ROUGH DRAFT: Research Paper/Cause and Effect Argument
David Quammen once said: “After all, humans are the ultimate weed species.” With those eight words, many have been outraged to be apart of such inconsiderate generations of human beings. The significance of this topic is more than just an environmentalist perspective being told, it is also to stress about how ignorant most humans are to all of the dangers to their population and species. Through the process of changing and industrializing this planet, many species over the years have fallen victim to extinction and endangerment. This is why the human race needs to look at the causes and reasons to advocate for animals and the environment. Most of all, the human race needs to realize that they need to advocate for themselves. There are so many ways that humans can fall victim to these issues affecting wildlife and environments as I will introduce later. So how exactly have all of these things happened and what can be done about it?
Before I expand on this chosen topic, I am going to introduce some background information and definitions. To begin, I have chosen to work with the broad subject matter of wildlife conservation. Wildlife conservation in simpler terms is just being aware of the threats against plants, animals, and their habits; and doing something to protect them. Moving on toward the more focused issue of industrialization (pertaining to animals/plants affected in the process), industrialization is characterized as the process of a country (or world) transforming itself from a primarily agricultural society into one based on the manufacturing of goods and services. Biodiversity can be identified as the variation of life forms that live in an ecosystem and the planet. Extinction is the state of a species, family, or larger group dying off and becoming non-existent. Endangerment is the risk of possible extinction of a plant or animal. Those last two are terms that I will often use referring to animals and plants that have suffered from the effects of the past several generations and industrialization.
From the very beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the United States (and other countries) has been increasingly creating harsh conditions for wildlife. There were very many reasons that the U.S. began to evolve and industrialize the nation. This was a long process and did not happen in a day. It all began with the idea of burning coal instead of wood leading to many other findings. Another large reason for this concept was the Westward Expansion. The reason for this event would be caused by the railroads, which of course was one of the first very harsh environmental conflicts. Out of the Westward Expansion came the emergence of vast business growth, new transportation, and new ways of trade. The destruction of lands to make way for new businesses became very evident in this period of American history. The businesses were booming because of new inventions and new business lands for sale. Some of these new inventions included: the automobile, the cash register, and typewriter. With all of these new happenings going on, of course the rest of the world began to hear about the U.S. and wanted to be apart of these new advancements. When the entire world, in addition to the U.S., began to industrialize, the population began to increase all over and natural resources soon would begin to deplete. Nations also began to burn fossil fuels during this time. So, as you can probably tell, the Industrial Revolution was really the stemming of all of the economic and environmental hardships we are now being faced with today.
While human population has increased since all of the industrial advancements, it may not be as good as some think. After the Industrial Revolution, the world (human) population has grown by nearly 400% in only a single century. In the same century, various populations of wildlife have dropped by at least 50%. There is a direct correlation between the two. As the human population rises, the animal populations lower. As I said earlier, this all began with the Industrial Revolution when many began the idea of revolutionizing farmlands to fit the ever-growing population and economies. With this idea, new jobs were created, business became booming, many new homing options were available, and a new era began. However, little did the American people know, something else was happening. They were taking over land that was not theirs. Americans were blatantly stealing the homes of many species, causing so much damage even within the first few years of beginning their “new era.” In fact, one significant disappearance occurred around 1860. The string tree from the island of St. Helena became extinct because of habitat destruction. This extinction signified the beginning of a long road ahead for our wildlife.
You may wonder how all of this history connects with today, but you can clearly see that it is all related. The actions of the past directly effected all of the relevant problems in wildlife right now. In the past it was not worried about as much, because nobody ever really paid attention. Why would it be? Nobody really knew any better. However, since scientists have began to research and figure more and more out about the environment, they have determined many things. All species are a part of an intricate and complex system that is very delicately balanced. This system is called a biosphere. The earth’s biosphere holds numerous ecosystems and habitats of animal and plant species. According to scientists, there is no possible way to identify every single organism on the planet; however they have determined that it is most likely a number between 10 and 50 million species inhabiting earth. That is a lot of habitats potentially being destroyed by humans and their habits. The possibility of extinction in the biosphere is not accounted for by nature. If one species disappears, it has the possibility to disrupt an entire line of predator-prey interactions causing a chain reaction. This could most definitely lead to even more extinctions aside from the beginning species.
