Scientists Warn That World's Wilderness Areas Are Disappearing (nytimes.com) 72
Scientists are warning that if human beings continue to mine the world's wildernesses for resources and convert them into cities and farms at the pace of the previous century, the planet's few remaining wild places could disappear in decades. From a report: Today, more than 77 percent of land on earth, excluding Antarctica, has been modified by human industry, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, up from just 15 percent a century ago. The study, led by researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia and the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York, paints the first global picture of the threat to the world's remaining wildernesses -- and the image is bleak. "We're on a threshold where whole systems could collapse and the consequences of that would be catastrophic," said James R. Allan, one of the study's authors. In the study, Mr. Allan and his colleagues urged the participants of a United Nations conference on biological diversity, scheduled for next month in Egypt, to protect all of the world's remaining wilderness areas. "We cannot afford to lose more," he said. "We must save it in its entirety."
Re:Blah blah the sky is falling (Score:5, Informative)
Where is this researcher asking for more research dollars? I'm not seeing it.
I am seeing the part where he is asking for protections on the remaining wilderness areas. See like a good idea to avoid collapse of biological systems.
Reading isn't as tough as you might think. But you don't get paid to read, just to comment. Is that correct, AC?
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I can't decide if this is a flawless rebuttal or curiously-specific projection.
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Stop sucking your own dick!
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But you don't get paid to read, just to comment. Is that correct, AC?
As I like pointing out on Slashdot. Not everyone who disagrees with you is a shill. Some people are genuinely stupid.
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Blah blah blah I'm just another worthless anonymous keyboard warrior who think I know more from living in my mother's basement and watching youtube videos every fucking minute of my miserable empty life than all those scientists who studied years and worked decades in numerous fields of science.
Re:Blah blah the sky is falling (Score:5, Informative)
30 years later in 2003 I revisited the park for a Honeymoon. Once again I went snorkeling a few times and was amazed at how Gray and lifeless everything was.
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What do you chalk this up to though? In the States, most areas now have much less pollution than they did in the 1970s. (The Mississippi dead-zone is a notable exception)
Perhaps there was a storm before you got there that stirred up the water?
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Humanity. It was fun while it lasted. (Score:1)
Hope your stock returns keep you warm when you drown and/or starve to death with the rest of the species.
Re: Humanity. It was fun while it lasted. (Score:5, Insightful)
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whataboutism [wikipedia.org]
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Also known as: Hypocrisy, lies, and manipulation.
But hey - complaints about trickle down economics are just "whataboutism"! When another country points to US emissions, that's "whataboutism"!! When someone points to some terrible thing you're doing, just scream "WHATABOUTISM!!!" to totally deflect! It works every time!
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You've just invented meta-whataboutism.
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It's not about disproving it, it's about pointing out that this guy should put his money where his mouth is, instead of trying to tell OTHER PEOPLE what to do.
good point! (Score:1)
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Thanks, I do have it figured out.
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IT is bad, but there is no money... (Score:1)
But which politician is going to protect animals over people? Even in a developed and educated country like America, being against "tree huggers" and Spotted-owl lovers gets lots of votes.
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Ever seen what caged rats will do to each other when they hit their critical point of overcrowding?
Is it engage in intelligent discourse to arrive at a solution which alleviates the problem for future generations, with each rat selflessly playing its part? Yes, it's probably this. Let's learn from caged rats, everybody!
They'll learn the hard way (Score:2)
I'm glad I don't have kids. The world's largest ecosystems are currently collapsing at an unheard of rate, and it doesn't even warrant a "like" on the click click thing. Humanity's fucked.
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Yes because of the enormous cognitive dissonance of members of our two political parties. You have the mainstream political right in this country that wants to build pipelines thru the few large unspoiled sections of forests that remain east of the Mississippi; and anywhere else. Not to mention develop, develop, develop.
And you have the political left; which wants to keep growing our population which would be nearly stable if it was not for immigration by opening the door to literally everyone!
If you care
77% seems kind of high. (Score:2)
We can still fit the entire population of the world in Texas giving them 981sq ft. Pretty impressive that we have managed to touch and/or effected 74,682,719 sq miles of land. Pretty amazing numbers we are putting up.
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Much of that land will be farms and ranches. One farmhouse has five or six large fields. Then several dozen farms will have a village. A half-dozen villages will have a market town. Market towns surround a city. Then those cities will have one capitol city. All of those will be connected by roads, trains, canals. Add some hydroelectric dams, reservoirs and national parks, military test zones, and every square mile of land is accounted for.
Re:77% seems kind of high. (Score:5, Interesting)
Not terribly impressive. 7.6 billion people, 74.7 million square miles of land. Over 100 people per square mile....
Which translates, more or less, as average distance between humans is only 590 feet (180 meters) over the entire land area of the planet....
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"Wild" does not equal "better" (Score:2)
What's the problem they are pointing out? That humans are changing the planet too much? I've seen what happens when humans change the planet, they turn deserts to fruitful soil. I don't see that as a bad thing.
This is just a bunch of hatred on humanity. If the impact of humans on the planet bother you so much then don't breed. I'd suggest going further but I wouldn't wish death on anyone, even self hating idiots that would like to impose misery on their fellow humans to save the wilderness.
You know who
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Wow. (Score:2)
We have now almost completely consumed the systems that give us life.
Humanity is a virus. (Score:1)
"... at the same pace as ..." = unlikely (Score:2)
The pace won't be the same because:
a) easily/moderately accessible resources are pretty much being exploited therefore $$$ will temper further exploitation
b) farms/cities can't be built just anywhere and already exist anywhere that is easily/moderately feasible.
Bottom line: nothing increases linearly forever. A scientist should know that. There will be a plateau and we've likely reached it.
Instead think: it is cheaper to increase efficiency of resource use and higher densities of habitation.
Epilogue: th