A land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow-members and also respect for the community as such. — Aldo Leopold, 1887-1948 .........................Often, people come to us asking, "How can I reduce my impact on the environment?"................ "How can we ensure both people and the land will prosper in the long run?"........... "Leopold defined conservation as a way of life in which land does well for its inhabitants, citizens do well by their land, and both end up better by reason of partnership"........... "Aldo Leopold recognized that no matter how sophisticated we become, people will always depend on the land—"the land" being shorthand for the community that not only includes and values people but also plants, animals, soils, and waters, from the highest strata of the atmosphere to the depths of the ocean"........... "We often take natural resources and ecosystems for granted, but, ultimately, the planet's natural communities and natural functions are what sustain our economy and enrich our lives"............ "That land is a community," Leopold wrote, "is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics"............ "Drawing on his life-long study of ecology, land use, history, and ethics, Aldo Leopold concluded that the highest task of civilization was to figure out how 'to live on a piece of land without spoiling it"...........'"It's an ideal articulated by one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th Century, an ideal we must embrace in this one." --------Buddy Huffaker, Executive Director of the Aldo Leopold Center in Wisconsin..........................Mr. Huffaker eloquently just expounded on Leopold's Land Ethic,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Now, I ask you to determine if Genetic Engineering of our Plants and animals fits inside or outside THE LAND ETHIC................I submit to you that just like throwing chemicals into the environment and turning it upside down,,,,,,,,,,,,,,so does Genetic Engineering bring "Frankenstein" adversities to our natural life forms..........All the rewilding in the world will be for naught if we allow "frankenstein enigneered organisms to escape into our fields, forests and streams
No comments:
Post a Comment