New here! I don’t have deep knowledge on these topics, but I would say yes.
From my limited research into permaculture/regenerative agriculture, it sounds like biodiversity and climate change aren’t just linked in a ‘climate change will devastate many species’ way, but rather they impact one another in a feedback loop.
For example, deep root systems provide channels for water to seep into the earth. Shade from trees cools the ground. Some methods of regenerative agriculture, including animal agriculture, claim to be carbon sequestering rather than carbon emitting.
I’ve heard many people in Mexico say that the Mayan civilization likely collapsed due to overfarming, deforestation and drought, the idea being that the first two actually caused the latter. Projects like Greening the Desert in Jordan (not so long ago the fertile crescent!) add credence to this idea. https://www.greeningthedesertproject.org/
On X Risk: the majority of oxygen on earth is produced by phytoplankton in the ocean, and we know that whale migration patterns are an important part of this system, their poop acting as fertilizer. Is it possible that if we lost whales, maybe due to overfishing, the phytoplankton population could collapse rapidly and cause earth to be unliveable for those of us who need to breathe???
Idk! That’s scary.
Finally, I would make the case that beauty isn’t just some arbitrary aesthetic thing that only merits preservation for however human enjoyment fits into a utilitarian calculation. Our aesthetic tastes evolved over millions of years, and they are powerful drivers. Clearly they were selected for.
Perhaps they are there to help us recognize healthy systems as beautiful- whether they be people, ecosystems, rivers, or complex patterns reminiscent of those healthy systems (“sacred geometry,” music, etc).
Loss of biodiversity is intuitively ugly and tragic to most people. I think we should listen to that even if we don’t currently have good theory to understand the full importance, or we may find out too late.
I would make the case that beauty isn’t just some arbitrary aesthetic thing that only merits preservation for however human enjoyment fits into a utilitarian calculation. Our aesthetic tastes evolved over millions of years, and they are powerful drivers. Clearly they were selected for.
Hi Katy! I’m not sure I understand your point here—could you clarify? Do you mean that if our aesthetic tastes were selected for by evolution, that’s a reason in itself to preserve things we find aesthetic? I thought your next paragraph was arguing that our aesthetic tastes might be instrumentally valuable, in that they encourage us to preserve things that might help us increase our utility.
Some methods of regenerative agriculture, including animal agriculture, claim to be carbon sequestering rather than carbon emitting.
Also, could you share the type of the animal agriculture you’re talking about?
New here! I don’t have deep knowledge on these topics, but I would say yes.
From my limited research into permaculture/regenerative agriculture, it sounds like biodiversity and climate change aren’t just linked in a ‘climate change will devastate many species’ way, but rather they impact one another in a feedback loop.
For example, deep root systems provide channels for water to seep into the earth. Shade from trees cools the ground. Some methods of regenerative agriculture, including animal agriculture, claim to be carbon sequestering rather than carbon emitting.
I’ve heard many people in Mexico say that the Mayan civilization likely collapsed due to overfarming, deforestation and drought, the idea being that the first two actually caused the latter. Projects like Greening the Desert in Jordan (not so long ago the fertile crescent!) add credence to this idea.
https://www.greeningthedesertproject.org/
On X Risk: the majority of oxygen on earth is produced by phytoplankton in the ocean, and we know that whale migration patterns are an important part of this system, their poop acting as fertilizer. Is it possible that if we lost whales, maybe due to overfishing, the phytoplankton population could collapse rapidly and cause earth to be unliveable for those of us who need to breathe???
Idk! That’s scary.
Finally, I would make the case that beauty isn’t just some arbitrary aesthetic thing that only merits preservation for however human enjoyment fits into a utilitarian calculation. Our aesthetic tastes evolved over millions of years, and they are powerful drivers. Clearly they were selected for.
Perhaps they are there to help us recognize healthy systems as beautiful- whether they be people, ecosystems, rivers, or complex patterns reminiscent of those healthy systems (“sacred geometry,” music, etc).
Loss of biodiversity is intuitively ugly and tragic to most people. I think we should listen to that even if we don’t currently have good theory to understand the full importance, or we may find out too late.
Hi Katy! I’m not sure I understand your point here—could you clarify? Do you mean that if our aesthetic tastes were selected for by evolution, that’s a reason in itself to preserve things we find aesthetic? I thought your next paragraph was arguing that our aesthetic tastes might be instrumentally valuable, in that they encourage us to preserve things that might help us increase our utility.
Also, could you share the type of the animal agriculture you’re talking about?
Thanks!