After looking at how extinction and endangerment will affect other species, you then must think about how it will affect you as a human. There are many ways that animal extinction can affect even your most common routines and products, such as medicine and food. The first example of extinction crisis presented is if any certain type of pollinating insect went extinct. There are many insects that have the ability to pollinate plants that provide humans with food and/or medicine. If they could not pollinate these plants, you would have no way to get these necessary food sources and medical sources, causing a chain reaction of species dying out. Another example of a crisis with extinction might be the economic impact made on the world. Food chain disruption could possibly lead to the loss of jobs within certain fields. For instance, if a species of plankton went extinct, leaving fish with nothing to eat, fishermen would begin to lose their jobs creating a chain reaction leading all the way up to the big business-corporate level. Last but most definitely not least, there is a possible higher disease risk within ecosystems causing humans to become susceptible to diseases without cure. There are some animals that are immune to certain diseases, such as pigs, goats, cattle, and opossums being resistant to various bacterial viruses and diseases. These animals, or “buffer species” help to restrain the distribution from animals to humans. If these animals happened to become extinct or endangered, species that replace them cannot completely contain the disease like the other animals once did, causing humans to be more susceptible to catching the disease.
So how exactly does extinction from expansion and industrialization occur? Well, expansion has a direct effect on wildlife and their habitats. When big businesses and even houses/residential communities find new places to build, they are taking over the home of some kind of species. You may not be able to see their habitat, but every inch of this land once belonged to some species. If you take their home away from them, it can cause them to relocate to another place that is not in their normal habitat and would not usually be a fit place for them to be settled. Animals cannot thrive unless they are in their habitat. In other cases of relocation, if you were to move the animals yourself, such as to a zoo, then you could be potentially causing distress and even death.
Is there a way to stop these things from happening? Yes, absolutely, now more than ever, people are beginning to advocate for animals and the environment, which is what needs to occur to see change. People all over the world need to be very serious about saving their planet to actually see a difference, because making a change in one country is just not enough. Recycling and doing your part as a citizen can go a long way. However, there is just so much more to be done. It is going to be evident soon that Congress needs to step in and begin to make new laws protecting wildlife more than ever. There are also ways that the people of the world can begin recycling and reusing land that has already been built on and not destroying more habitats to fulfill the needs of a few.
Even though expansion will most likely not end until the world has used all of the resources available, there have been several advances that are giving conservationists hope. Recently, President Obama implemented a “no net loss” memorandum. According to Climate Progress, a government run website pertaining to all of todays issues, “the memo established that energy, mining, and other development projects on America’s public lands should result in a net benefit— or at minimum no net loss— for the nation’s rivers, lands, and wildlife resources.” President Obama has also spoken countless times of how “America has a moral obligation to leaving the nation better than they found it for generations to come.” Despite all of the damage that many did in the past, it is good to know that there is still hope for the wildlife.
Citation Page
“Animal Extinction and Endangerment Main Causes.” Animal Extinction and Endangerment, Main Causes • Endangered Animals. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
Reading, Richard P., and Brian Miller. Endangered Animals: A Reference Guide to Conflicting Issues. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2000. Print.
“Endangered Species Pay the Price of Palm Oil’s Expansion.” Greenpeace sUSA Endangered Species Pay the Price of Palm Oils Expansion Comments. 2014. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
“World Wildlife Populations Halved in 40 Years – Report – BBC News.” BBC News. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
Land Clearing is Undermining Australia’s Environmental Progress
Maron, Martine, Bill Laurance, Bob Pressey, Carla Catterall, Clive McAlpine, Hugh Possingham, James Watson, Jonathan Rhodes, Kerrie Wilson, and Marc Hockings. “Queensland Land Clearing Is Undermining Australia’s Environmental Progress.” The Conversation. The Conversation Website, 21 Feb. 2016. Web. 9 Mar. 2016.
In Africa, Tracker Dogs Join War Against Elephant Poachers
Steyn, Paul. “In Africa, Tracker Dogs Join War Against Elephant Poachers.” National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 20 Nov. 2014. Web. 9 Mar. 2016.
11 Startling Stats About Earth’s Disappearing Wildlife
McLendon, Russell. “11 Startling Stats about Earth’s Disappearing Wildlife.” MNN. 1 Oct. 2014. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.
“How Can the Loss of Biodiversity Be Halted?” Rainforest Conservation Fund. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
“08.12.2008 – Dying Frogs Sign of a Biodiversity Crisis.” 08.12.2008 – Dying Frogs Sign of a Biodiversity Crisis. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
“Obama’s New Public Lands Policy Is A Win For Conservation Efforts.” ThinkProgress RSS. 2015. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
“How Do the Extinctions of Other Creatures Affect Humans Directly?” How Do the Extinctions of Other Creatures Affect Humans Directly? Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
“Industrialization Definition | Investopedia.” Investopedia. 2008. Web. 11 Apr. 2016.
“Impact of the Industrial Revolution | Ecology Global Network.” Ecology Global Network. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.