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Could We Pay Back The Earth For What It Provides? A New Report Offers A Roadmap : NPR

How much is nature worth? It's the question at the heart of a landmark new report commissioned by the British government to evaluate the economic cost of continued environmental devastation.

The Review on the Economics of Biodiversity, totaling more than 600 pages and issued Tuesday, frames nature as a financial asset that provides humanity with food, water, shelter and "spiritual fulfillment."

Pretty Small in the Grand Scheme of Things

Looking at topographical maps of the landscape, like the ones I’ve posted lately, showing the landscape carved by glaciers and other geological forces, I think about how self-aggrandizing a view we have of mankind. Sure, man kind has had an important force on the landscape and ecological forces, but our time on the earth has been relatively short, the blip in the grand scheme of things.

 Chazy Lake, Ellenburg Mountain, Lyon Mountain, Johnson Mountain

With LiDAR mapping, we can see how mankind has changed the surface of earth, moving materials around and blasting in the rock. But ultimately the carving that we have of the earth pales to the impact of natural forces such as glaciers and volcanos. We’ve been busy little beavers over the past century or two, but our time has been little on the earth compared to geological time.

Thematic  Albany\'s South End, Historic Dumping Grounds

In some ways, the notion that there is something bigger then mankind is rather reassuring. It’s nice to know that the world isn’t dependent on our success or failure, the planet will live on and change long after our rein is done. We’ve made it 80 years into the nuclear age, but we are well aware we may not make it another 80 years – and the carbonation of our atmosphere brought on by our species – will continue to outrun our control, probably leading to the elimination of our species.

Ortho Don\'t You Hate The Lack Of Parking At Colonie Center

But time marches on, and so we. I am not one to object that much too changes, as despite what we tell ourselves, in many ways we aren’t in control of our society’s ultimate destiny.

Bird

I've really gotten into bird watching lately.

Taken on Thursday May 7, 2020 at Nature.