Essential Question Response #1

Is recycling a responsibility of human beings?
Humans have done (and are still doing) the most damage to the ecosystem out of all other life on this planet. Because of this, it would seem that we are obligated to at least attempt to reduce our destructiveness, so that we can use this planet for a long time. Recycling helps us do that by allowing us to consume less materials by reusing the same materials instead of constantly harvesting new materials. However, no other form of life has ever recycled or slowed their consumption of resources and life has continued, even afer countless natural changes have occurred (like the ice age). So what if the damage is just a normal progression of the world? In fact, smaller cases of such things happen everyday. A species of predator might consume more prey than are being reproduced, but then the predators don't have enough food for every member of the species so some die and as a result the prey population goes back up. The predator-prey cycle is never ending, and maybe it is only natural that humans be a part of a cycle like that as well. Despite this contradiction, I believe that humans have dug a hole deeper than any other species before, and it could very well end in a larger consequence than just a reduction of the human race, but could even extend to every species on the planet. It's because of this, that I believe it's a responsibility of human beings to try to right the wrongs we have committed and to recycle, so that we could fill in a little of that grave we are digging.