首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
考研
For decades, apocalyptic environmentalists (and others) have warned of humanity’s imminent doom, largely as a result of our unsu
For decades, apocalyptic environmentalists (and others) have warned of humanity’s imminent doom, largely as a result of our unsu
admin
2012-07-06
59
问题
For decades, apocalyptic environmentalists (and others) have warned of humanity’s imminent doom, largely as a result of our unsustainable use of and impact upon the natural systems of the planet. Yet, at the exact same time, humanity has never been better. (46)
In the September issue of BioScience, a group of scientists attempts to reconcile the conflict and answer the question; "How is it that human well-being continues to improve as ecosystem services decline?"
(47)
The authors, led by geographer Ciara Raudsepp-Hearne of McGill University, offer four hypotheses for this "environmentalist’s paradox": humans are actually worse off than we think; the ability to grow food trumps all other ecosystem services as far as humans are concerned; technology has allowed us to transcend the environment; and the ill effects of environmental degradation lag its benefits, i. e. the worst is yet to come.
First off, as far as anyone who has studied the issue can tell, despite vast differences, on the whole, humanity has never been better. (48)
Yes, more people are now displaced by warfare than at any time since World War II, and yes, natural disasters affect more people than ever, but we’re far more prepared to deal with such things and therefore actual deaths as a result of them are going down.
So that hypothesis is right out.
As for farming, it’s pretty clear that it’s one of (if not the) most important ecosystem services humanity requires. (49)
While there are costs associated with the loss of other ecosystem services—an example is the loss of wetlands that helped doom New Orleans to the ravages of Hurricane Katrina—our continued success at farming trumps them.
And we are get-ting better at it, growing more crops on less land—a key technological innovation. However, new technologies hardly free humanity from, for example, the need for the fresh water provided by natural systems.
So are we simply storing up trouble for the future, like the rising C02 levels in the atmosphere that have locked in some amount of global warming for the foreseeable future? Yes and no—climate change is a certainty, whether all of human society is headed for collapse is not. As the researchers put it: "While there are many important time lags in Earth’s systems. .. the consequences of those lags for human well-being are unclear. "
(50)
That’s not exactly comforting, nor is the fact that we cannot assume that the past is opening to the future.
The potential for unexpected and sudden crises always looms, like the global economic collapse or food crisis in 2008. At the same time, there is the potential for technology to begin helping ecosystem services-engineering man-made systems that mimic natural ones and produce as many benefits-rather than hurting them. Beginning to design urban ecosystems holistically rather than piecemeal might alleviate some of the pressure on natural ecosystems. Management is no longer a luxury. We had better get good at it. [483 words]
选项
答案
在《生物科学》9月刊中,一批科学家试图调和这个矛盾,并回答“为什么生态系统服务功能衰退了,而人类福祉却得到了提升”这个问题。
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/6vp4777K
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
AirlinedelaysmayresultinIntheeyesofGreen,UnitedAirlines
LastNovember,engineersinthehealthcaredivisionofGEunveiledsomethingcalledthe"LightSpeedVCT",ascannerthatcancr
Inascience-fictionmoviecalled"Species",amysterioussignalfromouterspaceturnsouttodescribethegenomeofanunknown
Theonsetofanewgenerationofcomputerattackswasmarkedby______.Itcanbeinferredfromthetextthatthepurposeofth
The"MyDoom"viruscouldpresageagenerationofcomputerattacksbyorganisedgangsaimingtoextractransomsfromonlinebusin
Today,therearetwoapproachestohowAmericansperceivethemselves.(46)"Youcanconsideryourselfvaluablenomatterwhat
Today,therearetwoapproachestohowAmericansperceivethemselves.(46)"Youcanconsideryourselfvaluablenomatterwhat
Iftheopinionpollsaretobebelieved,mostAmericansarecomingtotrusttheirgovernmentmorethantheyusedto.Thehabith
Forthefirsttimeindecades,doctorshavebegunmakingmajorchangesinthetreatmentoflungcancer,basedonresearchprovin
随机试题
在事务恢复中,对已经结束的事务进行_______处理。
下列诗作中,作者为张若虚的是()
患儿,7个月,发热3天,体温39.2℃,流涕,咳嗽。皮肤出现红色斑丘疹,体温升至40%。颊黏膜粗糙,可见白色斑点,最可能的诊断是
有调血脂作用,亦能增加动脉粥样硬化斑块稳定性或使斑块缩小的药物是适用于Ⅱa、Ⅱb型及家族性杂合子的高脂蛋白血症,但有特殊臭味和一定刺激性的药物是
甲公司与乙公司签订了“多功能电饭煲”技术转让合同,由甲公司向乙公司转让“多功能电饭煲”的生产技术。合同未约定后续技术成果的分享办法。一年以后,该乙公司在生产过程对“多功能电饭煲”技术进行了改造,研制成“高效多功能电饭煲”。则在双方就该改进后的技术的分享达不
统计数据表明,某行业内市场占有率前五名的企业为A、B、C、D、E,它们的市场占有率分别为28%、26%、22%、10%和5%。E公司为了制定自身的发展战略,采用五因素模型对行业的竞争结构进行分析。部分因素分析如下:1.本行业的新进入者来自国内、国外两个方
从所给的四个选项中,选择最合适的一个填人问号处,使之呈现一定的规律性。()
“一国两制”为解决国际争端提供了一个范例、一个模式,对和平解决国际争端作出了贡献。()
Readthistextfromanarticleaboutjobreferences.Choosethebestsentencefromtheoppositepagetofilleachofthegaps.F
WallStreetStocksaremixedwithbluechipsreboundingfrom(1).RightnowtheDOWindustrialsareupnearly12pointsat(2)
最新回复
(
0
)