If you had to choose between saving humanity or preserving ecosystems, what would you choose?

Question

Because people do need land, food, water, and other resources to live.

Answer 1

I'd be doing my part to "Shave the Earth"

Answer 2

depends on the particular human

Answer 3

Say you have a giant, beautiful tapestry that was handed down from generation to generation. Most of the early owners couldn't damage it, and many cherished it. But as it was passed down, the later generations started to damage it. The damage was small...the extinction of the dodo bird would be like removing a small thread. But as time went on, more and more threads were removed. The tapestry was very large and strong, but it took a beating. Threads were picked from the weakest parts and some colors started to fade. We have inherited this tapestry...still magnificent and awe-inspiring...but in a way we have to choose between preserving it the best we can, or damaging it even more to suit our own needs and wants. People need land, food, water and other resources to live, but in order to save humanity in the long run, we need to preserve the tapestry. Would you damage an antique that's been in the family for generations, then give it to your child? If the tapestry continues to be abused, it won't be able to keep itself together. I think it's wrong to abuse something so beautiful...and so rare.

Answer 4

people are important, ecosystems are not...just that simple..

Answer 5

I'd choose humanity, since I love my friends and family.

But really, you can't save humanity without saving that which sustains us. Without functioning ecosystems, we all die.

Answer 6

Yes it's cheesy, but I think saving ecosystem will save humanity in long run.

Answer 7

If our environment isn't preserved to some degree, humanity--as a whole--won't survive anyways.

The human race needs to start learning how to *live* with its environment--rather than try to co-opt every time for its precious resources.

But since I'm mostly talking to the choir--no one will learn their lesson until it's much too late.

Answer 8

This is like the question what came first the chicken or the egg?Without one the other wont exist.

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Answer 9

Saving humanity would be pointless because they will die without the ecosystem eventually. I would save the ecosystem, that way at least one thing is saved verses both and maybe some of the creatures will evolve into humans aeons in the future.

Answer 10

False choice.

The things that damage ecosystems, also damage humans.

Global warming is a perfect example.  It's starting to affect sensitive ecosystems, like coral reefs, already.

Later it will be damaging agricultural ecosystems.  Damage those and it impacts whether or not we DO have food.  Changing precipitation patterns due to global warming will impact whether we have the water we need.

We're not separate from the Earth's ecosystems, we're dependent on them.

Answer 11

If I have to choose, I would definitely choose to save Humanity,

However much of the survival of humanity depends on the ecosystems.

we need to learn to co-exist with the ecosystem, and that way preserve both.

Answer 12

It certainly is a serious consideration, what with the population of the planet approaching 7 billion.  One thing I read a while back about conservation explained that our concept of conservation has changed markedly in recent decades-that at one time, draining the Everglades and converting the land there to human use was considered 'conservation.'  Now, of course, we see things differently and there is an attempt in progress to restore the  Everglades.  That is not just a pretty environmental project as wetlands do a lot to purify water and remove various pollutants.

So I think that as time passes and we come to understand more about peaceful coexistance with our environment, choosing one over the other may not be the difficult choice it is today.  We have to preserve ecosystems for humanity to survive and when we threaten to overwhelm the environment, changes have to be made in the way we interact with it.

Answer 13

Every ecosystem on Earth is in decline, mostly due to our "entitlement" attitude. We have to realize that preserving ecosystems will save humanity.

Answer 14

I think to a certain extent everyone that lives in modern society chooses people over ecosystems, because ecosystems are always destroyed to some extent in building our cities and infrastructure.  This should be done wisely, though, and an attempt should be made to save similar ecosystems.  If we could learn to control our reproductive habits we would not have to make these choices so often, because we would not have to keep expanding to virgin land.

Answer 15

OK the other posters' point is well-taken that we're part of the ecosystem.

Let's change the question - humanity versus some other species - - or, versus a thousand other species.   Which do you save?

Humanity.