So, now cheetahs are going extinct.

originally posted by: TruthxIsxInxThexMist
a reply to: SlapMonkey

... and when you see a fox dead in the road which probably only got hit 5 or so hours ago, it did sadden me and it would probably sadden you too if you had seen the smashed skull & blood.

I live in Northern Kentucky (just outside of Cincinnati) and lived 9 years in Tennessee--I've seen more dead wildlife on the road than most people can count sand grains in a sand box. Sometimes it saddens me, but most of the time, I see it as a problem of coexistence on this planet, the same as when someone's pet Chihuahua (a non-native species of animal in most parts of the world) gets eaten by a coyote. Yes, when all life is taken, no matter what the reason, there is a bit of sadness to it, but as far as getting emotional when I see a smashed skull or blood, not so much. That stuff doesn't bother me.

But, I tend to see the beauty or intrigue in nearly everything, and I actually did a small series of drawings about 10 years back based on images I took of dead animals that I found. Even in death, there can be beauty.

Do you know how much is going extinct? All because of human greed!

No, it's not all because of human greed, and it's not all because of man in general. Yes, some of it is, but not all, and even that which can be attributed to man doesn't always have concrete proof or evidence to back the claim. Species have been going extinct on this planet ever since life began. Man does have a big hand in accelerating some of that natural extinction, but to claim that it is all because of human greed is simply asinine.

Do you understand that human habitation only covers about 10% of the globes land mass? About 80% of it is connected via roadways, but human habitation leaves approximately 90% of the earth's land relatively untouched. Even if we estimate on the high side and say that another 30% of that is somehow affected by humans (deforestation, mining, etc.), that still results in approximately 60% of the land mass of earth unmolested by human beings. And that doesn't even remind us that about 70% of the earth is covered in water, so we're talking (at a probable maximum) about 15% of the entirety of the earth being directly affected by humans...and we don't even live in the oceans. Yes, we could go on about how much of the ocean's surface is affected by plastic debris and yada yada yada, but I have yet to see any reports that link plastic debris to the extinction of a species. In fact, from what I recall from quite a few years back, it led to the discovery (or sensationalizing) of microbes that actually consume petroleum products and break them down.

Look, natural ("background") extinction is estimated to occur at about 1-5 species per year, and scientists estimate that with humans and societal advancement, we are increasing that 1,000 to 10,000 times the background rate. But these are estimates, and I'm willing to bet that they're a bit on the high side. So, we'll meet somewhere in the middle and say that 10,000 species go extinct every year. Every year, though, scientists discover between 15,000 to 18,000 new species per year, and that has been a steady reality for the past 250 years.

I'm not dismissing the increase in estimated extinctions, but I just wanted to point out that the earth isn't going to be species-less any time soon.

I firmly believe that all nature & wildlife was put on this earth for us to look after but what are we doing? We are destroying it. I say 'we' but no... it should be 'they' or 'you' because i'm certainly not destroying any of it or havn't destroyed any of it.

Unless you are living completely off-grid and using zero petroleum products, zero electricity, and only foraging and hunting for food, you are absolutely contributing to the destruction of species annually.

originally posted by: SlapMonkey

I firmly believe that all nature & wildlife was put on this earth for us to look after but what are we doing? We are destroying it. I say 'we' but no... it should be 'they' or 'you' because i'm certainly not destroying any of it or havn't destroyed any of it.

Unless you are living completely off-grid and using zero petroleum products, zero electricity, and only foraging and hunting for food, you are absolutely contributing to the destruction of species annually.

I'm not contributing to it as much as you would like to think... perhaps of your guilt, you want to include others in this destruction.

1) I don't go building over every piece of land I see.

2) I don't go out cutting down trees (although I do use things related to trees but I don't go cutting them down).

3) I have no children, so i'm not using up more than I should.

4) I don't go hunting animals like some people do for their own enjoyment & trophy hunting.

5) I would never hurt an animal unless it was going to eat me.

edit on CSTThu, 29 Dec 2016 11:29:44 -06000000003111x044x0 by TruthxIsxInxThexMist because: (no reason given)

Damn, I gotta hurry up and eat me one before its too late!!!

a reply to: TruthxIsxInxThexMist

(Your coding is messed up)

Most people who think that they're not contributing to it as much as others understand generally greatly underestimate how much their daily lives actually do contribute to it. I don't employ child slaves, but I do buy things from countries that do. That makes me a part of that problem, even if I don't personally go employ the children on my own direct dollar.

If you actually think about it, and really think about it, your daily life is surrounded by things that contribute to the problem of resource depletion, or building expansion, or deforestation--even if you are unwilling to admit it. It's just a byproduct of living in a 1st-world country, for better or worse.