Nicholas Sheridan, Jr.

Island civilization: a vision for human occupancy of

EARTH

                This article written by Roderick Frazier Nash touched upon the human impact on Earth and several different solutions to saving our planet. When European colonists first started landing on western lands their main objectives were exploring, finding treasures and settling on new lands. The Europeans, however, were concerned only with achieving these objectives for their Queen and not the wilderness. Through construction of roadways, railroads and buildings they were the first people to have a negative impact on the land. Native Americans were the direct opposite of the colonists because they praised the land and had the utmost respect for it and its animals. Native Americans would hunt only what they would need to survive, not for game. The Colonists mindset for food, on the other hand, was to cut down and flatten the land. This new emergence of colonists shows that we have moved from hunters and gatherers to farmers.

                The definition of a wilderness is a land that is still in its natural state, and hasn’t been altered by humans. The views of people during this time weren’t affected by the destruction of the wilderness. In fact, people hunted and killed animals strictly for fun. People were trying to acquire as much land as they could and cut down all of the trees and use that land for farming. Authors such as        Henry David Thoreau and George Perkins Marsh wrote several books stating that the wilderness contained all of the items that humans needed to survive. They both claimed that humans should be more concerned with protecting the abundant forests they have than inventing new technology. A major flaw to the rapid deforestation of the lands is that once all of the trees are cut down, then what? Will we travel to another distant land and repeat the process again? Our lands would now be barren and the erosion would cause flooding all over.

                In the 1870s one man, John Muir, went against all beliefs at that time and spread his ideas that forest should be treated as gifts from God. Mountains and other landforms should be thought of as cathedrals and other important symbols. Muir’s views really stood out when 20 years later it was declared that there was no longer a frontier. The colonist mentality of rapid civilizing had come to a halt. One of the most famous books of all time, The Call of the Wild, was published only a couple years after this disturbing news of the frontier. Jack London, the author, talked about how the view towards nature is now going to change.

The birthplace of books like The Call of the Wild and Tarzan were in cities, and therefore that is where the first ideas came from concerning the protection of the wilderness. In 1964 a miracle happened; The Wilderness Act was founded. People finally wanted to honor and respect the land because it was a product of God. They understood that God gave them the opportunity to live on the lands and they should not take it for granted. After the newly passed act was founded, people shifted their views towards the animals in the lands and shortly after two animal-concerned acts were passed.

There are several different ways in which Mr. Nash portrays the future for Earth and its inhabitants. One outcome is that of a terrible, trashed and desolate land that only a few species can survive on. This land is depicted as no longer being the forest covered, mineral rich Earth that we all know it as today. Another outcome, a more promising one, is that of an island civilization. The theory of an island civilization is that humans divide up into 500 different camps that are located all over the world. Each of these camps is in the size of approximately 100 mile circles. Engineers would have to design other places of living, such as underground or in the air to squeeze that many people in such a small space. The camps would be self-sustained, and the people would live off the lands and if needed the lands outside of their camp. Containing the humans to certain camps allows the human destruction to also be contained and not affect the lands and animals.

The way the European colonists thought when they came to these new western lands was arrogant and self-indulgent. They were not concerned with the consequences and destruction of their impact. In my opinion it is good that they realized the devastation that they were causing when the frontier was finally completely explored because had they moved to other continents they could have destroyed the forests and lands of the entire world. The authors who wrote books that discussed human impact on Earth served as a wake-up call. It was a kick in the rear end to those who thought deforesting the entire land was a good idea.

I personally think that the idea of an Island Civilization is one that is far-fetched but possible. The amount of time that scientists and engineers are going to have to put in to develop technology to allow us to live on new types of environments like under the water or under the ground is going to be intense. We are all going to have to work together to make something like this happen. If we were going to decide to live the future like this I believe it is important to start making the blueprints and the technology as soon as possible.