Relationship between Mankind and Our Ecosystems

In recent years there has been great concern over the growing demand for energy, and the lack of non-renewable energy resources to meet the demand in the future. In addition, the question of “sustainability”—the ability to balance social, economic, and environmental needs in energy production to meet both current and long-term requirements—has come to the fore. It is clear that America must expand energy production quickly, and that we must develop renewable, sustainable energy sources to meet long-term demand and protect our future. There are many proposed solutions, such as wind and solar power. But the technology for these resources is not yet fully developed, making them, at best, low-output alternatives. Because renewable sources are

America should pursue alternative energy sources because “With only 5 percent of the worlds population, the United States consumes almost one-quarter (22.5%) of global energy”. (((Josef Bram, 15))) With such a small percentage of the world’s population and still one of the largest consumers of energy the U.S should be looking for new and better ways to generate energy. Currently The U.S’s energy is supplied using traditional sources. According to Canadian scientist and policy analyst Vaclav Smil “Todays energy 29% from coal, 33% from oil and gas, and 33% from soft-energy (alternative sources)” (((Smil, 47))) Most of the energy we use on a daily basis is not produced using clean methods. Some alternative energy sources that are already in place within the United Stats are wind, solar, and hydraulic.

The message of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment’s Governing Board is that human impacts on this resilient natural world are so unprecedented and extensive that we crossed the line into unsustainable consumption some time ago and are now depleting ecosystem capital stock instead of living off its sustainable goods and services.

Since the birth of humanity, humans have deeply relied on nature. From the food that is consumed to the water that is drunk, all of it was provided by nature. As time proceeds, humanity has grown proportionally with its expansion and consumption. It is believed by many that the tipping point at which nature can sustain humanity will be reached. The only way to help nature is the extinction of the leach that feed off it, which means the extinction of humanity. Human extinction is necessary for the survival of nature. With the constant energy usage, expansion (migration), and population growth, extinction is seen as the only way to help the environment and save what has given us life to begin with. With the growth of cities and conversion of forests to homes, nature has no way to help itself. Thus, being the only living creature consciously able to react on nature’s behalf, it is the responsibility of humanity to save nature.

As we continue to grow and have a greater impact on the Earth’s systems, it is essential that we address our role and relationship with nature. The separation of humans from nature encourages environmentally irresponsible behavior because it allows us to take on the conqueror role, giving us the ability to manipulate the landscape with the duty to provide and proliferate. Throughout human history, we have made advancements in technology and agriculture, resulting in the imbalance and overuse of land. The ability of humans to manipulate the landscape and recognize the consequences of doing so makes us an invasive species. Our dependency on Earth’s resources and services put us at competition with the environment. In order to understand our role

This article discusses the problems with switching to renewable energy. Obama's Clean Power Plan sets a goal for the United States to have 28% of its power come from renewable energy sources by the year 2030 and the two following problems came from it.

In the piece “Selling out on nature” (McCauley, 2006), Douglas J. McCauley describes how conservation efforts are fueled by the economic advantages it possesses and are carried out solely for the purpose of benefiting our economic markets. McCauley states that ecosystem services are “economic benefits provided by natural ecosystems” (27), arguing that the only incentive for mankind to save nature depends on how profitable nature can be. He emphasizes that our attention should not be put forth in commodifying nature but rather, inculcating respect and love for it so that we can preserve it for many years to come. I oppose McCauley’s argument because it’s impractical and unachievable. Humanity will

The U.S. is using non-renewable resources affecting the environment and the resource itself negatively. This is a problem because the fossil fuels are creating a tremendous amount of Carbon Dioxide and the Carbon Dioxide is polluting the air. This is bad for the environment because of the amount of pollution and because of the way you obtain fossil fuels. This resource is not renewable, this means that the resource will run out over time. In this day and age, the demand for this resource is increasing rapidly due to overpopulation and the demand for more cars. If we could come up with a renewable resource to replace fossil fuels, then we wouldn't have to rely on a non-renewable resource any longer. This is where hydropower comes in. hydropower should replace fossil fuels and the U.S. a better place.

Chapin, F.S., Carpenter, S.R., Kofinas, G.P., Folke, C., Abel, N., Clark, W.C., …& Swanson, F.J (2010). Ecosystem stewardship: sustainability strategies for a rapid change planet.

“In some areas of the world, hydroelectric power is the main source of electricity' In South and Central… power. Norway gets 95 percent of its electricity and over 50 percent of all its energy from hydroelectricity. Canada gets 59 percent and the United States gets about 8 percent of its electricity from hydroelectric plants” (Enger and Smith 222). With the development of efforts being made to benefit the environment, why wouldn’t anyone agree to switch to renewable energy? Hydropower has been used in the past to power a number of machines and it worked

Humans have the ability to have a great impact on ecosystems. Living organisms are a significant

Environmentalists have pushed hard to try and get clean energy like solar and wind more affordable so the world can make a transition to clean energy. The reason renewable energy is not being pushed as hard as it should has to do with the government. Oil companies practically bribe republicans in the house and the senate to ignore attempts to make clean energy possible. When clean energy becomes more popular and affordable, oil production and business goes down. These oil companies don’t want anything but money, and they are getting money in the wrong way. They are destroying the the Earth for their own wealth, which is an extremely monstrous

In this day and age, we have new energy sources that could be used to power our homes and transportation. Wind and solar power are used all over the world, but are still used far less than fossil fuels. Most would say it’s not reliable or it doesn’t make any profit. While both statements are true, it doesn’t mean we can’t make a better future using renewable energy. In fact, the only reason we don’t use renewables for everything is that we don’t want to change. The hard truth is we need to change. Fossil fuels are great right now, but if we run out, humanity must have another source of energy.

To begin, over the course of history human activities have drastically changed or destroyed the natural habitats that are essential to the survival of plants and animals. We have been known to pollute habitats, hunt and kill animals illegally, and our trivial need to fulfill our aches for luxurious lifestyle often has the side effect and disrespecting home and resources of other species that we share the plant Earth with. Our human population is multiplying at an alarming rate

In the current world of immense technology, increasing population and flourishing economic, investigations have shown that the global economy is outgrowing the earth’s ecosystem. Environmental problems are some of the most vital issues which human being, especially environmentalists, pay significant attention to. As individuals, what we are able to do is to adopt some small but significant changes to reduce our ecological footprints, thus making little but crucial contributions to our living environment. In the past half of the month, I changed my lifestyle and tried two changes to improve the quality of our ecosystem.