4 ms·
> But then it turned out collapsing ecosystems was bad and it also nearly drove the Peregrine Falcon to extinction because it would accumulate in their bodies a
by RcouF1uZ4gsC 6y ago
> But then it turned out collapsing ecosystems was bad and it also nearly drove the Peregrine Falcon to extinction because it would accumulate in their bodies and damaged their eggs.
I would argue, that the benefit of cutting down endemic malaria and yellow fever in the United States and the lives said and the people who did not get sick was worth the risk to the Peregrine Falcon.
In nature, everything is connected. But to believe that it is too connected for humans to be able to successfully manipulate the environment for our benefit is anti-science.
Growing more food, curing disease, increasing human longevity does have follow-on effects for nature, but I would argue that manipulation of Nature for human’s benefit is something we as humans can and should do.
Yes, we should be aware of unintended side effects, but we cannot let ourselves be paralyzed by fear.
- tspike 6y ago> anti-science Science is a method of inquiry, and that inquiry is typically and always ought to be bound by ethical restraints. I hope this particular experiment goes well and that we see a large benefit, but dismissing all ethical objections to ecosystem manipulation as "anti-science" is ludicrous.
- op00to 6y agoThe objection is that this is basically as benign as an experiment gets. Small population of invasive species - we brought them here, and they are only a small (2%) portion of total mosquito population, but cause most of the disease.
- unishark 6y agoWell if the ethical position is that manipulations based on science are "unnatural" and therefore objectionable, then it is pretty directly anti-science.
- TaylorAlexander 6y agoI am not saying categorically that we should not manipulate nature. But that it is extremely common especially for European descended cultures (colonizers) to be over confident in the correctness of their priorities and their understanding of the effects. Anti science has nothing to do with this. I’d advocate for more scientific study generally. We thought we had a great thing with glyphosate and we released it in farms all over the world and now the monarch butterflies are endangered and farm workers are getting cancer. If we are willing to learn about the problems these “quick solutions” will cause it forces us to look to alternative means. There are no quick fixes when it comes to the environment. That entire mode of thinking is what has caused so many of our environmental problems in the first place.
- bedobi 6y agoThe mosquitoes in question are invasive species brought to these ecosystems by European colonizers.
- TaylorAlexander 6y agoSure, so eradicating them may be a good idea, but it does not follow that this particular solution is a good idea. Top comments on this story are now very pessimistic about the use of GMO mosquitos to solve this problem.