Sustaining Life; How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity,
by Chivian and Bernstein
ISBN: 9780195175097
The diversity of life on earth is intimately tied to the health of human beings living on it. Of course, the public has read the stories in the news about the disappearance of species on earth at an increasingly alarming rate. Seems like the arctic, the rainforest, and ocean currents (to name a few) are all changing due to human activity. As these ecosystems fail, so do the animal communities that depend on them. Of course, the public is aware of the consequences of continuing down the path of more ecosystems collapsing. This book puts the decision to preserve natural biodiversity in the hands of its reader by showing how human health and the health of the global ecosystem are connected. This book contains case studies from different biota that document advances in medicine, nanotechnology, energy, and in general human health. In the twenty-first century, preserving biodiversity will continue to remain an important issue.
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Talking about the importance of biodiversity seems like a no-brainer, a ‘duh’ moment. Why would we attempt to kill off the natural systems that support our existence? The question we should be asking ourselves is, through what method would the most ecosystems benefit from my individual support?
The global economy runs the world, and so, the economic engines of the world would be the most powerful forces that environmentalists might use to permanently protect the parts of the planet that sustain life by putting price tags on the the most valued resources on earth...clean air, water, and land. The consumer has become more powerful than the voter. Seems like capitalism has slowly replaced democracy as the preferred method of government in the world. All those in favor of democracy or capitalism?...All those opposed?...
Now that it is settled that democracy and capitalism are here to stay, it is time to put global markets to the task of preserving biodiversity and protecting ecosystems from total collapse by generating ingenuity in how to harvest, manufacture, and consume energy more efficiently. To do this we need a price tag on contaminating clean water, land, and air. Why do we need a price tag? Without any costs associated with pollution, our most valuable resources have become virtual dumping grounds for all sorts of waste.
Why do we need to protect biodiversity? How is biodiversity connected to business cycles? What generates ingenuity? How is innovation tied to business? What do politics have to do with biodiversity? If we do not put a cost on defiling the environment, there is nothing set up in America's current economic structure, except for some magical wand from an invisible hand, that will keep businesses from exploiting the free resource.
In order to understand biodiversity more thoroughly, consider multiculturalism and globalization. Here, in the beginning of the twenty-first century, it has become a societal norm to value cultural diversity. Multicultural events are seen as opportunities to broaden an individual’s perspective and to consider another’s point of view. We are currently, as a society, in the process of putting firmly in place in American culture the idea that more similarities exist between cultures than ideas, principles, or interests that separate them. In the same way, environmental responsibility is making its way into the American psyche. Much like multiculturalism, environmental principles will become dominant in economics and politics in the coming future.
Using the civil rights movement of the past half-century as a model, it is not too far of a leap to land in a world where plants and animals are respected more than is currently being shown in our business practices. Animals, in general today, are not respected very much; their plant cousins are disrespected even more. These disrespectful acts, collectively, are driving world markets more and more, over the long-term, into distress. This is because as the population of world continues to expand exponentially, so do the amount of resources needed to satiate human desires. Forests can be harvested, crops grown, energy developed, and businesses can generate wealth for years into the future by adopting strategies that are more in line with energy efficient policies and natural systems in general. By the middle of the twenty-first century, the world will have evolved past fossil fuels out of necessity.
This futuristic world of ‘living-kingdom-equality’, contrary to popular opinion, is not without its economic benefits. More and more businesses are coming to find out that protecting the environment from extraction, manufacturing, and transportation impacts saves them money in the long term. It would be nice if businesses could limit atmospheric pollution on their own, but it seems as though regulation of emissions in some form is coming. The establishment of a carbon market in America will be the sign of the beginning of the ‘green revolution’ that is being talked about in the media.
The birth of Americas renewable industry will provide untold wealth to a new generation of Americans in the form of investment and in new jobs. Restoring the natural world to be more in balance with human existence has the potential to restore the cracking American psyche. Energy efficiency and renewable energy is nearing its tipping point; that is, we have reached the point at which the cost of the environmental degradation from the fossil fuel industry is creating market conditions in the present that are conducive to renewable energy development. Americans, at the beginning of the twenty-first century are starting to show signs of evolution; an evolution that leans toward respecting diversity in general.
The flood of innovation surrounding renewable energy technology is dependent solely upon the diversity of the living species on the planet. By studying the natural world, whether it is insects or photosynthesis, human beings can improve upon the democratic and capitalistic societies that they have set up. All of the answers to today’s most complex questions are preserved in the biodiversity of the planet; by destroying biodiversity, we are destroying hope.
Whether the resource is extracted directly from nature or nature’s processes are reproduced on the nanoscale, the planet’s natural biodiversity is an integral component of every product manufactured. Business depends upon an abundance of natural resources to maintain its yearly forecasts of growth. Innovators depend upon the sheer volume of inspiration that nature affords its viewers. It only makes sense that these corporate conglomerates would seek to protect the very source of all of their feedstock and virtually almost every innovation ever made across every industry.
Each living creature has a specific role in helping to keep ecosystems functioning.
There are many different approaches that people can take toward preserving biodiversity. The argument that biodiversity is important to ensure new medications is somewhat limited in scope. Another pro-biodiversity argument is one that emphasizes the value of maintaining healthy ecosystems for recreations like hiking or sightseeing, although this reason is even more self-centered in scope. Biodiversity, by its definition, requires a multitude of forms for survival.
We all end up using any one of these kinds of arguments when talking about how and why to preserve the earth’s biodiversity. We all do not want to have to watch the polar bears die, but the simple fact of the matter is that our lifestyle is killing them. The more discussions that are had about the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems like the arctic and the importance of species migration, the more species will be protected. Defending biodiversity is a valuable learning tool for people of any age.
Most recently, the term environmental economics has been created to define a shift in traditional economic theory. Under this new heading, environmental and social costs are figured into the bottom line as much as financial figures. Under the branch of environmental economics, recycling, waste disposal, and energy efficiency are incorporated into the business model. Companies that follow this kind of business model are invested in protecting biodiversity because they have realized that their inspiration and innovation, as well as their resources come directly from nature…either that or it is good for public relations and marketing.
Without the natural world and its diversity, virtually every business would be left without the resources that produce growth. Take for example the bees; without bees, a lot of U.S. agriculture does not reproduce on the scale we are used to. Harvests drop, commodity prices rise, and there is a food shortage. It seems like common sense to look into why certain bees went into distress last year. Or look at ants and the efficiency they employ in their transportation systems; and don’t forget the importance of photosynthesis…if we could just figure out how to get the ‘H’ away from the H2O like plants do so easily every day. Of course, we can not protect every bee or ant or plant, but we can use our industrial manufacturing facilities to produce widgets that are more in line with the principles of survival. Protecting the web of life within our ecosystems is central to our civilization’s survival.
Environmental economics has the potential to offer global markets a prolonged period of economic growth. Manufacturing renewable energy technology, retrofitting cities’ infrastructure, educating an entirely new workforce, and then making the utility-scale shift in power generation to renewable energy will take decades. The amount of resources and the number of jobs in the future that will be put into renewable and sustainable business practices is unimaginable. It is the evolution of industry; and in the future, innovation will continue to come from the biological diversity on this planet.
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Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
www.oecd.org
The OECD brings together the governments of countries committed to democracy and the market economy from around the world to:
• Support sustainable economic growth
• Boost employment
• Raise living standards
• Maintain financial stability
• Assist other countries' economic development
• Contribute to growth in world trade
The OECD also shares expertise and exchanges views with more than 100 other countries and economies, from Brazil, China, and Russia to the least developed countries in Africa.
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