
Unnatural Selection: What will it take to save the world’s reefs and forests? - sergeant3
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/04/18/a-radical-attempt-to-save-the-reefs-and-forests
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lazyjones
The cheapest and most effective solution would be a virus that wipes out the
human population.

I'm not sure there is a realistic chance to develop a less drastic solution,
since there are far too many different forces working on destroying reefs and
forests (as a side-effect of whatever they do). Perhaps we need to focus on
replicating the benefits from reefs and forests in a way that is profitable
and scales.

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formula1
This is what I was thinking. Something such as Algae Farms would be very
productive in order to ensure Co2 was handled properly and we had a renewable
resource of fuel. Additionally, they can be handled nearly anywhere with the
only requirement is water and compost. As for the fish/animals lost in such
ecosystems, they likely can never be replaced but collecting DNA samples would
at least allow us to remember our history.

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dev1n
In general, people don't understand why it's important to save the world's
reefs and forests. I wish authors titled their environmental conservancy
pieces more alarmingly. Such as "what will it take to save humanity?" Because
that's why we really care about reefs and forests.

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formula1
While yes, ecosystems have kept humanity and the world alive for quite some
time. I think its fair to say that the current trend for the last 2000+ years
has been humanity taking survival into their own hands. Farming in the place
of hunting/gathering, automation instead of employment. Nature has been taking
a backseat for quite some time. Claiming ecosystems are inherently required
for human survival is ignoring what invention is capable of. I do think its
sad that our world must be destroyed in order for 'progress' to happen but its
become clear that the amount of momentum mining and polution has far outweighs
any effort to maintain roots and care for our planet.

Trust me when I say that I want to see biodiversity still. But I can't help
but wonder if looking forward is more productive in the long run than trying
to stop a freight train with bare hands. The average person has little to no
power and organizations that have claimed to help these situations in the past
are clearly not capable of effective and permenant change, simply road bumps.

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kitsunedragon
What about the things technology isn't prepared to take over? Or something
that would take a long time to perfect. I'd like to see technology try to
replace bees. Nature is very efficient at what it does especially since it's
been doing its thing way before humans invented anything substantial.

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formula1
I completely agree there are aspects that arent simply handled. But you, the
individual, are far more capable of inventing than stopping existing
industries. You are more capable of maintaining a small bee hive than stopping
industries from using pesticides. What is unclear to me is what effective
legal actions can be made inorder to protect nature.

