What is our responsibility to the environment and to other species affected by human decision?
What is our responsibility to the environment and to other species affected by human decision? It is our responsibility to repair the negative effects our actions have on the environment and on other species. I mean repair in the sense that we must be fully aware of the effects of our actions and not be greedy to the point where nature itself cannot rejuvenate itself. It is acceptable that humans use resources from nature for their own well-being; we constitute part of the global food chain after all. However, when we take resources from the environment at a pace in which nature cannot keep up in replenishing, we must either use less of that resource or replenish the resource. If we do not, disasters will almost always happen. The Dust Bowl in the 1930s is just one instance in which man did not take responsibility of the damage he caused to the environment. By over-farming the land and not allowing the land enough time to restore the nutrients it once had, humans created the severe dust storms and drought which forced so many families to abandon their homes. We hurt and exploited our natural resources without considering , or rather, ignoring the effects our actions would have on our land. I say ignore because there is no way that humans do not understand the effects of each of our actions. Sure, we may not understand or know every single effect or actions will have, but that it also our responsibility of mankind, to educate others about what will happen. What one lacks, others can make up for. Just like in the Lorax, the Lorax told the Once-ler the effects his actions would have on the environment. But, in the end, the Once-ler ignored the Lorax's advice and continued chopping down the Truffula Trees until there was none left. Though in the end he gave the last Truffula Tree seed to the little boy to plant, it was the Once-ler's responsibility to prevent the extermination of Truffula Trees by planting and growing new trees as he depleted the current supply.