Part 4 of 5—Man Swarm: The seven ecological wounds

By Frosty Wooldridge

A book review: Man Swarm and the Killing of Wildlife by Dave Foreman

Part 4 of 5: The seven ecological wounds

Dave Foreman pegs the “7 deadly sins” of overpopulation as they relate to the animal world.  He exposes the human mob’s onslaught of nature as a habitat killing machine.  With proven scientific studies by world experts such as Dr. Norman Myers at Oxford University in the United Kingdom, he shows that 80 to 100 species suffer extinction 24/7. 

That brings the moral-ethical question to the surface: does a cognitive species such as human beings possess the right to cause the extinction of countless other creatures?  How many species can be sacrificed before nature cannot continue operating in balance with its ecosystems?  Does humanity possess a responsibility to ensure survival of other species in the endless network of life on Earth?

To be certain, humanity stands at the gate of adding another three billion of its kind within 38 years by 2050.  It could reach beyond 10 billion on its way to 15 billion as some demographers project.

With those numbers and ecological footprints exploding beyond imagination, Foreman addresses “The Seven Ecological Wounds” that humans slam onto the natural world.

Wound 1: Overkill—Man has been killing wildlife since he migrated out of Africa. He shoots, traps, poisons, stomps and destroys habitat at lightning speed.  He kills animals for feathers, adornments and sexual prowess.

Wound 2: Scalping and Taming Wilderness—He clears land for agriculture, logging, grazing, burning, killing keystone species, mining, dams, irrigation, oil spills and more.  Humans wreck the land wherever they travel.

Wound 3: Fragmentation of Wildlife Neighborhoods—Since the Roman Empire, humans have methodically destroyed habitat with roads, canals, power lines and more.

Wound 4: Upsetting and Weakening Ecological and Evolutionary Processes—Humans destroy wildlife by predation, by knocking out pollinators, via hydrological disruption with dams and irrigation.

Wound 5: Spread of Exotic Species and Diseases—Man carries diseases, plants and vertebrates to new and unknown ecosystems that displace the native species.

Wound 6: Biocide Poisoning of Land, Air, Water and Wildlife—Humans have created farms, sewers, outhouses, mines, factories, oil tankers, toxic waste and much more in its destruction of the natural world.

Wound 7: Global Weirding or Climate Change and Ocean Acidification—Air pollution and chemicals are destroying our lakes and oceans.  Reefs and fish suffer under the onslaught of chemicals injected into the oceans.

While Americans cannot and do not understand the consequences of overpopulation around the world, it races ahead at full speed.  Somalia in October of 2011, received $100 million in food-aid to feed a million starving humans.  However, to feed them means to grow their numbers until they die off in greater numbers in the future.  At one billion people in 2012, Africa expects to grow to 3.1 billion by the end of this century. 

Folks, anyone here think the wild things of Africa stand a chance at such an onslaught of humans? 

Does anyone think that the Africans stand a chance?  Marvin Harris said, “During the 1980s, some of the worst famines in history afflicted large parts of Africa and South Asia under the noses of the United Nations. In absolute numbers, more illiterate, impoverished and chronically malnourished people live in the world at the end of the 20^th century than at the beginning.”

Imagine an added three billion humans in less than 40 years romping around the planet for food!  How about another 138 million added to America?  Foreman really slams reality into the face of anyone that thinks this is going to be a fun ride for anyone.

Lester Brown, author of Plan B 4.0 Saving Civilization said, “The world has set in motion environmental trends that are threatening civilization itself.  We are crossing environmental thresholds and violating deadlines set by nature. Nature is the timekeeper, but we cannot see the clock.”

Other wise words from men of history

It’s not like we haven’t been warned about our fecundity.  Herodotus over 2,000 years ago said, “Man stalks across the landscape, and deserts follow in his footsteps.”  

As you may know, desertification of the planet races forward at blinding speed. 

Edward Abbey said, “Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of a cancer cell.”

Botanist Paul Sears said, “Man has become the sponsor of a biological experiment without known parallel in the history of the earth and its inhabitants.  He has become the predominant species.  He has destroyed the natural pattern and from the wreck is trying to create a new one.  That is a cataclysmic revolution.”

Foreman shows that humans race toward a very sobering future while they take out countless species.

As Foreman says, “The planet cannot afford more Americans.”

He talks about the Jevons’ Paradox.  You must read it to grasp it.

Foreman brings a lifetime of compelling experiences to this book.  Once you start it, you cannot put it down.  It grabs you.  It captivates your sense of responsibility.  It compels you to take action.

In the final portion of this review, Foreman points out the causes of America’s overpopulation predicament.  He offers reasoned solutions. 

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Man Swarm and the Killing of Wildlife by Dave Foreman

www.ravenseyepress.com

Price: $20.00

ISBN# 978-0-9816584-7-6

www.rewilding.org

www.applythebrakes.org

www.amazon.com