E.O. Wilson begins his
lecture with a plea to humanity: “If we were to wipe out insects alone, just
that group alone, on this planet—which we are trying hard to do—the rest of
life and humanity with it would mostly disappear from the land.” It is
certainly a grave statement to begin a lecture, but one that has merit.
As Wilson
grew up, he became fascinated with the diversity of life on Earth. From
butterflies to snakes, birds to fish, and many other assortment of animals, he
found his calling as a biologist. With the variety of life in the world, and what
it means for us as a species as a whole, he reflected on how little we
understand it and the dangers our practices imposes on the natural world. When
he was seven years old, he was blinded in the eye by a pinfish, and coupled
with his difficulty in hearing, he dedicated his life as a naturalist to the
very small—insects. Insects, according to Wilson, “compose the foundation of
our ecosystems, the little things . . . who run the world.”
The discoveries
humanity has made in the last thirty years demonstrates how little we know
about life on this planet. Bacteria alone, in a ton of soil, contains nearly
four million species that are yet unknown. The purposeful nature of these
bacteria we do not know. But with the advancement of genomic technology, we are
able to sequence genetic codes and find out more with our connection to life on
Earth. We may ultimately depend on these species of bacteria for survival, but unbeknownst
to us the importance to our ecosystems, we may be “destroying them with
ingenuity and ceaseless energy.”
What
Wilson exclaims is that we are destroying the biosphere by a combination of
factors that follows the acronym “HIPPO”: Habitat destruction, Invasive
species, Pollution, Population, Over-harvesting. If humanity continues at its
current rate, half of the surviving animal and plants species alive today can
be extinct by end of the 21st century; climate change can force a
quarter of surviving species into extinction within five decades. We stand to
lose many scientific discoveries that may very well be our solution to many of
life’s burdens today if this happens.
The
result can be cataclysmic: many mass extinctions in the past have occurred already,
and do we want to be part of the next one? There must be a sense of urgency to
study the biosphere. Until we feel confident we know what all life has to
offer, we will not be able to competently tend to the survival of the planet.
Wilson implores the listeners to begin a new chapter, one where we “inspire
preservation of Earth’s biodiversity.” Let’s call it the “Encyclopedia of Life.”
Let’s make this information accessible to anybody willing to look for it. The
practical application of this knowledge can create a world that will transcend
the human consciousness. It can encourage the wonders of science that will
benefit all realms of society, and it can inspire a whole generation that views
all life on Earth as a whole.
Reflection
A call to science in order to discover the mysteries
of this world and our growing connection to this planet has been proposed by
many like-minded thinkers before. E.O. Wilson drives this point home: every
single organism on Earth has a right to survival as do our own human species. The
fact that every biological organism shares the same genetic structure is
something to marvel at. The evolution of life on Earth is so highly improbable
that it is hard to be ungrateful when you view life from the scope the size of
the universe. It is our duty, as Wilson points, to understand the meanings and
practicalities while we still can. With the current rate of extinction on this
planet, there may very well be a solution to many of the fears and doubts that
predicate our society. A loss of a species can have an irreparable impact to
Earth’s natural order, so it is better to preserve and conserve what little we
have before it is too late to make a difference.
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