This article was written in order to evoke emotion and I think it really helped bring the point across. This is one of the many articles and chapters we read that fully recognizes the power our consumerist culture has in destroying the environment. However, It correlates the need to stop destroying our environment and our well being as a human population.
Adams opens the article by having us (the readers) compare ourselves to the ivory-billed woodpecker and what it may feel like to be the last of our kind. This was very effective in putting perspective on extinction. It made me relate to the woodpecker and how sad it might be. He talks about the importance for recognizing extinction for what it is and having a deep emotional feeling for nature in that sense. He wants us to understand that extinction is not a concept separate from our existence; it is directly related to our existence. Therefore, addressing extinction and our relationship with the environment is the most powerful step we can take in helping. I agree with this notion 100%. By recognizing what our role is in the natural world now and what our role should be in the natural world is extremely important in bettering our environment.
One thing that Adams mentions that needs to change is our outlook on the issue. He says, “The real issue is not whether millions are being spent to preserve [the ivory-bills’] habitat, but that billions are being spent to destroy such habitats.” I agree with this statement. Spending some money on the environment is nothing compared to the amount of money we spend on depleting it.He makes a point to say that we only recognize nature as raw materials and not as the beautiful home and ecosystem that it is. Changing our view of the nature around us can make a big difference.When we think about the amount of resources we take from the environment, spending a few million dollars on preserving it doesn’t seem so bad.
Throughout the article, there were a few things that caught my attention. Adams says, “at least 13,000 species are dying every year, 35 every day, more than one every hour.” This is a very heart-breaking and appalling fact. These are organisms that we are literally wiping off the face of the earth. This means that we completely stop their evolutionary process and any other possible advancements they may have.This article brought a to of issues to light about the importance of our relationship with nature and was very interesting to read.
