By Mankamal Osahan
As we conclude the first decade of the twenty-first century and begin the second, we need to become more aware of the widening chasm between natural and human ecosystems. Currently, there are some important differences between the two. Three of these differences are: the interdependence of the environment and its species, the cyclical flow of energy and matter throughout the environment, and the level of partnership and cooperation in the environment.
To begin with, the ecological principle of interdependence between the environment and its species is completely inherent in natural ecosystems. In the words of Fritjof Capra, the species of a natural ecosystem “derive their essential properties and, in fact, their very existence from their relationships to other things” (82). The species of a natural ecosystem help each other out and help make the natural environment sustainable. In this way, the environment and its species all benefit from each other. As Ted Mosquin wrote, “the presence of a species and the things that it can do have a powerful bearing on shaping the environment of all. Organisms help to make the world and then it makes them.” However, such a level of interdependence is not inherent in many human ecosystems. For example, in many human ecosystems, there are corporations who try to deceive people, rip people off, and do anything they can to gain the maximum amount of private profit, in complete disregard for the damage that they do to the relationships between themselves and the general public, and any damage that they do to the environment, human or natural. The corporations have also made a big business out of everything, infiltrating every nook and cranny of human civilization. Fritjof Capra was again absolutely right when he said, “private profits are being made at public costs in the deterioration of the environment and the general quality of life… basic ecological literacy tells us that such a system is not sustainable” (83). Without interdependence, there is no relationship, no cooperation, no partnership, and therefore no sustainability.
Another important and major difference between natural ecosystems and human ecosystems is the cyclical flow of matter and energy throughout the environment. In natural ecosystems, there is not really any waste produced because what is waste for one species is food for another, and the flow of energy and matter in every food chain goes around in a full cycle. However, this cyclical flow is not prevalent in the many of the industrial systems of the world. Many industries pollute the environment by emitting toxic chemicals into the air. The power plants also emit radioactive waste. The uranium that nuclear power plants use is radioactive, and could emit gamma rays into the environment, damaging everyone’s DNA. And hundreds of millions of gallons of fossil fuels are being burnt every day in order to keep cities running. The consequences of all this are lethal. Ted Mosquin writes, “the Earth is witnessing the consequences – rising sea levels, major expansions of deserts with losses of crops and livestock, violent storms, melting of polar ice… in the next decade, more global warming will cause major crop failures that will lead to serious global food shortages.” These industrial systems are completely linear, and not at all cyclical, and sooner or later, when the damage gets inflicted to human communities, the corporate leaders will probably realize that such a system is definitely not sustainable.
A third difference between natural ecosystems and human ecosystems is the principles of partnership and cooperation. In natural ecosystems, every species cooperates and works with one another to sustain the environment and keep it in balance. They never discriminate against each other by cooperating with some species and rejecting others. Every species works together, and they do extremely well with each other. On the other hand, in the case of many human ecosystems, and in some ways throughout the entire human world, there is a lot of aggressive economic expansion, financial domination, and cutthroat competition taking place. For example, in the stock market, Wall Street businessmen shoot up tobacco every morning to engage in cutthroat competition and rip all of their stock market adversaries off. Discrimination takes place in human ecosystems as well. In America, in at least some jobs, women get paid about 84% of what men get paid. There are some American communities that are segregated into a number of different racial groups. Even with a little bit of ecological literacy, you can tell that this system, which has such a big lack of cooperation, cannot be sustainable.
So, in conclusion, as we enter the second decade of the twenty-first century, we need to become more aware of the differences in sustainability and peacefulness of natural ecosystems and human ecosystems. By becoming more aware of these differences, we can become much better informed about our obligations toward the natural environment, and our own human environment.
Works Cited
Capra, Fritjof. “Ecological Literacy.” Saving Place Ed.
Sidney I. Dobrin. Boston: McGraw Hill 2005, 81-86.
Mosquin, Ted. “Sensing the Inherent Value of Natural
Ecosystems.”
http://www.ecospherics.net/pages/
MosqSensInher.html
2009
Mosquin, Ted. “Kyoto, Biodiversity, and the Hypocrisy
of World Leaders.”
http://www.ecospherics.net/pages/KYOTO.htm 2009
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