Hope In Humanity
Facing human-induced environmental degradation that has already thrust the world past, and in some cases pushed it beyond, its point of no return, we need hope. Humanity needs hope for a better future because without it we will succumb to apathy and despair.
The first step in achieving hope is understanding how humanity has brought itself to such an undesirable state. This article will explore how our actions have sabotaged our world with their destructive practices over centuries of mistreatment. But most importantly, this article will discuss the responsibility we have in putting a stop to human-induced destruction before it's too late.
Humanity is at a crossroad and needs to choose between the direction of corporate greed or that of natural and social sustainability. Based on our current path, the destruction caused by corporate greed is winning out and will only result in our own demise. In order to combat these corporations, alternative ways of living must be developed to implement sustainable and cooperative systems on both a local and global level.
A History of Harmful Practices
Our mistreatment of our environment began with the industrial revolution. The dawning of the manufacturing age brought with it the era of "extractivism," a form of economic production that emphasizes extraction and exploitation to maximize profit. Modern capitalism requires a constant influx of raw materials and large quantities of energy to produce its goods, while at the same time discarding toxic byproducts as waste.
Our wasteful consumerist ways have brought about an era of global warming and climate change, which has altered the physical structure of our planet. We've poisoned our water and land with toxic chemicals, rendered our oceans lifeless by over-fishing, rapidly depleted natural resources through deforestation and strip mining, as well as many other harmful practices.
The extent to which extractivism harms the environment is staggering. Extractivism is the process of mining resources from the earth and using them until they're depleted, then moving on to the next resource. Extractivism has played a huge role in destroying our environment, through deforestation, water pollution, oil spills and chemical waste.
After the industrial revolution came what many believe to be the next step in human progress: "the green revolution." The green revolution was an initiative sponsored by industry manifesting itself as genetically engineered crops.
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Hope In Humanity