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The Fallacy of a Laissez-faire Approach
Those who justify apathy toward the environment often conveniently overlook the fact that most modern pressures on wildlife are anthropogenic (of our own creation). For us to be cavalier about destroying habitat and polluting the environment is the epitome of egocentrism and can hardly be called moral.
Sometimes even well-educated people say some pretty dumb things. Comedians, politicians, and rogue biologists have been known to put forth the idea that, since extinction is a natural occurrence, we should not concern ourselves with species disappearing across the globe. While laissez-faire (letting things take their own course without interference) might improve most public policies, it is reckless to view biodiversity in such a manner.
The argument from the “don’t worry about it” camp often goes something like this:
“Extinctions happen. Species have been disappearing since the beginning of life on Earth. When one species disappears, another will fill the void. Besides, humans are essentially a part of nature anyway, so all the destruction we cause is ‘natural.’ Considering all this, we may as well just focus on what makes our…