Ecolog:
May I suggest that the core pachyderms are egocentrism and culture and
illusion? Culture freed humans from the energy/nutrient cycle, and is
responsible for the standard of living that all cultures enjoy? Egocentrism
is the state of mind that sanctions the transfer (theft) of energy/nutrients
from one ecosystem unit to another to the transferor's benefit and the
source's detriment. Egocentrism is culture's enabler. As egocentrism
increases, culture becomes increasingly dominant at the expense of
social/cooperative sustenance. Subsistence is inconsistent with consumption
above that level, but mice and men do hoard to compensate for hard times.
Illusion as a mindset grew out of egocentrism, and fantasy is much more
comfortable than reality. It is not, however, a lasting construct for
evolutionary success. Ultimately, as my wife and McPherson keep saying,
"Nature bats last."
WT
----- Original Message -----
From: <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2009 11:48 AM
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Population control
There is a third problem which is at least equal to consumption and
population as a cause of environmental degradation - inequitable access to
economic opportunity. In most developing countries inequity is the major
cause of deforestation. The poor clear forests to carry on subsistence
agriculture to feed their families and the rich clear vast expanses of
forest to create inefficient cattle ranches and plantations.
And, of course, inequity on the international scale, is an obvious problem
with the U.S. being the leading offender - consuming far more than our
fair share of the planet's resources on a per capita basis and
contributing substantially to greenhouse gas emissions.
Robert Mowbray
Tropical Forest Ecologist
-------------- Original message from "Warren W. Aney"
<[email protected]>: --------------
I know this has been discussed before, but the point still needs to be
made
that overconsumption and overpopulation both need to be addressed as our
greatest problems.
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