Blog #1: Sustainability of nature (Marino)

I chose an article that discusses the sustainability of lands, which is an important topic for us to deal with the environmental issues and the population growth.

First, when we hear the image of urban city regarding of environmental issues, we usually don’t picture a positive image; we think of crowds, smells, dense air and polluted water etc. However, this article introduces interesting and innovative ideas of how to live cooperatively with nature in the cities.

According to the article, people who live in cities can live efficiently in using the resources than those who live in countryside. This is because humans usually use land areas for living and acquiring natural resources, and the more people live densely, the less area will be used as a living area. Therefore, author considers the coexistence of human and nature in urban cities by implementing new technology.

In fact, there are already lots of achievements in urban cities. One of the famous examples is that constructing a park on the top of the building to emit fresh air and to enjoy the nature for tired, busy people. Yet, he claims that more new ideas are needed to deal with the current situation. He gives an example of farming in a urban side, which makes it possible to clean the water, the air and also to grow the plants efficiently.

Furthermore, the writer talks about the changing ecosystem. Now, the animals are getting used to the urban life, and introducing their life style in an urban style; their foods are wastes came from humans, nesting their habitats to skyscrapers. He says that as the animals are getting to depend on our environment, we need to develop further in order for animals to live more comfortably together.

Reading briefly through this article, however, I cannot think this is really a realistic idea. Even though parks are built on the skyscrapers, more concentration on people in the urban side just causes confusion and frustration. The author’s idea is similar to what Japanese do in the train in the morning. In short, we use the time efficiently by riding on a crowded train. Even though we can save our time rather than waiting a vacant train coming to a platform, we don’t feel good at all. Concentration in the same area may save the land, but at the same time, it causes huge stress to residents.

Furthermore, I stress that ecosystem was changed not because animals wanted to. Rather, they cannot help but change into a urban style as the humans destroy their natural inhabitants. It is hard not to be self-sufficient in living because we want to live in a best way to be comfortable, but we need to think about the sustainability of our life for the animals and for the next generations. We need to cherish our lands, and I don’t agree that technology is always the solution for the environmental issues.   

 

This is the article: Go