IT'S FUCKIN' HOT AND WE'RE KILLIN' ALL THE WHALES

[Frostatine]

Yeah I wasnt around to start up the new one, and I figured you would want me to so here it is.

Topic is the same, and if you want, other environmental issues may be discussed if they're interesting.

But none of that save the whales crap.

[Seil]

But none of that save the whales crap.

Why not? Animal extinction is a big problem in some areas, due to poaching, humans destroying food sources and habitats, as well as people tormenting animals just for fun. I dun think it's "crap," so much as a problem that needs to be looked at.

[ArlanKels]

Does animal extinction matter?
If, lets say, all the grizzly bears died off would we be better off, worse off or ~~ nothing?

Meanwhile animal we eat, like Deer, propogate...oh lord do they propogate...

[Sithdarth]

Does animal extinction matter?
If, lets say, all the grizzly bears died off would we be better off, worse off or ~~ nothing?

Yes it does matter when its not naturally driven. Top predators like bears are especially important because they aren't very selective eaters. They tie together the different sections of the food web and maintain balance in the ecosystem. If they go its not just one species that they prey on that is effected. Everything goes out of whack. It is never a good thing to just wipe an animal out because its hard to predict just what it might effect and the results are almost universally very bad.

[Fenris]

Thread title updated so it's a sequel.

[Aerozord]

yes animal extinction matters to many species. If there were no mosquitoes for example, several species would vanish not only those that eat them, but the animals that eat those ones as well and so on.

Why do you only care about your own species? What makes your life so much better then theirs? Nothing should die for no reason, atleast if it can be avoided. If your not eating it, if its not threatening your life, if its not a freak accident, then that life should not end. Causing the extinction of entire species simply so your life is abit more convient, thats nothing short then genocide. If thats truely how our race thinks, that its ok for entire ecosystems to be destroyed just so we can make abit more money or that our lives are abit more convient. Then we are truely an evil species that doesn't deserve this bountiful planet.

[ZAKtheGeek]

Why do you only care about your own species?

Why would you care about other species? Meanwhile, as organisms, we've had some billion years where our drive has been to do nothing but propagate our own kind.

What makes your life so much better then theirs?

What makes any life have any value at all? The fact is, the only reason we really even value each other's lives is because we empathize with our own species.

If your not eating it, if its not threatening your life, if its not a freak accident, then that life should not end.

Seems like a matter of opinion to me.

Causing the extinction of entire species simply so your life is abit more convient, thats nothing short then genocide. If thats truely how our race thinks, that its ok for entire ecosystems to be destroyed just so we can make abit more money or that our lives are abit more convient. Then we are truely an evil species that doesn't deserve this bountiful planet.

I suppose you could call it genocide, but that's a bit misleading since usually people think of something else when you say that. Also, evil and deserving are totally subjective.

And if it does us no harm, then hell yeah, why the fuck not wipe us out some species and wreck some ecosystems? We ourselves rely on those very systems, though, so it's in our best interest to preserve them.

[Aerozord]

Originally Posted by ZAKtheGeek

Why would you care about other species? Meanwhile, as organisms, we've had some billion years where our drive has been to do nothing but propagate our own kind.

because they wont kill indiscriminately. An animal will kill you to eat you, or to protect itself. We are ok with killing an animal because its in our way. We are ok with our toxins slowly killing others. As I said, I am ok with death, its natural. But why are we killing these animals? Just give me one good reason why they should die just because we feel like being greedy and lazy?

[ZAKtheGeek]

I feel it's actually your responsibility to say why they shouldn't. If there's actually no harm done to us as an indirect result (which I highly doubt), then I don't see why we should go out of our way to protect some other animals.

Again, it's a matter of opinion, really. There's no right answer, it's just a matter of personal preference.

[42PETUNIAS]

Originally Posted by ZAKtheGeek

Why would you care about other species?

Because if we stop caring about other species, and accept widespred killing of other species, we start to seriously fuck up our environment, which puts our species in danger. If we were just another breed of animal, we wouldn't have to worry about other species, but when we have as much impact over the environment as we do now, it kind of becomes a responsibility to think of other species.