the loss of biodiversity? (VJC JCT 2007)

Stand: We should be very concerned about the loss of biodiversity

Points:

We should be very concerned about the loss of biodiversity. This is because human beings today are living in a fragile web of life, where all organisms are closely related and interdependent on one another. Within the biosphere, which is the only life zone of mere 14 kilometers thick, all ecosystems, communities and human beings co-exist together. Therefore, if any of the members in the web of life is to be disrupted, it could bring detrimental repercussions to Man too, since it is these organisms on which the human existence depends upon. In 2007, experts portends that the rapid deforestation has left the United States with only 40% of it original forest. This as a result has caused a chain effect on the pollinators, where about 50 species of bees had gone extinct. It eventually led to deleterious impacts on Man, where the US Department of Agriculture estimated that a loss of US$200 million was incurred on the US farmers last year due to decreased crop yields. Thus, it is no doubt why many claim that we should be very concerned about the loss of biodiversity, since destroying any one of the ecosystem can upset the existing balance between Man and nature.

We should be very concerned about the loss of biodiversity. This is because of moral and ethical obligations that we have to abide by. It is imperative that we contemplate what our reckless acts of destroying planet earth could cause to our future generations. We do not own the Earth, but instead, some would say that we inherit it from our ancestors and merely borrowed it from our children. Thus, for the sake of future of mankind, it is vital that we would show concern towards the loss of biodiversity and ruminate on how to save Earth, since the threat of deteriorating conditions of the planet for our future generations is real. In year 2000, World Watch Institute issued a report called “State of the World”, where it identified that if the 7 main environmental trends were to be uncorrected, it would be a catalyst to our plan of planet migration. A few trends include shrinking forest, extinction of plants, animal species and collapsing fisheries. Therefore, it is incontrovertible that we should be very concerned about the loss of biodiversity, if we want to safeguard the interest of our future generations.

We should be very concerned about the loss of biodiversity. This is because they not only provide us with survival needs, but also bring about a plethora of benefits to us, be it medical or economic benefits. Other than oxygen, the biodiversities provide Man with resources like food, water and coal, which are vital for Man’s development. In addition, many of the biodiversities are actually of significant medical value to us, and they can be used as remedies for many top killer diseases. This is why in lieu of the damages that Man in inflicting on the planet, Daniel Janzen, biologist of University of Pennsylvania said,” It is as though the nations of the world decided to burn their libraries without bothering to see what is in them.” For instance, it has been found out that soil microbes can actually be used to make the most potent antibiotics. In addition, more than 25% of the pharmaceutical products in the United States today contain ingredients originally derived from wild plants. The biodiversities can also bring about great economic benefits, since it is many of the eye-attracting sceneries of mountains, forest and waterfalls that attract tourist arrivals in many countries every year. For example, the Rondonia rainforest, or emerald rainforest in Brazil is well-known for its showcase for the diversity and colors of life, attracting millions of tourist every year to have a look of it. Thus, it is no doubt that we should be very concerned about the loss of biodiversity, since it can bring about endless benefits to mankind.

Nevertheless, some might say that we need not be concerned about the loss of biodiversity, since we can rely on the high end technologies to ensure our survival. In the area of hydroponics and aeroponics for instance, it has ensured growth of crops even without soil, replacing the jobs of the bees for pollination. In the area of Genetically-Modified(GM) food, it has even made crops today more resistant to weather conditions, tastier and more nutritious too. Solar power has even been deemed to be able to replace coal usage in the future, with research by Ausra Inc showing that solar energy can meet up to 90% of the Americans’ demand for electricity. Thus, some would say that we need not rely on the biodiversities anymore, since we have the advanced technologies to depend upon. However, this is not totally agreeable, since technologies can sometimes be unreliable. In 1990, a project to modify tastier soya beans actually resulted in contamination, triggering a major allergic attack to the masses. Thus, while technology is beneficial and is able to replace the biodiversities, we should ruminate on whether technology is really 100% safe for our usage.