Extinction, and other poop
Absolute finality makes me anxious. I like flexibility, changeability, and variety (all of which describe fajitas, by the way).
So extinction doesn’t just make me anxious, it makes me crumple into a pitiful ball of despair.
It’s just so disturbing to think that a species could be here, be here, be here, and one day just–poof!–be gone forever.
As unsettling as extinction may be, it’s “normal” in terms of geologic events. There have been 5 major extinctions in earth’s past, the most well-known of which was 65 million years ago and killed all the brontosauruses, among other things.
In fact, 99.9% of species that have ever existed on earth are now extinct. That’s why they say, “Extinction is the rule. Evolution is the exception.” (“They” are science nerds like me.)
But even if extinction is somewhat routine, it’s still poopy–especially when it’s being accelerated by our species’ unquenchable thirst for resources and the ensuing shenanigans.
Of course, we keep a list of endangered species, but is this being taken seriously? Perhaps “endangered” isn’t quite descriptive enough: these species are in line for a one-way ticket to oblivion. We can’t just call them endangered and then go to lunch.
“Exposed” definitely won’t work. People will assume we just mean the animals are naked, and then people won’t want to save them, as they’re clearly too depraved and immoral to deserve saving.
“Peril” might work, but it doesn’t sound quite imminent enough. Maybe we can’t sum up the seriousness in just one word.
So instead of “endangered” species, I’ll call them no-really-this-is-not-okay-this-creature-might-be-gone-for-reals-forever-if-we-don’t-stop-ruining-everything species.
Which endangered species get the most airtime? The fuzziest and cuddliest ones. Good luck getting people to care about (or patronize) a conservation effort for venomous snakes or a rare species of spider.
But who are we to choose which species deserve to live?
I’m also a little annoyed when organizations try to raise awareness and concern about an endangered species by explaining how its demise will in turn affect us. Do we need to protect pandas and their environments only to benefit ourselves? Do we need to stop finning sharks just because they are an important part of the ecosystem in the ocean, which we benefit from every day with of food and oxygen? Is that the only reason? Isn’t there some altruistic reason?
Doesn’t life have a right to exist without threats from deforestation, pollution, or overhunting? Or does it only merit protection if we can see a direct line between its survival and our own prosperity? Shouldn’t we rehabilitate endangered species simply because it’s the cool thing to do?
You can call me a starry-eyed idealist all you want, but I think that living things deserve to be here… until they go extinct by some more acceptable method, like a giant comet colliding with earth.
