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... n tained in order to sustain a semblance of atmospheric harmony. Obvious abuse of our nations resources, land and indigenous plants and animals would be depleted if not for environmental regulations; furthermore, many plant, animal and insect species that play a large part in our ecosystem would become extinct. The Erlich's may have made a misdirection when authoring their argument. While I agree with the notion that our awareness for and protection of the ecosystem is both a national and global issue, the methods by which we can attain this are still unclear. The Erlich's reasoning focuses on accusations of greed by business owners and opponents of environmental conservation as their motivation to antagonize preservation efforts.
Allegations of unethical motives will only perpetuate the divide that has been created between environmentalists and their opponents. Perhaps the most shocking statement behind Shanahan's argument is that Americans realize there is often no sound scientific basis for the assertions that are made concerning environmental harm and public risk. Even if this were the case, throughout history we know that prophylactic actions need to be taken at times. Preventative measures often allow us to avoid experiencing situations of detrimental proportions. Shanahan is under-qualified and out of line to determine the caliber of science that supports government research. Shanahan's argument is riddled with fallacies.
Denoting environmentalists as liberals is a maligned accusation. The Oxford Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus definition for liberal includes, one who is open-mind; favors political and social reform (456). While the definition of an environmentalist is, person concerned with the protection of the natural environment (254). Inevitably, there are some parallels between the two definitions; however, naming conservationists as liberals ultimately implies their motivations are extreme and fanatical. We know this is not the case. Oversimplification occurs in Shanahan's argument as well.
The words tabloid science are used frequently in his passage. Do we really believe that the United States government will enforce laws resulting from rudimentary studies performed by less-than qualified scientists? Shanahan raises a valid point by suggesting, agencies should use consistent methodologies to determine < environmental> risks (344). Deriving reliable information from a broad range of sources is a difficult task. Research guidelines should be endorsed with the methods of retrieval, sampling and diagnosing uniform and exact for all studies performed. The fallacy of Hasty Conclusion was made with the statement, environmental protection is enormously expensive, costs jobs, and stifles economic opportunity (336).
This conclusion of stifled economic opportunity as made by Shanahan does not necessarily occur because of protection efforts. The Burden of Proof was shifted when Shanahan stated, ill-conceived regulations delivering little benefit, lead to unintended consequences for small businesses, which are disproportionately minority-owned and minority-run (337). The environmental debate involves Americans as whole, not secular groups, broken down to be used as examples in an effort to invoke emotion by the reader. Perceiving small business owners to be predominantly of a minority nationality is not only irrelevant, it is also unsupported evidence.
The Erlich's presented the propaganda technique of Appealing to Fear when the statement, Even if humanity manages to extricate itself, it is likely that environmental events will be defining ones for our grandchildren's generation and those events could dwarf World War II in magnitude (346). While it is imperative that the severity of our environmental issues is made known to everyone and attempts are made to propel Americans to warrant change for the future, it should not be copacetic to align the devastating results of war to our possible situation in years to come. Another technique that was apparent was the use of Glittering Generality; that is, the uses by which propagandists distort the actual position in which they stand. While explaining the methods by which opponents of environmental protection masquerade as organizations built to protect the environment, the Erlich's have outlined just one of the devious manners in which they are able to sway public opinion. I feel that both sides have relevant points in their arguments that should be carefully considered. Shanahan constructs a great argument for business owners, but seems to disregard the ultimate repercussions that we could experience do we not intervene and accept policies and regulations regarding our ecosystem.
The Erlich's formulate an impressive argument and discussion of the lending causes as to why Americans do not take a more active role in the preservation of our nations elements. However, I believe their weakness lies in their lack of suggestions for alternatives that can be implemented to contend brown lash attempts. I believe a feasible beginning to the long-stage solution, lies in the work of Amory Lovins. Lovins, a clean power advocate and co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado suggests the use of what he calls Natural Capitalism for global reform. Natural Capitalism is essentially a four-step process, which businesses and corporations can implement in an effort to reduce the continued degradation of the environment.
These steps include increasing resource productivity, eliminating the concept of waste, creating service and flow of the companys product and investing in natural resources (Amory). This is by no means an easy war to wage; there are no easy answers. Overcoming avoidance and negligence is a process that will take years to solve. I believe environmental regulations should continue to be created, applied and enforced. I sympathize with business owners who have seen misfortune because of these regulations; however, I believe the strength of our nation lies in our natural beauty and resources.
If we fail to employ regulations, not only we will lose Americans splendor, but we will exhaust the natural resources to draw from for continued, successful enterprise. The debate between environmental regulations and economic freedoms remains balanced on a wary scale for the time being. Works Cited Abate, Frank R. , ed. The Oxford Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Amory Lovins. Business Week 3726 A (Spring 2001 Bonus Issue): 198 - 200. Erlichs, Paul R. and Anne H. Erlichs.
Brown lash: The New Environmental Anti-Science. Taking Sides. Ed. Lisa H.
Newton and Maureen M. Ford. 7 th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2002. 346 - 53. Mission Statement.
The Alexis de Tocqueville Institution. 16 Apr. 2002. < web Shanahan, John. Environment. Taking Sides. Ed. Lisa H. Newton and Maureen M.
Ford. 7 th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2002. 336 - 45.
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Research essay sample on Mcgraw Hill Environmental Regulations
