"We’re currently experiencing the worst spate of species die-offs since the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Although extinction is a natural phenomenon, it occurs at a natural “background” rate of about one to five species per year. Scientists estimate we’re now losing species at 1,000 to 10,000 times the background rate, with literally dozens going extinct every day. It could be a scary future indeed, with as many as 30 to 50 percent of all species possibly heading toward extinction by mid-century."
While past mass extinctions were caused by natural catastrophes like asteroids, volcanic eruptions and natural climate shifts, this one is unique in that it is entirely caused by humans. The website continues:
"In fact, 99 percent of currently threatened species are at risk from human activities, primarily those driving habitat loss, introduction of exotic species, and global warming."
My point is that if we don't do something about climate change, there likely won't be any Cecil's to cry over fifty years from now. I feel like we're missing the forest for the trees here.
My other point on this is how people can get so upset about Cecil, while fellow human beings are being exploited and killed the world over. For this point I highlight paragraph 91 from Pope Francis' recent encyclical on ecology:
"A sense of deep communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness, compassion and concern for our fellow human beings. It is clearly inconsistent to combat trafficking in endangered species while remaining completely indifferent to human trafficking, unconcerned about the poor, or undertaking to destroy another human being deemed unwanted. This compromises the very meaning of our struggle for the sake of the environment... Everything is connected. Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society."
Well said. Just yesterday I was listening to Naomi Klein's This Changes Everything while at work (I'm painting for my brother-in-law so need something to occupy my mind). In the intro she talks about how a discussion with an Bolivian government environmental representative changed her view on climate change's impact. She said that many indigenous Bolivians living in the Andes mountains relying on fresh water from glaciers are seeing direct consequences of global warming. Their water sources are being drastically reduced and the worst part of it is that most of this is being caused by richer developed nations like us. In other words, direct consequences of our emissions are impacting people who already have much lower standards of living than us.
So while I applaud peoples anger and frustration with Cecil's death I would encourage us to dig a little deeper into the bigger issue that threatens all of earths species---including us.
Your post reminds me of something Al Gore wrote decades ago in 'The Earth in Balance' regarding the North Pole whale rescue that movie 'Big Miracle' was based on:
ReplyDelete“… it occurred to me that if we are causing 100 extinctions each day – and many scientists believe we are – approximately 2,000 living species had disappeared from the earth during the whales’ ordeal….. They disappeared forever – unnoticed…. Why?
Perhaps one part of the answer lies in the perceived difficulty of than effective response. If the problem portrayed in the image is one whose solution appears to involve more effort or sacrifice than we can readily imagine, or if even maximum effort by any one individual would fail to prevent the tragedy, we are tempted to sever the link between stimulus and moral response. Then, once a response is deemed impossible, the image that briefly caused us to consider responding becomes not just startling but painful. At that point, we begin to react not to the image but the pain it now produces, thus severing a more basic link in our relationship to the world: the link between our senses and emotions. Our eyes glaze over as our hearts close. We look but we don’t see. We hear but refuse to listen.”
This is something I think of when I hear that news stations over-report the opposing arguments to climate change or seemingly trivial stories. I personally have stopped taking about problems except when I can follow it up with a real, practical solution. Even if one solution cannot solve such a complex problem, it gives hope. Hope is stronger than statistics… particularly on television news networks!